The Power of

CHURCH
INTERCESSION
Prayer Ministry in the Local Church

Introduction
Throughout the world, churches are discovering that they are only
as strong as their prayers. This renewed emphasis on prayer has brought
exciting things to the Christian community. Large and small, denomi-
national and non-denominational, many congregations are moving into
regular intercession and thereby discovering the joy of prayer.
In this turn toward intercession, churches are emulating first-cen-
tury Christianity that centered on prayer. When the early church got
together and lifted up its voice in agreement the power of God came.
“And when they prayed, the place where they were assembled together
was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke
the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, NKJV).
This booklet is intended to help your church establish and maintain
a vibrant prayer life through intercessory prayer ministry.

All material © Breakthrough, Inc., 2005

 Establish a Prayer Group
Each church congregation must determine, through prayer, what type of
intercession program will work best for them. Some find individual, around-
the-clock prayer is the way to go; others use corporate prayer. There are many
ways to establish intercessory prayer within your church, and this booklet
addresses some of them.
Persons interested in establishing intercessory prayer within their church
should meet and pray about the need and determine how they might best
implement a program.
The following people should be involved in establishment of an intercessory
prayer ministry:
• The minister or pastor
• The board or governing bodies
• Individuals who will take on the initial responsibility.

Establishing the Focus

Once the need and desire have been established, those who will be active in
the intercessory prayer group should make firm decisions as to the prayer focus.
Questions to consider in helping to make these decisions are:
• Will the intercessory prayer group focus on only church needs, or will
worldwide and national issues be included?
• Will individual church members be encouraged to submit prayer re-
quests? If so, what can be done to insure confidentiality?
• Will the pastor/minister be involved in counseling should the need
arise?
• How will emergency prayer needs be handled?
• Is a round-the-clock emergency prayer line feasible in your church? If
so, who will handle emergencies?
• Will there be a prayer chain or a telephone at church manned to handle
requests? Will requests be hand-
led strictly in a prayer meeting?
• How will the recording of
requests and answered prayer be
handled?

Establish a Plan of Operation

After the initial group called to

intercession has prayed for guidance
and direction from the Lord, it may
be time to announce your plans.
Whether interested in learning more
about prayer, or veteran intercessors,

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everyone should be invited to be involved. Here are some questions regarding
operation that should be addressed before beginning:
• How will the intercessory prayer group receive the prayer requests?
(Will they be placed in the offering basket, come in by phone, or will
there be a prayer box in the church foyer? Is a fax line or e-mail avail
able?)
• Will the work be anonymous? (In other words, will you use only first
names, or no names, to protect the individual requesting prayer?)
• Who will keep records, coordinate the program, etc.?
• Will there be established time periods of prayer (Once a week? Around
the clock? When needed? All day?
• How often or for how many days will the request be prayed for? (In
setting a time period, be sure the person requesting prayer knows that
he or she can resubmit requests.)
• Will individual intercessors be addressing certain needs or will the entire
group take on all the needs?
• How often will you get together? How long will each meeting be?
Will a telephone chain do any of the work?
At this meeting the importance of confidentiality must be discussed. It is
sad but true that sometimes needs come up within a church that soon becomes
gossip and judgment, rather than simple prayer. Each person in the intercessory
prayer group must agree that what is heard and discussed within the group is
private and should go no further than the group itself and the Lord. Otherwise
the group’s purpose is defeated. Members of the church should be assured that
they may approach a leader of the prayer team and request prayer that will not
be shared with others in the group. Every prayer request should be addressed
as a sacred trust to be brought before the Lord.
A simple pledge may be signed, such as the following, to give people the
extra realization of the seriousness of the work they are about to begin.

Oath of Confidentiality
I, ____________________, agree and understand that what I hear and learn
as part of my intercessory prayer ministry will go no further than myself and
my God; that I will conduct myself in such a manner as to be honorable to God
and that I will neither participate in nor perpetuate gossip of any kind.
Signed______________________.

The Commitment to Pray

In Acts 1:14 we read that the early church “continually” devoted themselves
to prayer. The enemy of Christ and His church seeks to have us loose interest
in prayer. As a group, and individually ask God to increase your commitment
and zeal for prayer, and to keep you faithful to this great calling.

