Maybe Your Next Prayer Journey!

With 2008 China Olympics in view, Baptists pray & plan ministries
By Staff

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--As China races to spiff up for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Southern Baptist workers are preparing for a different kind of gold.

Ministry teams are working with churches in the United States for thousands of volunteers to sow Gospel seeds through Olympic-related ministry events.

“It’s encouraging and exciting to see the interest level among Southern Baptist churches,” said Richard Darby*, a Southern Baptist worker helping organize ministries for the games. “Our people understand that coming into China for the Olympics is more than the games. It’s about actually impacting the country and the people of China. To me, that’s what it’s all about.”

Anticipation is at a fever pitch in Beijing. Advertisements displaying the “Friendlies,” the five Beijing Olympic mascots, dot the city’s buses and billboards. A citywide tangle of construction cranes signals the progress of new sporting venues. The government even has mobilized a squad of “hygiene police” who levy fines against Beijing residents found spitting or littering.

And while China prepares for an Olympiad unlike any other, Christian ministry teams are preparing for a spiritual harvest unlike any other, with Darby noting that the games have motivated a focus on China among both small and large U.S. congregations, many of whom previously have shied away from the magnitude of the China task.

“We are seeing an awakening of our people to go through that window of opportunity into what has long been seen as such a closed-off place,” he said.

As the Olympic Games draw closer, Chinese organizations from all sectors are seeking innovative ways to connect with the world. For Southern Baptists, these relationships are a natural bridge to share Christ with a spiritually hungry nation.

Opportunities abound for involvement before, during and after the games. Possibilities include crisis intervention, counseling, first aid, sports camps and clinics, dramas, musical performances, face painting and humanitarian work.

Project leaders emphasize that volunteers are desperately needed long before the torch is lit in 2008. Prayerwalking teams are a necessary precursor to a successful ministry during the Olympics. English speakers also are in high demand to help public-sector workers struggling to meet mandatory English requirements before the games start.

Darby is strongly encouraging those interested in leading volunteer teams during the summer of 2008 to participate in one of several familiarization trips during 2007. Leaders need to be prepared to manage their teams with little oversight from the overall Baptist Olympic ministries team amid the crush of volunteers expected in 2008.

“People who bring groups to China [during the Olympics] without having been to China before will be limiting their ministry potential,” Darby said.

Participants in pre-2008 familiarization trips not only will receive necessary training but also will have a chance to develop a spiritual burden for the Chinese people as they travel to different cities and regions.

“I want them to look in the faces of the people of China and understand their need for Jesus,” Darby said. “They can then lead their team with a broken heart so we can help the Chinese see their need for Jesus.”

Southern Baptist workers are anticipating a great spiritual harvest through Olympic ministry, but they know that nothing can happen without a strong undergirding of prayer. Several churches already have committed prayer teams to meet weekly until the games end. The team wants both churches and individuals to commit to faithful prayer for God’s Spirit to blaze the way for His message in China.

While Southern Baptist organizers are excited about the spiritual possibilities, they recognize that working in China will be different from other locales.

“In Athens or in Australia, teams already had support from a strong network of Baptist churches on the ground. We don’t have that,” Darby said. “But God is already doing some miraculous things to prepare the way.”

*Name changed for security reasons. To learn more about how to volunteer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, visit easia.imb.org or contact volunteer2008@topicbox.com.

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Frank Page: "We must focus on prayer."

Lord, please transform our churches
By Frank Page

TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--In recent columns, I have made clear my desire that our Southern Baptist Convention pray for God to “send your reviving Holy Spirit”. I believe that our future depends upon God’s Holy Spirit and His reviving power.

One of the areas in which we desperately need God’s Holy Spirit help is in the area of church transformation. While the statistics vary across our convention from state to state, most states report that 70 percent or more of their churches are plateaued or declining. Scholars use varying criteria to judge the status of churches in those categories, but most of us know the reality is a sad one. Some churches struggle in very difficult areas. There are situations where a church must work diligently and fervently just to stay in a plateaued situation due to the loss of people in a geographic area.

However, many of our churches are in areas where there are many unreached and unchurched people, yet they struggle to maintain even a status quo position. LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Ranier, in his books on church growth, has pointed out that many churches are unaware of their status. While they may see people joining the church on a somewhat regular basis, they have no idea -- or perhaps choose to ignore -- the reality that they are plateaued or declining.

