|
Featured Resource: Making Room to Prayer |
|
|
|
Making Room to Prayer
By Terry Teykl
Prayer Ppont Press
Reviewed by Sandra Higley
Published in 1993, Making Room to Pray by Terry Teykl remains the most comprehensive book available devoted solely to the topic of prayer rooms. Its practical focus helps it remain relevant and applicable.
Author Terry Teykl explains the biblical precedent for places of prayer
based on the Upper Room and other New Testament examples. He tells
stories of several churches that have established prayer rooms and
describes the variety among them as each one takes on the unique flavor
of the church that launched it. Teykl delves into the scriptural basis
of what happens in the spiritual realm during prayer, outlining what
the Holy Spirit does in the church or believer at the time prayer
occurs as well as how He works in the unbeliever as we pray for them.
Making Room to Pray discusses how to communicate the importance of a
prayer room to your church staff. Prayer coordinators find it very
helpful as it makes the case for local church prayer rooms.
Included in the book are practical suggestions on how to set up the
room based on different prayer models. An entire chapter is dedicated
to recruiting pray-ers through useful ideas that can be implemented by
lay people as well as the pastoral staff. Some of the tips for
recruitment include:
- Recruit from the pulpit. People will be inspired by the pastor’s promotion.
- Make sure your prayer room recruitment emphasis does not conflict with other major events in the church.
- Give periodic updates on the development of the prayer room.
Print the purpose of the prayer room in your church bulletin or
newsletter.
- Approach groups in the church like the youth group, singles, and women or men’s groups.
- Recruit alternates to improve participation, insure round-the-clock praying and establish accountability.
- Publish the results of prayer in your church bulletin or newsletter and make prayer announcements during church services.
The book gives specifics for setting up a live prayer line in your
prayer room together with training issues and pitfalls to avoid. Major
hurdles that might be encountered during the course of setting up a
prayer room such as skepticism, fear, pride and pettiness are also
addressed. Teykl touches on prayer room training for intercessors and
how to cast a vision for reaching your community through the prayer
room ministry.
Ideal for group study or personal use, this 136-page workbook contains
brainstorming prompts at the end of each chapter and a place for notes
on each page. Making Room to Pray is available at www.prayershop.org.
(CPLN memebrs may purchase it at the members store for a 20% discount.)
|
January 2006