THE POWER OF CHURCH INTERCESSION | 

 Prayer Partners
Within your intercessory prayer group, there may be a need for prayer
partners. Prayer partnerships can be as simple as two people coming together
to agree in prayer on any one issue to a relationship that lasts through many
years. Within a church, prayer partnerships can be especially valuable with a
particular private or delicate matter that for some reason should not come up
to the entire group. Prayer partners can also be an excellent source of mutual
support.
It may well be that those in the intercessory prayer group will especially
need prayer (see Spiritual Warfare). Prayer partners encourage each other in
their times of need and sustain each other through prayer at all times. This
special relationship should provide unconditional love, be non-judgemental,
and is not a forum for giving advice.
Prayer partnerships require dedication, creativity, and discipline. Each
partner must agree upon a prayer period and should pray for the other daily.
Actual communication between partners need not be daily. A good supporting
scripture for prayer partners is Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and
in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (NIV).
Confidentiality is, of course, crucial to the relationship of prayer partners.
As with all other prayer needs and questions, the Bible must be the source of
any answers or the leading of the Holy Spirit as confirmed in the Word of
God.
There is not only an enormous under girding of strength in prayer partners,
but also great power. We are promised that often in the Bible (Matthew 18:19).
Prayer partnerships also serve as an excellent way to be restored spiritually
before beginning to pray for others. “Confess to one another therefore your
faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for
one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind
and heart]. The earnest [heartfelt, continued] prayer of a righteous man makes
tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]" (James 5:16, Amplified
Bible).
Scriptural guidelines for prayer partners and the intercessory prayer group
as a whole can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11-24.

Intercession for Church Needs

Churches have special needs that can range from needing new pews to call-
ing a new pastor. There should always be willingness to pray for troubled and
hurting parishioners.
Whenever there is a serious issue at board or vestry meetings it should be-
come an item for prayer by the intercessors of the church. And there should,
of course, be agreement on the part of the intercessors regarding that issue, if
the agreement is only to leave it in the hands of the Lord. Never consider it
a “cop-out” to leave an issue in the hands of God, for when we are dogmatic

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as to the answer to a situation, we
can tie God’s hands. Regarding
all issues, the group should pray
for agreement, for wisdom, for an
obedient spirit, and for the Will of
God to prevail.
Among those church matters
that require prayer are:
• Visitation or other special as
signments by the pastor
• Special meetings, projects or
activities of the church
• For the presence of the Holy
Spirit in all things the church
undertakes

Individual Needs
Sometimes there may be reticence on the part of parishioners to reveal par-
ticular personal problems. No one should be badgered to reveal private aspects
of their lives, but rather encouraged to leave the problem(s) at the feet of the
Lord and allow the intercessory prayer group to pray in general.
Jesus prayed eloquently for all of us on the night before His execution (John
17: 20-26). He said nothing personal about our lives but everything necessary and
important. Intercessors can turn this prayer into a great lesson on “How to.”
Other scriptural “blessings” may be bestowed by praying the psalms and
inserting the names of those in need. Example: Praying the Psalms for a prayer
requester, using Psalm 23:
The Lord is ____________'s Shepherd; he shall not want. He makes
____________ lie down in green pastures; He leads ____________ beside the
still waters. He restores ____________ soul. He leads ____________ in the
paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake. Yea, though ____________ walks
through the valley of the shadow of death he will fear no evil; For You are
with ____________. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort ____________.
You prepare a table before ____________ in the presence of his enemies. You
anoint ____________'s head with oil. ____________'s cup runs over. Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow ____________ all the days of his life; And
____________ will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
.
Spiritual Warfare
Like Daniel, intercessors soon learn about spiritual warfare. It is important
to remember the words spoken to Daniel that helped him realize that the warfare
is not against flesh and blood (see Daniel 10:2-13).
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13 (Amplified Bible):

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 “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord- be empowered through your union
with Him; draw your strength from him- that strength which His [boundless]
might provides. Put on God’s whole armor- the armor of a heavy-armed soldier,
which God supplies- that you may be able successfully to stand up against all
the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood- contending only with
physical opponents- but against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers
of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly
[supernatural] sphere.
Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and
stand your ground in the evil day [of danger] and having done all [the crisis
demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”
When you feel yourself in spiritual warfare take the authority God has given
us (Luke 10:19), grasp firmly the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), and wield
it against the particular stronghold. God has given His people the power and
authority to battle dark forces. Prayer warriors should never hesitate to use
this power.
When you take hold of the sword of the Spirit in this way, expect amazing
things to happen. Your faith will be strengthened, Satan will flee, and there
will be astonishing results in others’ lives and situations. (See also 2 Chronicles
20:6, James 4:7 and 2 Corinthians 1:20 and 10:4, 5.)

