Alen Martin and Dian Ginter, “Power House: How Prayer Can Saturate the Life of Your Church,” Pray! (Issue 23, Mar/Apr 2001), pages 14-17.

Looking for some practical advice on transforming your church into a house of prayer? This issue of Pray!, and this article in particular may offer the simple steps needed to get your church on track.

Cover from the 2010 re-release from CrossBooks.

Martin and Ginter say that churches establishing a prayer ministry should see this as only the first step toward becoming a church saturated by prayer. In a house of prayer, prayer is a part of every aspect of individuals lives and the corporate life of the church. There are nine elements that Martin and Ginter say are common to churches that are houses of prayer: 1. Prayer is visible from the pulpit. 2. Prayer saturates every aspect of the service. 3. The leadership is committed to prayer. 4. Prayer is an agenda item in every meeting and class. 5. Prayer is part of Christian education. 6. The pastor has a strong prayer covering. 7. Prayer is the first step, not the last resort. 8. Intercession is an integral part of the church life. 9. The church has a recognized prayer leader other than the senior pastor.

Although this brief article is actually an adaptation from the book Power House: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Church That Prays (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), it summarizes what the heart of Pray! magazine is all about: encouraging all of God’s people to have a passion for prayer. This article is followed by “Firm Foundations: A Blueprint for Building a House of Prayer” by Pastor Wesley Tullis, “Developing a Prayer Strategy for Your Church” by Gary Kinnaman, as well as an article on developing a pastor to prayer leader relationship.

Reviewed by Raul Mock