Have you ever had a difficult week and felt the need for someone to listen or minister to you? Prayer is just that, and even more than that. Some churches or ministries will have a prayer house or special room to go to. They will be Christian people there ready and willing to pray with you.
What is a Christian Prayer Ministry? A Christian prayer ministry focuses on inner and physical healing through prayer. Many churches and houses of prayer have a prayer ministry. The prayer ministry works to help fellow believers connect with God through prayer. Often times, people will process trauma or current difficult situations during prayer ministry.
Even in those seasons, the Lord many times uses hardship or seasons of difficulty to chasten us. But prayer shouldn’t be used just during difficult seasons. For Christians, prayer is something that should be practiced daily, in our everyday lives.
By openly praying to the Lord, and listening to him, He can renew our mind and spirit, and we can walk out in the promises he’s given.
Prayer Ministry Examples
Prayer ministry is having one or more people pray together for something or someone. This could look like just a few believers coming together to pray for someone who maybe isn’t a believer and they are praying for their salvation.
Or could look like a whole group of people praying for a nation or city of an unreached people group who have great needs.
Other examples of specific places where they have prayer ministry include:
International House of Prayer is an organization that has prayer going 24/7 with worship and prayer for Jesus’ name to be proclaimed in the nations. Their prayer house is located in Kansas City with their goal of always having prayer and worship going until the day Jesus returns.
Gateway Prayer Ministry is a place located in Wayzata, MN with a prayer team designed to do prayer sessions with individuals. Their teams consist of 2 or 3 prayer ministers, experienced and well-trained Christian men and women from a variety of church affiliations and backgrounds. A typical prayer session with Gateway Ministry lasts about 2 hours long.
All Things New Prayer Ministry this team has received training on healing and listening prayer. They are not counselors, but trained ministers. Because of Covid 19, they are offering virtual appointments so you can sign up with them wherever you are. You can request a virtual prayer appointment here.
Lakewood Life is a prayer ministry through a church in Gainesville, Georgia. They believe that prayer is the way that we fellowship with God and also how He ministers to us. They have a Sunday morning prayer team as well as hours during the week designated for prayer ministry teams to pray for others. To schedule an appointment you can write to them here.
Living Word Worship Center Living Word and In His Presence Healing Room have created a team up to offer up your requests to God. They are located in Plain City Ohio and do online appointments as well. Or if you would rather not make an appointment and submit your prayer request online, they will take that, and can pray for you. To submit a prayer request click here.
Christian prayer ministry helps people partner with God and fellow believers through times of intercession.
My Experience with a Prayer Ministry Team
Growing up I never prayed much in group settings, or with one or more persons. I would pray on my own at home or in a church service where the Pastor or Deacon prayed, and during prayer nights we would pray silently ourselves.
Wednesday night service would sometimes be called “prayer meeting,” but the praying part usually wouldn’t last too long, and the main focus was the sermon. Then the name got switched I believe to, “mid-week Bible study” which I think was more accurately named.
But Prayer Ministry isn’t just referring to a church service. It could refer to several different things.
As I grew older and got involved with other ministries outside my church, I stumbled upon a few prayer ministry teams. One that really impacted me was at my school, Bethany Global University.
The school has an actual prayer ministry team on campus, and students are required to make an appointment with someone from their team to do a prayer session before we do our internship abroad. I was hesitant to sign up for one at first, not sure what to expect.
But once I signed up and had one, I ended up doing it two more times in the course of a few semesters.
I was able to bring up anything I thought of that was either troubling me (with my walk with God, or in life in general) and they would pray deeply into those topics.
It felt a little like a counseling session, except they weren’t the ones giving all the advice.
They would walk it through with me, and together we would take it to the Lord and ask what he is saying about these specific issues. Through praying all together (it was me, and two other women) we would remember Scripture and who God is to try to figure out what we think God would say in this situation.
The women on the prayer ministry team spent over an hour praying and walking through things with me. It didn’t feel forced, but like they actually cared and you could tell they had experience doing this before.
They would ask me what I believe God is saying in this situation and if I didn’t know we would pray again. One would direct the prayer appointment, and the other would be writing down Bible verses, and other resources (podcasts to listen to, and book recommendations), as well as a summary of the things we talked about (what we believe God was saying about myself and the things that were brought up).
It was such a good time of coming to God in prayer and really digging deep to seek Him out through his Word and by simply talking with Him. I left feeling encouraged and empowered to continue seeking God and to go to Him in prayer always.
I also really enjoyed having the support of other Christians who have been on this journey longer than I have, and helped me dive deep into some issues and things I was dealing with.
One thing I appreciated in the session is that God was always glorified. We would praise Him and focus on Him, not just me.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
1 Chronicles 16:11
It was nice to seek the Lord with other Christians and it encouraged me to do that with my friends as well!
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthews 11:28-29
Prayer Ministry Is Biblical
Prayer ministry is a biblical concept. Where two or more believers are gathered, God is with them. When christians come together and have ministry through prayer, there are honoring God and casting their cares upon Him.
God dwells in those who believe on him, and his presence is always with you. God designed the body of Christ to come together and speak the truth in love to one another growing in Him.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Matthews 18:20
In the Lord’s house (where body of believers gather) God’s glory dwells.
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and place where you glory dwells.
Psalms 26:8
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple.
Psalms 65:4
We come together to seek the Lord together.
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
Isaiah 55:6
The Spirit of the Lord is in all those who are His Children. God considers us His sheep, and Him our Shepherd who guilds us.
Maybe you are having difficulty praying right now and need some extra support. Going to a prayer ministry, or church where they might have a prayer team, is a good way to get others to pray for you, when you might not have the words to say yourself.
Prayer Ministry Is Having Others Pray With You
God knows your heart and knows your needs, but he still requires us to pray. When we pray, things change, and God is glorified.
If you want to pray but feel some sort of blockage or spiritual heaviness, seek out a prayer ministry team today. Maybe you need someone to pray for you and help walk you through something when you can’t find the words yourself to pray right now.
Or maybe you don’t have an official prayer ministry team or church that you know of that can help you. Seek out any believer you may know, and have them pray with you. That is prayer ministry; any believer willing to pray for another and seeking the Lord together.
Remember it isn’t about the words you say, because God doesn’t care about fancy words or language. I believe God just wants us to show up, and if that means having others there to help support you, then do that.
I would encourage you to find a local or online Christian prayer ministry. Get connected with strong Christians who can pray for you. God is with you all the time, no matter what you are going through.