After many visits, I find that a strong prayer ministry is a key factor in the vitality of a church.
Since the implementation of religious freedom policies in 1978, churches across the country have generally moved past the phases of church building and ministry establishment over the past forty years.
Many churches have established the following essential ministries: Sunday services, choirs, visitations, Bible study groups, and prayer meetings. More advanced churches have developed choirs with members of different ages and fellowships for youth, middle-aged adults, seniors, and couples, as well as special ministries, such as media and writing ministry. In recent years, churches have also begun to improve their management systems. Overall, I find that many churches have hoped to or are striving to boost vitality through four main aspects: infrastructure, staff worker teams, institutional regulations, and small group ministries.
Prayer ministries vary greatly across churches. Some churches do not hold collective prayer meetings, confining prayer to personal spiritual practice; most churches hold weekly prayer meetings; some, in addition to weekly meetings, host monthly, quarterly, and annual prayer meetings; and a few churches maintain daily morning prayers according to local tradition. Besides regular schedules, most churches conduct special prayer meetings for events such as Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, as well as for specific needs like church building, church dedication, and healing. Churches that emphasize prayer ministries strive to establish prayer halls, provide dedicated prayer rooms, and hold daily prayer meetings for church workers to start their day of service.
A church in H City in southeast China began standardizing management during the pandemic and started small group meetings and a choir, which were conducted uneventfully. It managed to navigate a financial crisis while building its church, thanks to daily morning prayers. Dozens of believers prayed continuously for 365 days for the church, its leaders, ministries, and the special needs of believers.
A church in N City, with over a thousand congregants, maintains over 60% of its youth population. According to its senior pastor, this is credited to the church’s strong emphasis on worship and prayer ministries. From Monday to Saturday, they hold daily morning prayers from 5 to 7 am, fasting prayers from 8 am to 3 pm, and overnight prayer meetings on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. They also hold Bible studies & prayer meetings on Thursdays. When I attended this church’s prayer meeting, I found that the staff workers involved in photography, videography, leading praise, and prayer were all young people.
Prayer ministry is the greatest support for other ministries. For churches with limited conditions and those unable to start new ministries due to personnel or financial constraints, especially declining rural churches, prayer is particularly crucial because it is the easiest, most feasible, and most visibly effective ministry.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
笔者走访发现，是否拥有强有力的祷告事工是产生教会生命力差距的一个关键原因。
从宗教自由政策落实以来，经历四十几年的发展，各地教会普遍已经走过建堂和基础事工建设阶段。
各堂点基本也从无到有建立起如下必要事工：主日圣工、诗班、探访、查经会、祷告会。发展较为先进的教会更衍生出不同年龄的诗班和不同人群的团契以及文字媒体等专项事工。近年来各地教会也开始着手提高制度管理水平。总的来说，笔者发现，许多教会都曾经希望或正在努力从以下四个方面构建充满活力的教会：硬件设施、同工队伍、制度规范、小组事工。
各地祷告事工情况不一，有些没有集体祷告会，将祷告完全定义在个人灵修操练的范围内；大多数教会每周举行一次祷告会；有些教会除周祷告会之外，举办月度、季度、年度祷告会；少数教会按照当地传统坚持每日晨祷。除了日常祷告事工日程外，大多数教会举行复活节、圣诞节、新年等特殊节日祷告会，建堂、献堂、医病等特殊事项祷告事工组。重视祷告事工的教会努力建立祷告殿，提供配套的祷告室，除会众集体祷告会之外，举行每日同工祷告会，让一天的服侍从祷告开始。
东南H市某教会，疫情期间正式刚刚开始规范管理，初步尝试小组聚会，甚至诗班开展得也平平无奇，但因为每日举行晨祷会，几十位弟兄姊妹365天不间断为教会、领袖、服侍、信徒特殊需要代祷，令教会顺利度过建堂财务危机。
N市某教会一千多会众却能保持60%以上青年人，据其主任牧师分享，重点在于教会非常重视敬拜祷告事工。周一到周六每日5点到7点晨祷，8点到15点禁食祷告，周三、五、日举行通宵祷告会，周四举行学习祷告会。笔者参加该堂祷告会时发现，摄影、录像、带领赞美、祷告的服侍同工都是年轻人。
祷告事工是开展其他事工的最大助力。对于条件有限，因人员、财务等无法开展新事工的教会特别是日渐凋零的农村教会，祷告尤为重要，因为它是最容易最具有可行性且功效明显的事工。
观察：有无祷告事工带来教会生命力差距
After many visits, I find that a strong prayer ministry is a key factor in the vitality of a church.
Since the implementation of religious freedom policies in 1978, churches across the country have generally moved past the phases of church building and ministry establishment over the past forty years.
Many churches have established the following essential ministries: Sunday services, choirs, visitations, Bible study groups, and prayer meetings. More advanced churches have developed choirs with members of different ages and fellowships for youth, middle-aged adults, seniors, and couples, as well as special ministries, such as media and writing ministry. In recent years, churches have also begun to improve their management systems. Overall, I find that many churches have hoped to or are striving to boost vitality through four main aspects: infrastructure, staff worker teams, institutional regulations, and small group ministries.
Prayer ministries vary greatly across churches. Some churches do not hold collective prayer meetings, confining prayer to personal spiritual practice; most churches hold weekly prayer meetings; some, in addition to weekly meetings, host monthly, quarterly, and annual prayer meetings; and a few churches maintain daily morning prayers according to local tradition. Besides regular schedules, most churches conduct special prayer meetings for events such as Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, as well as for specific needs like church building, church dedication, and healing. Churches that emphasize prayer ministries strive to establish prayer halls, provide dedicated prayer rooms, and hold daily prayer meetings for church workers to start their day of service.
A church in H City in southeast China began standardizing management during the pandemic and started small group meetings and a choir, which were conducted uneventfully. It managed to navigate a financial crisis while building its church, thanks to daily morning prayers. Dozens of believers prayed continuously for 365 days for the church, its leaders, ministries, and the special needs of believers.
A church in N City, with over a thousand congregants, maintains over 60% of its youth population. According to its senior pastor, this is credited to the church’s strong emphasis on worship and prayer ministries. From Monday to Saturday, they hold daily morning prayers from 5 to 7 am, fasting prayers from 8 am to 3 pm, and overnight prayer meetings on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. They also hold Bible studies & prayer meetings on Thursdays. When I attended this church’s prayer meeting, I found that the staff workers involved in photography, videography, leading praise, and prayer were all young people.
Prayer ministry is the greatest support for other ministries. For churches with limited conditions and those unable to start new ministries due to personnel or financial constraints, especially declining rural churches, prayer is particularly crucial because it is the easiest, most feasible, and most visibly effective ministry.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Observation: The Impact of Prayer Ministry on Church Vitality
