Your Journey Blog with Gary Rohrmayer

Nine Prayers for a Missional Leader Pt 1

A number of years ago I heard a pastor say, “If you really want to know where a person’s heart is – listen to their prayers.”  Our prayers can be a window to our souls that reveal our deepest motives, desires and passions. 

I used to define prayer as simply lifting up ones heart to the Lord. In that definition prayer is a highly personal and deeply intimate experience, it is not something that is very formal or structured.  Yet that definition falls short because prayer is more than lifting one’s heart to the Lord…it  also involves aligning one’s life with God’s mission, will and purposes in this world.

Prayer has a way of putting our lives in perspective. It is seeing ourselves from God’s vantage point to align with His dreams and desires. Oswald Chambers wrote, “I have to learn that the aim of my life is God’s, not mine.  God is using me from His great personal standpoint and all he asks of me is that I trust Him.” 

I have been speaking and writing on Nine Prayers Leaders Can Pray to Enlarge Their Hearts. The response has been tremendous so I thought I would share them with you. 

 Here is the first prayer:  “Father, break my heart for the world you are seeking to save.”

David Brainerd, a young missionary, over  three hundred years ago, gives us a great example of a leader whose heart was broken for his world. "I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls."

Brainerd’s words remind me of God’s missional heart cry in Genesis 3:8-9, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

These thoughts remind me of Jesus’ missional lament in Matthew 23:37-38, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone thosesent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

Brainerd's words also remind me of Paul's passionate confession in Romans 9:1-5: "I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.”

Evan Roberts, a 26 year old coal miner heard a man pray this prayer, “Bend us, Lord. Bend us.” He left that prayer meeting praying this simple prayer, “Bend me, O Lord. Bend me.”  This prayer was the spark that set revival through the church in Wales.  Out of that simple prayer Roberts developed a powerful message that contained these four points: 

•  Confess all known sin

• Deal with and get rid of anything doubtful in your  life

• Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly

• Confess Christ publicly

Over the next year he preached that message and 100,000 people came to Christ in what is known as the Welsh Revival of 1904.

Missional leaders pray “break us” prayers.  Break our hearts, minds and souls so that we will adjust our lives to be aligned perfectly with Your redemptive flow.

Next week: "Father give me a bigger picture of who You are and Your work in my life."

Excerpt from Gary's book: NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Need Help Taking Your Church to the Next Level

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don't know what the actual next steps are they will relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level. NextSteps For Leading a Missional Church is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle. It offers ideas and tools to build healthy church systems that allow the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are a few questions we explore:

• How will your leaders reproduce?
• What does inspiring worship look like?
• How do you sustain relational health in your church?
• How can small groups serve the mission of the church?
• Are your structures & systems functional?
• How does one raise the evangelistic temperature of the church?
• How does one handle a financial crisis?

This two day seminar is designed for any pastor seeking to lead their church toward health and global impact.

Who should attend:

• Church Planters who have just launched their church or who are ten years old. 
• Pastors who desire to take their church to the next level
• Coaches who desire to know what's new in church growth and church health
• Restart Pastors who desire to lay a new foundation for a sagging ministry
• Lay Leaders who desire to just want to be a part of the harvest

Schedule:

Chicago Area - May 20-21 - Sign up here - Hosted by Converge MidAmerica & Converge Worldwide

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don't know what the actual next steps are they will relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level. NextSteps For Leading a Missional Church is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle. It offers ideas and tools to build healthy church systems that allow the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are a few questions we explore:

• How will your leaders reproduce?
• What does inspiring worship look like?
• How do you sustain relational health in your church?
• How can small groups serve the mission of the church?
• Are your structures & systems functional?
• How does one raise the evangelistic temperature of the church?
• How does one handle a financial crisis?

This two day seminar is designed for any pastor seeking to lead their church toward health and global impact.

Who should attend:

• Church Planters who have just launched their church or who are ten years old. 
• Pastors who desire to take their church to the next level
• Coaches who desire to know what's new in church growth and church health
• Restart Pastors who desire to lay a new foundation for a sagging ministry
• Lay Leaders who desire to just want to be a part of the harvest

Schedule:

Chicago Area - May 20-21 - Sign up here - Hosted by Converge MidAmerica & Converge Worldwide

A New Coaching Strategy - STOP IT!

