Prayer Ministry Team Guidelines

 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing", he said. "Be clean." (Mk 1.41)

Some people on our prayer ministry team at St Michael le Belfrey may have considerable previous experience; some may have very little. The vision is that we will ALL be open to learn and to work together to glorify God. This is, first and foremost, His ministry not ours!

The aim of these guidelines is to provide a common framework  for prayer with the laying on of hands, and to provide a sound model and  a consistent, positive experience for those who receive this ministry at St Michael le Belfrey.   There are two main sections:

A. Principles  - the theological foundation for this ministry, with biblical references.

B. Practicalities - the ‘how to': preparation, praying, post-op.

A. Principles

The purposes of prayer ministry, and the practice by which we seek to fulfil those purposes, are shaped by a series of Biblical foundations or values. 

1. Mission - in obedience to  THE FATHER's  loving  purposes

God the Father loves the world and is committed to the salvation of the world. He has sent His Son to achieve salvation, and His Spirit as the means by which we enter into that salvation.  We seek to minister in obedience to the Father in agreement with his loving purposes.  We are growing into the salvation which God has given us. The purpose of Prayer Ministry is to help enable that process.

(Jn 3.16; Gal 4.4-8; Phil 2.12-13; Eph 4.3-16)

2. Model  - THE SON

God the Son, in his incarnate life, death on the cross, resurrection and ascension is the foundation and model for all ministry.  We have a ministry because of Christ and we seek to minister in a Christ-like manner and in such a way as to point to him. This ministry reflects:

Jesus as Servant  (Mk 10.45; Jn 13.1-5)

Jesus as Teacher / Trainer (Lk 10.1-20)

Jesus as Practitioner (many e.g.s, e.g. Lk 5.12-26, 8.40-56)

3. Means - in the power of THE HOLY SPIRIT

God the Spirit is the personal empowering presence of God and is the means by which the lordship of Christ is evidenced and implemented.  We seek to minister in the power of the Spirit.

(Acts 1.8; 1 Cor 12.7).

Summarising 1,2 and 3 above, our ministry is Trinitarian:

            - in obedience to the Father  (Jn 5.19-20; Jn 15.9-10)

            - in the name of the Son  (Jn 14.12-14)

            - through the Spirit  (Jn 14.26, Romans 8.26-27).

4. Ministry - as channels of his grace

God in his purposes has chosen to work through the church, Christ's Body, to implement his plan of salvation.  We seek to be his instruments, conscious that we are but one member of the Body.

(Rom 15. 17-19; 1 Cor 12.14)

5. Motive - out of love

Love is our motive.  We seek the very highest for those we minister to, respecting their dignity and freedom at all times.

(1 Cor 13)

6. Measure - Biblical

The Bible is the authoritative measure of our Christian faith and conduct.  We seek to ensure that our ministry is always consistent with God's word. (2 Tim 3.16)

B. Practicalities

1. Preparation

Be personally prepared.  Give attention to:

Personal relationship with God.  Stir up faith, hope and love through prayer and reflection on the Bible.  Ensure that you are right with God ("Confess your sins..." James 5:14-16). Ask God to help you by his Holy Spirit, e.g. to give prophetic words and pictures.

Presentation.  Check breath, body odour, clothes, (e.g. no sweaty sports gear, cleavage, short skirts, or anything that might distract), cleanliness of hands and fingernails.

2. Preliminaries

We aim to pray in pairs, ideally one woman and one man.  Occasionally if demand for prayer ministry is high, the co-ordinator may ask you to pray for someone one-to-one. If this is the case, because of the intimacy of this ministry we do not pray for someone of the opposite sex. Men pray with men, women with women.

Make contact: Be warm and affirming. SMILE!  Introduce yourself, and ask the person's name so you can pray for them by name.

Ensure comfort:  We aim to keep the person facing forward (towards the altar rail) with their back to the congregation, for their comfort and privacy. 

Sitting down or standing up? Generally, the context demands standing up and this is the ideal.  But be sensitive to needs and physical condition; someone who is very tired, or a pregnant woman, may wish to sit.

Establish the issue. Ask questions gently, in a non-confrontational manner ("What can I pray for?" "How would you like me to pray?").  The aim is to get a brief account, so we can move quite quickly to pray. This is not the place to listen to a life history or to engage in counselling!

Listening.  Listen carefully to the person as they speak about the issue, ‘listen' to their body language and be praying silently, seeking wisdom, knowledge and discernment.

