A Backdoor Approach to Developing a Prayer Support Team

I recently received a request from a missionary needing help creating an intercessory support team. Missionaries, pastors, church planters and ministry leaders of all sorts are encouraged to recruit a much-needed and valued resource – a prayer support team. This is a wonderful group of faith-led believers who commit to pray for you, your family and your ministry while you are undertaking the tasks of ministry. They hungrily receive updates and prayer concerns then immediately lift them to the Lord. They stay on the task until the concern is divinely addressed. My prayer-friend, Sharon Stone of On Call Prayer calls this team a Prayer Shield.

Often you will find that God uses our obedience to his direction in ways that we do not expect.  When you are purchasing school supplies in great quantities for the backpack ministry it is surprising the noticing and resulting witness of the store checker and the lady in the line behind you. When you visit someone in the hospital, supporting them and praying for them, the nursing staff notices and is blessed. When word of a gift of love, time or support is performed in ministry, those who hear about it are encouraged and challenged to do likewise. The resulting unexpected results were not the initial driving purpose for doing the service we do, but it is wonderfully encouraging to see God’s multifaceted impact on our actions of obedience.

I found the same thing happens when you commit to pray for and with others. As you respond to the Spirit’s lead and pray with a friend or speak someone’s name in prayer they tend to reciprocate in like fashion by praying for you! Therefore one of the best bits of Godly advice one can receive about securing an intercessory prayer team is this – discover saints that you want to invite to your prayer team by praying for all God directs you to. Pray for people in your church and in your family. Pray for believers you work with and Christian neighbors. Actually, pray for all your neighbors and friends whether they are Christians or not. Notice those who respond by praying for you. Over time this pool of prayer support will become clear and committed. Extend the invite to people of prayer…people who are already praying for you, your family and your ministry.

1. How do you pour into others with prayer?
2. What difference will having an intercessory prayer team make in your life, family, and ministry?
3. How will you discover those saints God wants on your prayer team?