No Response to the Gospel: What do you do?

What do you do when there is no or little response to your efforts in evangelism or church planting? 

First lets consider what it is not:

1) We know that the problem is not with God's mission. He is drawing mankind to himself (John 6:44), He is sending workers into the harvest (John 4:37-38) and the harvest is ripe! (John 4:34)

2) We know that the problem is not with God's Spirit. He is convicting the world. (John 16:8-10)

3) We know that the problem is not with God's message.  The gospel is the power of God. (Romans 1:16) The gospel message is clear. (I Cor 15:3-4)

So what do you do when there is no spiritual fruit?  Charles Brock, in his classic work The Principles and Practice of Indigenous Church Planting (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1981), offeres the following list of items for us to carefully examine: the seed, the sower, the soil, the method and the weeds.  One of my mentors, Bob Logan, developed and expanded Brock's principles with the following questions to help missional leaders probe the matter even further.

• The seed -- Is the appropriate scripture being used - stories which the people can relate to? Has the gospel been diluted?
• The sower -- Is the messenger or church planter the right person for the place? What are their expectations? Too high, too low? Are they boldly proclaiming the gospel? Does the church planter have faith for the work?
• The soil -- Is the right area being targeted? Would another ministry focus group in the area respond quicker?
• The method -- Is the message being proclaimed in a culturally appropriate manner? Are there other creative ways to give the message? Is the gospel being proclaimed in a simple, easy to understand way?
• The weeds -- Is there spiritual warfare which needs to be waged? W

What do you do when you are seeing little fruit in your evangelism or church planting efforts?

• The seed -- Protect the purity of the gospel (Galatians 1:6-8) and embrace the centrality of the gospel in your life. (Romans 1:16-17) 
• The sower -- Do a gut check or a rigorous spiritual inventory. (Ps. 139:23-24; Joshua 3:5)
• The soil -- Pray for men and women of peace to come along your path. (Luke 10:1-23)
• The method -- Embody the gospel and it will flow out of your methods. (Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-8)
• The weeds -- Understand the fight and fight with the weapons God has given us. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Andrew Murray's words bring challenge and hope to this subject: "Revival must be asked and received direct from God Himself. An extraordinary spirit of prayer, constraining believers to much secret and united prayer, pressing them to 'labor fervently' in their supplications, will be one of the surest signs of approaching floods of blessing. If there is to be a mighty divine awakening it will be born in the whole-heartedness of our prayer and faith for it. Let no believer think himself too weak to help, or imagine his prayers are not needed. Let every believer stir up the gift that is in him and begin to cry every day, 'Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?' Every revival has come as Pentecost came, as the fruit of united, continued prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will be heard. An increase of secret and united prayer with ministers and members will be a sure harbinger of blessing."

May the increase of secret and united prayer fall upon us!

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church - Sign Up Today

NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don't know what the actual next steps are they will relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level. NextSteps For Leading a Missional Church is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle. It offers ideas and tools to build healthy church systems that allow the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are a few questions we explore:

• How will your leaders reproduce?
• What does inspiring worship look like?
• How do you sustain relational health in your church?
• How can small groups serve the mission of the church?
• Are your structures & systems functional?
• How does one raise the evangelistic temperature of the church?
• How does one handle a financial crisis?

This two day workshopis designed for any pastor seeking to lead their church toward health and global impact. Based on Gary Rohrmayer field manual NextSteps for Leading a Missional Church

Who should attend:

• Church Planters who have just launched their church or who are ten years old. 
• Pastors who desire to take their church to the next level
• Coaches who desire to know what's new in church growth and church health
• Restart Pastors who desire to lay a new foundation for a sagging ministry
• Lay Leaders who desire to just want to be a part of the harvest

Schedule:

Chicago Area - May 20-21 - Sign up here 

Related articles

Church Health is a Serious Issue

Why Do Churches Get Stuck at the 35 Barrier? - Podcast

May is Church Health Month! - Your Journey Blog with Gary Rohrmayer

Take Time To Pray

Heartland Church in Fishers, IN developed a excellent video called Pray!