Choosing a Prayer Leader

IT FIRST BEGINS WITH PRAYER !

The following is taken from Cindy Jacob's book, "Possessing the Gates of the Enemy" (Tarrytown, NY, Chosen Books, 1991) pp. 195-197.

"How does a church or organization choose a prayer leader? It goes without saying that the leader should have a deep walk with the Lord and be called to the ministry of intercession. Here are some other questions to consider:

1. Is he or she discreet?

2. How reliable and faithful has he or she proven to be toward the ministry and it's ongoing meetings?

3. Does he or she have a servant's heart?

What are his or her aspirations in ministry? Does he or she want to lead an intercessory group or build a position or ministry? (Is the person gifted in intercession alone or do they have a gift-mix of intercession/leadership?)

4. Does he or she exhibit any need to control?

Some prayer groups are dysfunctional emotionally. They develop excessive dependency on the opinions of the prayer leader. Sometimes the prayer leader is forced into this by false prophecies or threats that the group must behave the way the leader stipulates or God will not be pleased with them. In other cases, the leader treats prayer as a compulsion and causes the people to feel guilty if they don't pray. They do not realize that it is the Holy Spirit's job to convict people to pray.

5. Is he or she teachable?

Some display a haughty spirit, although this is not true of most intercessors.

6. Is he or she whole emotionally:

The home of the prayer leader needs to be in order. This does not mean that someone cannot lead if his or her spouse is not born again. Watch for signs of bitterness or anger, especially in conversations about other churches or ministries. Old hurts may bleed into a person's leadership style and affect the way he or she relates to the pastor or ministry leader.

7. Doe he or she set aside time daily for prayer and Bible study?

8. Does he or she tithe?

I personally believe that this is an important aspect although some groups may consider it to be optional. There are times when a spouse will not let the prayer leader tithe monetarily; they consider his or her time to be the tithe.

Many times a pastor will assign a prayer leader who has no sense of the style of prayer that will meet the needs of the church and no goals for developing the prayer life of the church. Worse yet, the pastor may assume that the person placed in charge of leading intercession will lead just the way the pastor does. This is not always the case. The prayer leader does not need to copy a leadership style, but it is important that he or she agree with the minister in doctrine and ultimate goals. A job description needs to be in place to give general guidelines of authority and commitment. Also, clear communication is a must between the ministry leaders and the prayer leader".

Following is some additional information taken from Sue Curran's book, "The Praying Church", Blountville, TN, Shekinah Publishing, 1987) pp. 148-151.

"The prayer leader must have a vision for birthing others into the reality that he himself has in prayer. Every praying person is not gifted to lead others in this way. Some intercessors do not make good prayer leaders, though they are good intercessors. Leading prayer is not only the ability to touch God's throne in prayer, but it is also the capacity to bring others with you.

EXAMPLE: There are gifts of leadership in varying areas, but gifted individuals never go far unless they develop the character to support their gift. One may be gifted in the area of prayer, but others will not follow him unless in his life he is consistently obedient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. His own prayer life must be one after which to pattern. He need not be a Brainerd or a Payson, but he must be one who is disciplined, sincere, and who knows how to pray and receive answers.

SPIRITUAL LIFE: The single most important attribute of the prayer leader is life. There are many contributing virtues but without the life of the Spirit, a person can never lead successfully. We consider to be true prayer leaders in our church those who are gifted to infuse life into the prayer meeting. This will be the result of their taking the responsibility to vocalize the living relationship they have with the Lord, while they have a concern for the general well-being and success of each prayer meeting. All who pray with this unction contribute to leading in prayer, supporting the one who has the oversight of the gathering.

DISCERNMENT: Spiritual discernment is definitely a gift. It is also developed by training and experience. Ultimately, it means the person is capable of knowing what should or should not happen in a prayer meeting.

AWARENESS is a key word. Finney has said that if the leader prays far beyond the people, they will be repulsed. Knowing who the people are and ascertaining the spiritual climate of the gathering will put the leader in touch with what they can achieve in prayer".

I hope that these guidelines will inspire you to establish and support a ministry of prayer in your own organization. May the Lord lead and guide you in the decision process.

Together for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done!
Lynn Heatley, Prayer Command Post
PO Box 1853, Chino, CA 91708

Office (909) 591-1945
email: prayercntn@aol.com