The church is instrumental in the growth of believers around the world.
It is a gathering of believers who are collectively known as the Body of Christ.
When people get saved, we send them to Bible believing churches to hear the word of God and to undergo discipleship.
Churches are communities where people can find answers to their everyday issues.
For this reason, church leaders need to equip their ministries in order to be effective in spreading the gospel.
Those who minister in churches ought to receive proper training and mentorship so that they can be workmen approved by God.
Below are 5 prayer points for the church
#1 Led By The Holy Spirit
It is good to have structures in the church, however, if they are rigid, they can leave no room for the Holy Spirit to move.
God loves order and expects it in the church, but this doesn’t have to lock out what he desires to achieve by his Spirit.
Jesus left us his Spirit as a gift to the church because he would no longer be on earth.
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:26
Pray that the church will allow more room for God to lead their services or ministry engagements.
Where structure, plans, scripts and schedules have taken over, that churches will allow God to help them get things back on the right track.
That the leaders will recognize the voice of the Spirit in everything they do in church.
The Holy Spirit is our Helper and directs us to the plans and purposes of God in every situation.
Pray that church leaders will always listen to the voice of God as they plan and create activities for their churches (John 10:27).
That they will reject the voice of the stranger who seeks to destroy the church and weaken it.
Pray for divine wisdom for the church leadership, that they will seek God for wisdom in the area they feel they are lacking it.
Spiritual wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit and those serving in the church are to listen to it and apply it in their daily duties (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
Pray that the church will seek God’s wisdom above the human one so that they will align with God’s ways and will.
#2 Choosing Godly Leaders
The leaders the church invites to head ministries should be prayerfully selected.
God knows the heart of each person and what he has called them to do.
But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Seeking God’s counsel in choosing leaders will save the church a lot of heartache from those who want to serve for selfish gain.
Pray that the top leadership of the church will pray before they select leaders to head their ministries or other church activities.
They need to find the right people guided by God.
They may think they know what to look out for in a potential candidate but God knows what qualities are important.
Pray that churches will find out the qualities of leaders from the Bible who can be role models to other believers.
That they will follow the biblical guidelines for choosing leaders who understand the heart of God for people.
Borrow wisdom from how the Apostles chose leaders or those who were to serve God in certain roles.
Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. Acts 6:3
Ask God to help the church discern those who don’t need to hold leadership positions in their churches.
That God will help them identify false prophets and teachers who want to bring their destructive doctrines to the church.
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:15
Pray that they will be able to test the spirits of those who they want to invite to serve with them as leaders.
Pray that the church will know how to release leaders who don’t need to be in their midst anymore.
There are leaders who started well but deviated along the way and need a time of restoration.
#3 Starting Ministries Ordained By God
Churches are zealous for the work of God and can sometimes get ahead of themselves in starting ministries.
They want to ensure they do the work of God to the best of their ability.
Sometimes in this zeal, churches start ministries because other churches have them or because they feel they must.
Yet God knows the needs of the people of a particular locality and what ministries they need. Churches, therefore, need God’s guidance in starting ministries ordained by him.
Pray that churches will seek God to know the ministries they should start and how they should run them.
God can show them the needs of their members and how to meet them through the right ministry engagements.
When ministries are started for the right reasons, they will be successful in addressing the needs of the people.
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2
Pray that church ministries will be effective in spreading the gospel, disciplining new believers, providing comfort to the suffering, or giving direction to the lost.
That those who serve in these ministries will be there by divine appointment (Acts 1:24-26).
Ministries give people the opportunity to serve in the church using the gifts God has given them.
Pray that churches will have the capacity to send missionaries to other places to minister to the needs of people the world over.
Ask God to build capacity in ministries to reach far and wide and provide much needed help to those who need the love of Christ.
#4 Preaching The True Gospel
The church is charged with the responsibility of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and getting people saved.
For this to happen, they need to preach the gospel in its entirety and not avoid topics they are afraid to handle.
Maintaining purity in the church by preaching the truth is paramount and it keeps the church focused on the finished work of the cross.
Pray that pastors will spend time in the word of God so that they can know it by heart and preach the truth.
But say the things which fit sound doctrine, Titus 2:1
The church members are counting on them to feed them the truth that will nourish their spirits.
Ask God to help them start Bible study classes that will help their church members dig deeper into the word of God.
Pray that church leaders will keep away from preaching trends that don’t benefit their congregations.
Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
That they will not try to compete with other churches for members but focus on building up those under their care.
Ask God to help them keep away from sensationalism that distracts churches from what God has called them to do.
Pray that pastors and teachers will teach the truth without watering it down to suit the world. It is the world to align with the word of God and not the other way round.
Churches need to preach the truth without fearing that they will lose members to other churches.
Ask God to help church leaders discern when someone in their midst is trying to lead others astray with false doctrines.
But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1
#5 Use Technology To Their Advantage
The church can reach more people by making use of the technology available today. Many people are not able to go to church for one reason or another.
Some are in the hospital, bedridden, traveling on work assignments, etc. They all need to hear God’s word wherever they are and the church can meet their needs every day of the week.
Pray that churches will learn how to use technology to serve their members effectively.
That they will learn how to automate their processes and activities so that they can make life easier for their members.
Churches need to see the benefits of using technology to make their workload easier.
Pray that churches will use online platforms to help their members give any time of day or night.
They also need to provide their sermons in video and audio and post them online for those who don’t attend church around the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
They can also use emails to communicate with their members or visitors and keep in touch with them always.
Ask God to help churches identify those in their midst who can help them use technology to their advantage.
God has gifted many believers in the area of technology and they will be a tremendous blessing to churches.
Pray that God will remove the fear that many churches have about using the online platform for their activities.
Pray that God will lead churches to those who can guide them on the right software to use for their activities.
I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths. Proverbs 4:11
That they will carefully consider the options presented to them by service providers.
They can also learn from other churches that have adopted technology to run their daily activities.
Conclusion
The church needs prayers so that it can discharge its duty of preaching the gospel without hindrances and obstacles.
We should pray for the church always that it will maintain its purity and integrity in a world that values falsehood and lies.
People go to church to find the truth and know how to live right. Pray that they will find a safe haven in the church and receive spiritual nourishment.
Your prayers for the church are powerful and effective and they bring down God’s will for the church.
Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. James 5:16