Is there any hope for our churches? Can a church move from a plateaued, declining status to one of transformation and growth? The answer is an unequivocal yes! I have seen it happen on more than one occasion.

While this article is not meant to be a teaching tool that would discuss all the factors that must be involved in church transformation, let me state clearly that the first and foremost factor is the factor of prayer. God’s people need to be honest about where their church is. They need to be willing to confess before the Lord any practices, mindsets and attitudes that have led to their church’s malaise. They must pray II Chronicles 7:14 in all seriousness. The Scripture says, “If ... My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

God has blessed our church, First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., in some very powerful ways over the last few years. I thank God that we have ended this church year with our greatest year of growth, including our highest baptism level in history. For this, we praise God. God’s people here are praying like never before. Part of our situation is clearly due to a ministry in our church called “God’s 3000”, where we are attempting to involve 3,000 people in some kind of intercessory prayer ministry.

We must focus on prayer.

Frank Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C. Visit his website at www.sbc.net/PresidentsPage.

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IBSA @ Prayer ~ Prayer Support Strenthens Annual Meeting

I praise the Lord for this report from your prayers!

With profound joy in my heart and profuse appreciation to you, I write to pronounce the 2006 Chicago Metro Baptist Association Annual Meeting a huge success! The evil one shot many fiery darts our direction but, in the end, the victory was the Lord’s.

Here are just a few highlights from the weekend for me:

A Strong Gathering to Worship in Jesus’ name. The host pastor told me of the over 800 present, the majority came from CMBA churches outside their own. I saw joy in the fellowship of the saints as “accents” representing the world came together to worship. My wife shared with me one incident of an exuberant south side woman vocalizing her praise to the Lord for the music of our Korean soloist in a church were many of the women wear coverings. How great it is to see our Lord inhabit the praises of his people as we worship together across the cultures. The sermon challenged us all to fulfill the vision and be mighty oaks, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Then there were the earnest prayers of his people huddled together across the worship center to pray for pastors and for the fulfillment of our vision. As people departed they took 1000 vision brochures to pray for the vision of CMBA to be realized among us. For a replay of the evening go to www.ChicagoBaptist.com.

A Great Spirit of Unity to do Business. All of the votes were unanimous. Is that possible in a Baptist meeting? One after another pastors and church leaders stood to speak of the blessings of the Association, some for over 30 years. We heard reports of people bringing Good News to the poor, post moderns and the privileged. We learned of ways we are developing ministers through seminary extension, we are strengthening churches through well-attended equipping events and we are expanding the kingdom of God through church starting, education, justice, chaplaincy and disaster relief.

We also heard some very challenging words like these:

* If our start/death rates of churches across the city don’t change there will be 0 churches in Chicago in 100 years!

* Though the majority of our giving churches are either growing in their giving or stable, we have 28 churches whose giving has declined and many churches who don’t give at all!

I am so grateful for ALL the ways people helped make the weekend a success. From the fasting and intercession of the saints, to the immeasurable hospitality of the Romanian Baptist Church and its pastor, to the consummate planning by the Moderators and Joint Worship Planning Team, to the passionate musical gifts of vocalist and instrumentalists, to the inspiring challenges by local pastors to grow in love and good deeds, to strong reports and reminders by staff, to the full slate of leaders to fill out all the roles of the Association.

I believe our best days are ahead. Let’s keep the faith and keep moving forward ‘til the glory of the Lord fills this land as the waters cover the seas!

Keith Draper
Executive Director

Pray-Vention ... How to Pray for your Pastor

Top Reasons for Church Staff Terminations

Pastor, do you fear that your church will fire you or force you out of ministry. Every year, the state church minister relations directors, in cooperation with LifeWay, conduct a forced terminations survey. The 2005 results showed that churches dismissed more than 1,300 staff members last year alone.

Relational issues top the list for the 10th consecutive year, according to Bob Sheffield, pastoral ministries specialist. The top five are: control issues (who's going to run the church), poor people skills, churches' resistance to change, pastor's leadership style being too strong, and churches already in conflict when the pastor arrived. Read the whole article and find a link to an audio interview evaluating the implications of these results.

Blessings,

Craig Webb, Editor
Pastors Today & Proclaim Online

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SBC Leader Connects Prayer & Evangelism

5 Church Habits That Reach and Keep the Unchurched

Learn what effective churches are doing to connect with the unchurched, according to a groundbreaking seven-year study by Thom Rainer and a Southern Seminary research team.

