I’m a planner. I make a list before going to the store and we already have flights and lodging for a trip we’re taking 7 months from now. Some of you are like me. Some of you wish you were more like me. Some of you think there must be something wrong with me. Whatever you’re personality prefers regarding planning, you’ve likely been part of more than a few planning meetings. If you’re part of leading a church, I’m confident there is at least one planning meeting on your calendar. Probably this week. As a self-confessed planner, I want to suggest that church multiplication won’t happen until we shift from planning to praying.
Jesus modeled this. He was constantly sneaking away alone to pray. He prepared for major decisions by praying – often all night. He invited his disciples to pray with him, but they couldn’t stay awake for even an hour. Between the garden and the upper room, something changed. The church described in Acts is a church of prayer.
David Garrison was one of the first Americans to study church planting movements around the world over 20 years ago. He made a list of activities he observed to be true in every church planting movement he studied. At the top of the list, is “Extraordinary Prayer.” He writes, “Prayer has become the first priority of every church planting movement.”
Others have written far more eloquently about prayer than I ever could. Here are 4 shifts I see happening as we shift from planning to prayer for church multiplication.
- We exchange our vision for God’s vision. Often God’s vision is different than mine. Prayer gets me aligned with what he is doing. Never once in my life have I experienced God’s vision to be smaller than mine. Prayer challenges me to dream bigger, further, longer, and better.
- We exchange our people for God’s people. I think I know how to choose people but I look at the outward appearance because that’s all I can see. God looks at hearts because he knows them even better than we know our own.
- We exchange our plan for God’s plan. My plans work – at least more often than not. That’s a problem because it leads me to trust what I know instead of what God knows. Prayer opens my eyes to God’s way.
- We exchange our power for God’s power. The older I get the more readily I pursue this exchange. I can do very little. With God, nothing is impossible.
As a planner the only way I know how to make this is by planning.
- I have a Daily 5 to order my days. At the top of the list is Prayer.
- I am mobilizing people to pray for Multiply Project. You can join them here.
- I created a guide to help myself and pastors we serve spend 24 hours fasting and praying about their role in church planting. You can download the guide here.
Church planting movements are possible. They require a shift from planning for them to praying for them.