Prayer team
At Peak City Church We exist to help people discover Jesus and follow Him fearlessly!
We do this by creating an atmosphere for people to encounter God; in a RAW, PASSIONATE, AND CLEAR environment!
Thank you for being a part of Peak City Church! Every time you serve, you are being used by God to make a difference in the lives of others by doing your part! When we serve, we do our very best because Jesus is worth it and people are worth it!
Prayer team StANDARDS
Welcome, welcome to the Peak City Prayer Team! We are SO excited to have you as part of the team. We know we cannot predict and cover every potential situation, but we hope this is a great starting point. We trust you to continue building your relationship with Jesus and following the Holy Spirit as you guide others through prayer.
All of the information I am sharing with you can be accessed through the prayer team handout. There are extra hard copies available at Peak City and a digital copy in the video notes here.
On Sunday mornings, your main responsibility is to be present for prayer at the end of service. You are more than welcome to join the Connections team for a huddle 25 minutes prior to the service you are serving in. Connections huddle is a great way for you to learn of any new information that pops up on a Sunday morning, be in the loop with upcoming events, and feel part of a Sunday morning team. It is not required, just encouraged.
When getting ready to pray, we recommend starting by grabbing a breath mint! This helps everything. We want to eliminate all distractions and coffee breath may turn someone off from coming back up for prayer in the future…it’s small but true! Be sure to grab your nametag from the kitchen. We want you to be identifiable to those needing prayer. When you hear the on-stage host say something to the effect of “If you need prayer, you can come up front…”, come up to the front near the stage. This may feel awkward, but again, we want people to know you are there and ready to receive them. Avoid waiting until the service is completely over and the host leaves the stage; come up as soon as possible so everyone in the room knows who is there to pray.
When someone comes up to pray, start by introducing yourself and ask for their name. You will then ask some pointed questions to get to the bottom of why they came up for prayer. What brings you up here today? How can I pray for you today? Again, follow the Spirit. If you feel like they’re not telling you everything, ask more questions. Some people are willing to share their whole life story. Others need more prompting. Some of you are very comfortable with praying and don’t need resources. Others prefer more structured prayer and resources to help with that. In the prayer handout, you can follow the ACTS prayer structure, the Lord’s prayer structure, or anything else you use that makes you most comfortable.
In some cases, people may want to make a first time decision in following Jesus or rededicate their life to Jesus. You can help them do this in 3 simple steps, as easy as ABC! Admit you’re a sinner, in need of forgiveness and the grace of Jesus. Believe in the gospel. Kid’s Ministry breaks the gospel down so easily into 4 steps. God made it. We broke it. Jesus fixed it. Now what? We have additional handouts on the gospel if you need it! Lastly, confess your faith in Jesus. Then pray over their decision!
Sometimes, people will come up asking for miraculous healings, casting out demons, etc. While we believe Jesus can do anything, we want to reassure those asking for this prayer that sometimes Jesus doesn’t instantaneously provide a way out. More often, He meets us where we are and walks through the storm with us. Start by asking follow-up questions to identify the source of the problem. Rely on scripture for truth. Some scriptures I like to use are:
Matthew 18:20 NLT “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Luke 9:23 NLT “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
Daniel 3:17 NLT “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
John 16:33 NLT “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Focus as much as you can on praying vs. counseling. Pray specifically for the problem at hand, just like you would for anything else.For next steps, refer to counseling if need be. You will also gather their information, so we can follow-up after Sundays, which leads us to the next training point.
After someone comes up to pray… Fill out a “Prayer Request Card” and turn it into the prayer request card box for staff to review and follow-up if need be. Continue praying for that person throughout the week. If you think the person you prayed for needs follow-up for pastoral care and/or counseling, please pass their information along to Chelsea (chelsea@peakcityco.com) ALONG WITH the “prayer request card.” There are many reasons you might pass someone along, but here are some examples:
Someone is experiencing abuse
Someone is experiencing a mental health crisis
Someone is going through a divorce
Someone expresses interest in need for resources
Someone is needing connection to groups, baptism, Culture Class, etc.
One thing to note…There are many times people will immediately come up for prayer while the room is clearing out. However, there will be times that the room is clearing out and no one is coming up. If attendees are still lingering in their seats or standing in the aisles, prayer team members should approach them and ask if they would like prayer. While this may feel awkward, I can confirm that about 95% of the time, the person wants to be prayed for and it ends up being a great story of our team’s compassion mirroring God’s compassion for us; He leaves the 99 and goes after the 1, right? So, let’s do the same!
The bulk of responsibility for prayer team occurs on Sunday morning. However, there are a few responsibilities beyond Sunday morning. We do receive requests throughout the week through the prayer form on the Peak City Website (peakcityco.com → Connect → Prayer). When someone fills out the prayer form on the Peak City website, the prayer team lead will forward the request to a prayer team member. In this form, there is an option to be followed-up with. If someone requests follow-up, follow similar steps to the Sunday responsibilities and protocol. We also have prayer texts that comes out approximately every 6 weeks. Our team sends out a text to those who attend Peak City, asking how we can pray for them. The Prayer team will be given a heads up that we are sending out a text and will need help praying! All of the responses received from the texting line are compiled into a document and distributed evenly between all prayer team members. Prayer team members will receive the document, indicating what to pray for!
We are so thankful to have you on the team and are always here for you! Love you all!