1) Habit of Cultural Awareness. Churches that want to reach out to the unchurched are highly intentional in bridging culture. They understand the culture but do not compromise with it.

2) Habit of Effective Preaching. Effective church pastors spend an average of 20 hours a week on sermons—including the task itself. Among ineffective churches, pastors spend an average of four hours.

3) Habit of Prayer. Churches that pray together and pray often keep their new members. New members are called and told they are specifically being prayed for. The survey found 83% of effective churches have corporate prayer ministries that are operational and emphasized.

4) Habit of High Expectations. There's a direct correlation between how much is demanded of a new member and how long the new member stays active in the church. Churches that expect much receive much; churches that expect little receive little. New member classes are vital to keeping people in the church.

5) Habit of Risk Taking. Effective churches truly act on faith and do what seems to be risky in the world’s eyes—even in the church’s eyes—that other churches do not. These churches have a willingness to lose members. They do not make decisions based upon who might leave as a result of the decision, but based upon, “Who will we reach?”


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Kidnapped Missionary�s Testifies to Prayer Power

Kidnapped missionary's tale testament to power of prayer

By Don Graham, Baptist Press

Southern Baptist missionary Mendy Nantz (left) shops in an open-air market in Nairobi, Kenya. Nantz said she�s more cautious in public places since she was kidnapped earlier this year, but adds the incident has only strengthened her faith and her commitment to missions.

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)

Mendy Nantz was on the way to a funeral when it happened.

"Don�t scream or do anything stupid or I will kill you," a well-dressed man commanded the 33-year-old Southern Baptist missionary.

Idling outside the Africa Inland Mission counseling center in Nairobi, Kenya, Nantz had spent the past few minutes honking the horn of her red Toyota RAV-4. She was waiting for someone to open the steel gate that protected the compound�s entrance. But instead of a friendly wave, Nantz was greeted by the barrel of a gun. She was being kidnapped===>Click headline to access complete article...

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RESOURCE ~ Prepare Your Congregation to Pray for Revival

40 Day Prayer Guide

. . .an undated prayer guide featuring 40 daily devotionals to help prepare your congregation for revival.

Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. (Get the free Adobe Acrobat Reader here).

• 40 Day Prayer Guide
  
• Concert of Prayer
  

• The Haystack Prayer Meeting: How a Campus Revival Birthed American Foreign Missions
  Mon, July 31, 2006
  It was on a Saturday afternoon during the month... Read More »

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IBSA @ Prayer ~ CMBA Gathers for Prayer & Praise

Dear Pastors:

Many of you were at the Romanian Baptist Church this past Sunday evening and enjoyed our first annual CMBA Worship Celebration. If you would like to share that experience with other members of your congregation, here are a couple of ways:

If they would like to watch the evening online:

mms://www.rbcdp.tv/media/webcasts/rbcdp_webcast_10222006pm.wmv

If they would like to download the video (300+ MB) of the evening:

http://www.rbcdp.tv/media/webcasts/rbcdp_webcast_10222006pm.wmv

(Just right click the hyperlink and select "Save Target As..." and save it to your computer.)

We also have a one-day (10 AM to 10 PM) Chicago Vision Tour scheduled for Nov. 2nd (only 9 days from now) and we would like to know if you are interested.

"Spend a day...
* with other CMBA pastors and church leaders
* experience Chicago's incredible ethnic diversity
* see how God has made Chicago an open door to reach a world for Christ
* come away with creative ideas on how you might partner with other CMBA churches to reach this world-class city for Christ."

Please let us know if you would be interested in investing a day with us because we will evaluate in a couple of days whether or not we have enough people or not.

Robert Goette, CMBA Church Planting Strategist

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IBSA @ Prayer ~ CMBA Annual Meeting Weekend Hit Hard

I am writing you and other key persons to mobilize a blitz of prayer for this weekend. I am not a person to see a demon under every rock by I cannot conclude anything else but a coordinated attack by the Evil One on the CMBA leaders for this weekend. Let me list them for you:

£ This week our Sunday evening Worship Leader, Stirling Culp, suffered a stroke. He had surgery on Wednesday and is still recovering. I do not know if he has fully regained his sight.

£ This week our Saturday morning Leader, Vesta Dixon, saw his inner city church in Englewood, Evening Star, broken into and approximately $9000 of equipment and money was stolen.