Be sensitive to needs. For example, if there is an intimate issue the person may be more comfortable praying with someone of the same sex. 

It is not necessary for the person to tell us what the issue is; they may prefer not to verbalise it, or there may be no particular issue.  We encourage people to come for prayer if they simply wish to receive a fresh touch of God's love and filling with his Holy Spirit.

Preparing the person to receive.  You may need to prepare the person to receive prayer.  Offer a word of scripture or encouragement to raise faith. Encourage the person to be expectant, perhaps to hold out their hands as if to receive from God.  Invite them to focus as best they know how on Jesus and not to pray themselves.

3. Prayer

Permission  

If it seems appropriate (for example, if it is the first time this person has come forward for prayer) say how you propose to pray - asking permission to lay your hands on the person as part of the ministry.  Do not touch inappropriate areas.  Be gentle - do not press or lean on people!

Praying

• v ‘Come Holy Spirit' - Start by laying a hand(s) very gently on the person's shoulder or head, and simply ask the Holy Spirit to come.
  
• v Watch and wait. Don't be afraid of silence. You have invited God to come by his Holy Spirit: trust that he has come and he is ministering to this person now. Bless what you discern to be God's work.
  Silently, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you pray e.g. ‘Lord, please show me how to pray. What do you wish to say to this person?'
  
• v Keep your eyes open as you pray. Watch the person, and try to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing.
  
• v Watch th e other person praying with you, so you can be sensitive to the right timing for your own intercessions - and theirs.
  
• v Be natural, not intense. Avoid eccentricities and any behaviour that might seem strange or distracting! When praying in tongues it is normally appropriate to do so silently, though there may be occasion where it is right to pray audibly. Be sensitive to God, the person, and the situation. Never push, pull or apply physical pressure. We aim for a light touch, and to ‘stay out of God's way'.
  
• v Check on progress. Speak to the person you are praying for. Never be afraid to ask common sense questions. ("How are you doing?" - "Do you understand God to be speaking in any particular way?") Continue, or adjust your prayer accordingly.
  
• v Swaying/falling. Occasionally people receiving prayer sway or fall to the ground. If someone appears to be about to fall, help them to sit or lie down. If they do fall, remain with them. Keep praying for them as long as you believe it to be appropriate and maintain a point of physical contact. If eventually it seems right to leave them to rest in the Holy Spirit, and so you can pray with someone else, let them know this, and pray God's blessing and protection on them.
  
• v Prophesy. You may come to believe that God has given you a prophetic revelation, perhaps in the form of a verse or ‘picture' that is relevant to the person you are praying with. In the first instance use it to inform your prayer. If you decide to speak it out, offer it with humility and in such a way that the person can weigh it and reject it without embarrassment e.g. "I feel that God may be saying that..." etc. (We avoid making definite statements like "The Lord is telling me.." - "God has shown me..." etc.
  
  
• v Remember: ‘NO dates, mates or prophetic instructions' such as ‘God is saying you should leave your current job and go to ....'.
  
  
• v Uncertain? If you are uncertain as to how to pray effectively, or if you become ill at ease with what appears to happen as you pray, do not hesitate to seek advice from the prayer ministry co-ordinator. If you do break off from praying let the person know you propose to speak to the team leader, and always return to them.

Concluding

Assure the person of God the Father's love for them regardless of any apparent outcome. This is the Holy Spirit's ministry, therefore there is no need to be disappointed if our desired outcome is not immediately apparent.  Answers to prayer can be gradual rather than immediate.

Encourage the person to receive more prayer.  Suggest a scripture to read, if it seems appropriate.

Never  advise, suggest, hint or imply discontinuation of any course of treatment or medicine.

Confidentiality

Love demands that we maintain confidentiality at all times.  If you want to share what has gone on in the ministry time (e.g. a healing) in a wider context you must ask permission of the person.

In the very unlikely event of you having any serious concerns about an issue raised by a person receiving prayer ministry, please discuss the issue (without naming the person) with the prayer ministry co-ordinator, or with a member of the clergy.

4. Post-Op

Team members should ensure that

• v You pray together, briefly, with someone before the prayer ministry team disbands, to give burdens of the prayers offered back to God.
• v Any necessary debriefing has been conducted by the ministry team leader, e.g. discussion of difficult issues / feedback on how it was.

If you know that someone has responded specifically to a ‘word of knowledge' given out in the service please let the co-ordinator know, while preserving the confidentiality of the individual. This helps us encourage those who have offered words of knowledge, and to give thanks and praise to God.