Problems
Whether your church is large or small (and your intercessory prayer group
will probably correspond in size), there are likely to be problems that arise
either through disagreements or through a member “falling from grace.” There

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are scriptures to cover such problems, such as 1 Corinthians 8:2 and Matthew
18:17.
Where there is confusion or disagreement as to how to pray for any issue,
prayer for harmony and God’s will is in order. Adding scripture readings dur-
ing the group prayer time can aid in bringing agreement. Also, praying the
Lord’s Prayer together brings solidarity many times.
Remember that God can and will bring order out of any chaos if we will
only let Him.
Remember, too, that we are to love one another (Romans 13:8) and forgive
one another always (Colossians 3:13). Be no less willing to forgive a truly
repentant heart than God is.

Issue-Oriented Intercession
Any time your church takes a position on community, local, state, or na-
tional issues and the decision to do so should be preceded by prayer and even
fasting by those who are led to do so. Remember how important it is that
everyone be in agreement on the issue. (Matthew 18:19, Acts 1:14, 2:1, 46).
Should your church intercessors desire to pray for issues of national inter-
est, a newsletter subscription from Intercessors for America (P. O. Box 915,
Purcellville, Virginia 20134) would be a good way to keep current on what is
happening in this country regarding national issues. IFA can also be reached at
1-800-USA-PRAY or www.ifapray.org.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) focuses on our nations Capitol and
prayer for situations affecting our country from around the world. CHPP sends
weekly updates on prayer needs. To learn more visit [email protected].

Emergency Requests
It is not unusual for people these days to have so much pressure that they
feel they cannot handle it. Unfortunately, we hear of this happening more
and more. When a church intercession group receives word that a person is
considering suicide or another extreme situation, there is often an additional
responsibility to take action. Not everyone is equipped to do this. Many who
are called to intercession are to do just that - pray. Others, however, may feel
they must act.
The intercessory prayer group should have determined guidelines in advance
so that in the chaos of a dire emergency there is some code to follow.
Your church, your community, your intercessory prayer group must make
these crucial decisions. Never feel that prayer alone is not enough - but never
feel that pray-ers should not also walk into a situation to intervene at times.
Jesus did not pray the money-changers out of the Temple, though no doubt
He could have.

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 An Attitude for Prayer
Praise and thanksgiving open our hearts to God and opens His heart towards
us, and should be a key component to our prayer time. Colossians 4:2 encour-
ages us to “continue in prayer” with an attitude of thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4
instructs us to enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise.
Another important part of prayer is found in Acts 1:14 which tells us to
“continue, with one accord (unity) in prayer.” (KJV) Other scriptures confirming
the necessity of unity include Acts 6:4, Ephesians 6:18, and Romans 12:12.)

How To's
• We speak the word, and then pray for the church services, any special
events, and for the leadership of the church.
• We hold a weekly prayer meeting in the evening. It is open to all mem-
bers of our church.
• We pray especially for church missionaries, individual church members,
and any issues that are laid upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit. You
may want to assign one team member to interact with the Missions
Committee and bring specific needs to the meeting.
• We have designated “families of the week.” During the designated
week, we focus prayer on that particular family. When a family is se-
lected from a rotating list to be prayed for, it is amazing how often
those prayers come at a time of particular need.
• We ask the person with a need, or someone who is willing to stand in
for that person, to sit in the center of our prayer circle while we lay
hands on him or her and pray.
• We have a telephone/e-mail coordinator who passes the requests on to
the editor of the church newsletter. Both requests and answers are pub-
lished.
• We regularly publish a short item in our church bulletin, which invites
people to contact us if they face a personal crisis or a joyous milestone
in their lives.
• Our church has a visiting ministry within the intercessory group. These
are people who weekly visit hospitals and shut-ins to pray with them.
• We pray daily at our homes for our clergy and all the groups within our
church family.
• Each week we have healing services for laying on of hands for special
needs.
• We rotate team members to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before church ser-
vices begin to pray in the sanctuary.
• We help organize with church leadership an annual church-wide prayer
training, or prayer vigil for special needs like Pastor search, new music
Director, or a family in crisis.