£ This week our Host Pastor and Church, Pastor Popovici & the Roumanian Baptist Church, are dealing with some disunity in the church that could result in a split.

£ This week my family took some pretty fierce personal attacks on our finances.

I believe in faith that God wants to accomplish a great work in us tomorrow and Sunday, but I also believe the Satan is attempting to thwart God’s work with these darts.

Please mobilize as much prayer as you can for these situations plus our meetings Saturday morning from 8 -12 and Sunday night from 6-8.

Fasting and praying alongside you!

Keith Draper

Executive Director
Chicago Metropolitan Baptist Assoc.

We Bring Good News!

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Week of Prayer: December 3-10, 2006

Pray for West Africa The gospel has been carried to West Africa for more than 150 years. But today, it remains parched ground. Meet eight missionary couples who've sacrificed everything to be Jesus' witnesses in a harsh and unforgiving land. Brad and Sally Womble, Songhai of Niger Scott and Julie Bradford, Fulakunda of Senegal Mike and Jennie Houser, Fulani of Nigeria Steve and Susan Roach, Bambara of Mali Tom and Shirley Smith, Futa Toro of Senegal Elliott and Pat Nichols, Wolof of Senegal Warren and Sharon Hessling, Tuareg of Niger David* and Mary*, Hausa of Nigeria Will your church adopt an unreached people group? Wickland Baptist Church: Their prayers made a difference West Africa's Senufo: A scattered and fractured people

Top link: Planning the Week of Prayer for your church Related resources to download: Stories: Because you prayed Quotables: Prayer Photos (Coming) Related resources to order: Week of Prayer poster and brochure Additional prayer resources Related links: TConline CompassionNet West Africa

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Plan Now ~ 2007 Day of Pray for World Evangelization

Loving the Udmurt of Russia

The 770,000 Udmurt of Russia are known as the “people of the woods.” They adopted Russian Orthodox Christianity in the 16th century, but did not truly experience the Gospel. Pagan beliefs such as the worship of idols are still apparent among the people. The good news is that 150 Udmurts have experienced true faith in Jesus Christ and many of these converts were won by their own countrymen. But the Orthodox church, the official church of Russia, often tries to quiet or remove the evangelical witness in each village.

Impact a people searching for God. Join with others to pray for the Udmurt people on the Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization, May 27, 2007.

A FREE video, leader's guide and promotional resources will become available early in April 2007.

FAQs

A personal word

Learning about fasting

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Student Prayer Takes Center Stage

About 800 people gathered around the tallest flagpole in the nation - just to pray and worship.

After a "good showing of kids at morning flag poles," according to Jason Kaat, hundreds of teenagers and adults came from around the area for an evening prayer rally at the headquarters of Acuity Insurance in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, home of reportedly the tallest flagpole in the U.S. (see left).

The 338-foot pole supports an enormous 7,200-square-foot U.S. flag, and "a number of communities came by the busloads," according to the Sheboygan Press.

The student-led evening event was punctuated with prayers, Scripture-reading and worship music - all led by students, with adults joining in.

Tall Alone
Johnny, a student at North Star school in Boswell, Pennsylvania, prayed alone on September 27. He went to a SYATP Rally on Tuesday night, but had no idea what SYATP was all about. The Lord really touched his heart, and on the way home he said to his mom, "I know of three guys who need the Lord. I am going to the pole tomorrow to pray for them." Johnny went to the flagpole the next morning and he was alone, but he spent that time praying for his friends.

Post-Katrina
More than 300 students gathered at Gulfport (Mississippi) High School, in an area that is still recovering from last summer's direct hit by Hurricane Katrina. To make their SYATP more personal, the students wrote prayer requests on post-it notes and placed them on the pole. Then students each picked someone else's prayer notes and prayed for them all day.

The Power of a God Story
At the SYATP at Clyde Boyd Junior High in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, the 300 students who participated met in a large group for prayer, worship, and to listen as a couple of students shared their testimonies ===>Click headline for complete report . . .


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Resource for "Code Breaking" Prayer

"Breaking the Missional Code" sees churches as "missionaries"

By Mark Kelly
Baptist Press ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Many Southern Baptist churches once were remarkably effective in their outreach but now are struggling because their evangelism techniques no longer connect with communities whose culture has fragmented and radically changed.

"Too many churches are boldly pressing forward in the third millennium with the methods and ministries that worked in 1954,�" Ed Stetzer and David Putman write in "Breaking the Missional Code," a 2006 release from the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources.

