Steve didn’t look like your regular pastor. After all, he spent a lot of his time Kayaking out on the water. Didn’t pastors have more “churchy” things to do?
That’s what Susana was wondering when Steve invited her and her group of friends to go Kayaking with him. But when Steve confirmed that he was a pastor, Susana immediately opened up .
She told Steve all about her difficult life. She had been divorced twice, and she was currently raising three teenagers on her own. Steve and Susana quickly became friends, and Steve invited her to his house church.
Susana and her three kids are now some of the most dedicated members of the church. Steve even had the privilege of baptizing all four of them.
This month we are praying for church ministries like the one that changed Susana’s and her kids’ lives. Keep reading to see specific ways you can pray!
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1. Pray for endurance and encouragement for missionaries working in church ministries.
Working in a church is hard. Planting a church while learning a new culture is even harder. Because of this, it’s common for missionaries working in church ministries to experience feelings of exhaustion — physically, mentally and spiritually . It’s hard work, but it is rewarding work.
Serving in church ministries can be a difficult job, and it can also be one of the most rewarding. Either way, missionaries working in this type of ministry need your prayers.
As TEAM missionary in the Philippines David North says, “ Church planting is not an easy ministry, as we move into new places and new cultures and new languages and spend most of our time reaching into lives that are dominated by worldly and sinful lifestyles and habits. But it is so rewarding to look back over the years and see the fruit of our labor.”
Pray that missionaries will be encouraged in and by the work they are doing. Pray that God will give them the endurance they need to persevere hard times.
2. Pray that all church members would recognize their important role in the body of Christ.
“Although the pastors are the head of the church, no one person can set up the chairs in an auditorium by themselves or brew all the coffee on their own,” says Caitlin Leamon, missionary in Ireland , “but if no one did it, we would all be falling asleep standing up on a Sunday morning!”
Likewise, pastors can’t teach every Sunday school class, direct every outreach or share the Gospel with every neighbor. Every role in the church is important, and every person has a role to play. Without people to fill these roles, churches will fall apart.
Pray that God will bring the right people to fill needed roles in church plants around the world. Ask Him to raise up servant-hearted people to further His Kingdom through the Church.
3. Pray that church plants will be disciple-making, sustainable and reproducing.
A church plant isn’t truly successful until it’s actively making disciples, working toward being self-sustaining, and helping people find and embrace Jesus.
The command to make disciples is laid out for all Christians in the Great Commission. That’s why it’s important for churches to have a discipleship focus.
TEAM missionaries Mark and Gretchen Potma have been planting churches in the Czech Republic since 1991. Gretchen says, “Our church planting efforts over the years have consistently included the components of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training.” By consistently using these elements, the Potmas have successfully planted five churches.
Pray for church plants all over the world as they make disciples. Pray that new believers will be generous in giving so churches can become self-sustaining. And ask God to use these church plants to produce more devoted followers of Christ.
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click here to get a print-out of this month’s Prayer Focus requests and praise reports
*The names of the people you’ve helped may be changed to protect their privacy.