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How Intercessors Ignite a Church
(Testimonies from church intercessory prayer groups)

“At first I thought a church prayer group would be just another thing to
organize,” a pastor of a medium-sized church admitted candidly. “Now I
would never assume a pastor position where there was not an active interces-
sory prayer group going on for the life of the church as well as the individual
needs of our parishioners.”
This pastor noted that since the intercessory groups began, problems that
plagued the church have broken up. “People come out of those prayer meet-
ings with a real glow on their faces. It has made the difference between night
and day in this church."

***

Eight different intercessory groups operate in another church with daily

early morning prayer being predominate. These times range from 5:00 a.m.
to 8:00 in the evening.
“I realize that the only way I can operate as pastor to the church is to pray.
It is where I get valid answers to my questions to the Lord,” the pastor of this
church of 400 commented.
The results: “A constant flow of miracles and healings of body and soul; a
constant flow of people being born again and brought into the church; obstacles
being overcome in the church without damage to the foundational structures
of the church; and a good spirit of unity among the leadership.”

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 “My greatest challenge,” continued the pastor, “is to delegate more of the
duties that take me from the Word of God and prayer. I know that a pastor
must be personally committed to prayer in order to lead his people. The rest
of my life must be built on prayer."

***

“Prayer is the foundation of all church life,” agreed a pastor of a non-de-

nominational fellowship. “Apart from prayer we can’t see how God is moving
in the church and we can’t hear from the Holy Spirit.”
This congregation encourages each member to set aside one day a week
for personal prayer and fasting. Each is to seek the Lord for himself and his
family.
Also, this fellowship joins the First Friday of each month as a day of fasting
and prayer for our nation.
"We set aside two 40-day periods each year for corporate fasting and prayer,
usually in February and March and again in September and October. Each
person takes four or five days within the 40 days to focus on prayer concerns
of the church so that a number of people are praying over the 40 day period in
unity of purpose for the church. We pray for healing, for church goals, outreach
and national concerns,” the pastor shared.
There are a number of prayer groups, which meet in homes and offices
throughout the week in this congregation, and time is taken in each Sunday
service for prayer.
“Prayer keeps us all humble,” added one of the church leaders. “In this world
of self-sufficiency, through prayer we are saying, ‘God, we need help!’ Another
result this church sees is Body unity because as church members pray together
they come to under-
stand the principle
of praying in one
accord."
“We see come
to pass many
things we have
prayed about to-
gether each year
and we get excited
and say, ‘This is
what God has
done.’ We have
found that the re-
wards of prayer
come to us as we
seek God.”

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 ***

“The Scriptures command us to pray, but more than that, we pray as a church
body because we experience a heart-felt dependence on God in prayer,” con-
tributed a pastor overseeing prayer and outreach in his congregation of almost
500. “Above all we emphasize to our people that in order to pray effectively
as a church, each person must cultivate a discipline of personal devotion, a time
of solitude and intimacy with the Lord.”
This church has weekly early morning Saturday intercession, monthly Friday
night corporate prayer, and praise meetings and publishes a monthly prayer
needs up-date which is included in the first Sunday of the month bulletin.
Small home groups are central to this church’s outreach program and much
prayer for those in each group and prayers for families of group members are
paramount in small group prayer time.
“For almost five years we prayed for the Gospel to be received by members
of families in our small group,” the pastor said. “What rejoicing we had when
a Moslem spouse of one in our group went forward to receive the Lord at a
Sunday service. After that, brothers, in-laws, and a whole array of other family
members became believers and many are still in our church today.”

About Breakthrough Intercessors

Breakthrough is an international, non-profit, non-denominational, evangeli-
cal intercessory prayer ministry born through a vision of Catherine Marshall
to bring together (anonymously) those who need prayer with those willing
to intercede. Every prayer request that arrives at Breakthrough is sent to six
intercessors for three weeks of prayer. We do not pray over stacks of mail; our
intercessors pray for individuals and their specific needs. This is what makes
Breakthrough unique.
Breakthrough believes and teaches that, through Jesus Christ, God hears and
answers prayers offered on behalf of others. Anyone may request prayer from
Breakthrough intercessors. If your church would like to include Breakthrough
prayer request forms as a part of your intercession ministry, we will be glad to
supply them. The forms should be used for personal needs. The intercession
group of your church should address corporate church needs.
Breakthrough publishes a quarterly magazine (The Breakthrough Intercessor)
and leads prayer workshops geared toward specific church needs. Breakthrough
also challenges, equips, and encourages believers to become intercessors. If there
are those within your church who would like to join the nearly 4000 Break-
through intercessors worldwide, they should contact this ministry through the
information listed on the back of this booklet.

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