Referencing the Southern Baptist Convention�s highly successful "Million More in '54" Sunday School campaign, Stetzer and Putnam note: "The problem is that we aren�t sent to the culture of 1954."

Stetzer is a missiologist who directs the North American Mission Board's Center for Missional Research; Putman is executive pastor of the Atlanta-area Mountain Lake Church in Cumming.

Southern Baptists need to adopt the process used by their missionaries in seeking to be an incarnational, loving presence of Christ on their mission fields, Stetzer and Putnam write.

"The missionary studies the culture, looking for the ways God is already revealing Himself to the people," the authors recount. "When that 'bridge' is found, the missionary can express the eternal truth of the Gospel in a way that is indigenous to the culture. People respond with joy and the Gospel spreads like wildfire through the network of their relationships."

A "missional" church, then, is one that acts like a missionary in its community, Stetzer and Putnam write.

Many church leaders, however, see evangelism as "something that takes place near us, while missions takes place overseas," Stetzer and Putman write. "Our paganized, secularized, spiritualized North American culture," they point out, "should be seen as a mission field."
===>Click headline to access complete article . . .

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USA & SBC Presidents Talk Prayer

Bush thanks Southern Baptists for prayer in meeting with Page, Chapman at White House

By Tom Strode * Baptist Press

In the Oval Office, President Bush meets with SBC Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman (center), SBC President Frank Page and his wife Dayle. Photo courtesy of the White House

WASHINGTON (BP)--Prayer was the topic of conversation when the president of the Southern Baptist Convention met with the president of the United States Oct. 11.

Other issues were on the agenda when President Bush welcomed SBC President Frank Page; his wife, Dayle; and SBC Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman to the Oval Office. The day�s events -� including an hour-long news conference and a plane crash into a New York City high-rise building -� reduced what was supposed to be a 45-minute meeting to 20 minutes, however.

Page said he had planned to discuss some moral issues with the president, but �I did not have time for that. ... [I]n fact, [Bush] had requested that we speak about several issues.�

In the short time they had, prayer received most of the attention.

The meeting �primarily focused on prayer, on what prayer means to him� and how it undergirds and strengthens him, Page said of the president.

�I assured him of Southern Baptists� support of him, particularly in our prayer support,� said Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C.

Page told Bush �perhaps the message that I�ve heard more than anything else� about the president from Southern Baptists �was that we pray for the president and Mrs. Bush� every day, especially for �wisdom, strength and endurance.�===>CLick headline to access complete article . .

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IBSA @ Prayer ~ New Pastor Appreciation Prayer Guide

October is Pastor/Staff Appreciation Month

...but appreciating your leaders is never off-season!


Intercessory Prayer is the most important activity we can do on the behalf of another persons. Pastor, staff and their families serve the church with a high calling. This high calling comes with a challenge to hard work, and often requires the minister to make extreme sacrifices as they accept the unique assignments given to them by God.

Pastor and their families have an incredible challenge to grow the kingdom by living holy lives, caring for their families, and working with people who are at different stages of spiritual growth both inside and outside the church. For all of these reasons God’s people need to pray daily for their ministers. Especially, during pastor appreciation month and it is hope that this practice will become a habit to pray daily the rest of the year for their ministers and the unique challenges they face daily.

Sincerely, Sylvan Knoblach,
Church Staff Development / IBSA

Brochures and Prayer Guides available:

Pastor/Staff Appreciation Month Brochure

Pastor/Staff Daily Prayer Guide

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Pastor Appreciation Month - Prayer S.O.S.

1,300+ Dismissed from Baptist Church Staffs in '05
Oct 4, 2006 By Chris Turner, Baptist Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The general inability to �get along� is again at the root of the top five reasons staff members in Southern Baptist churches are terminated from their positions, according to a study by LifeWay Christian Resources� department of pastoral ministries.

Relational issues top the list for the 10th consecutive year, according to Bob Sheffield, a pastoral ministries specialist. The top five are: control issues (who's going to run the church), poor people skills, churches� resistance to change, pastor�s leadership style being too strong, and churches already in conflict when the pastor arrived.

"The interesting thing since we began doing this study in 1996 is that the top five have been the top five every year," Sheffield said. "The only difference is in their order from year to year. We consistently see the inability to develop and maintain healthy relationships within the church as the reason for dismissals." ===>Click headline to access full article . . .


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