How prayerful are missional churches?

I was Googling for “missional intercession” the other day and came up with very little. So this got me asking, firstly, how prayerful are missional churches? And secondly, even if they are prayerful, do they have a theology of prayer? Do they have any meaty teaching? What I mean is, do missional churches have anything more to offer than adhoc and anecdotal prayer wisdom? What’s your gut response? And more considered response?

10 responses to “How prayerful are missional churches?”

Steve Hayes

2010-01-13

Google “Concerts of Prayer”

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LucyJ

2010-01-15

I haven’t heard of “missional intercession” before, Matt. Have you come across it somewhere, or just thought it up? I’ve been involved in all kinds of “intercession” stuff for a couple of decades now, but that’s a new-ee. Maybe I should write a book? Prob just have to start with a list and share some thoughts…
Gut response:
I think there is an important relationship between “adhoc and anecdotal” stuff and “meaty teaching”. Just because something is ad hoc or anecdotal, doesn’t mean it can’t be deep and meaningful or that it doesn’t have the potential to be formalised and peer-reviewed for the sake of the more academic amongst us. For me, it depends who is ad hoc-ing and who is anecdoting, as to how much weight I’d give to their claims.
Prayer, as in two-way communication with God (individual and community), is essential for any Christian ministry, so of course any bona fide missional churches would be praying!!!!
Considered response:
If somebody really wants to know about missional intercession, the following needs to occur. Define church. Define missional. Define intercession and prayer. Then go do some studies and surveys. Mix it in with some ad hoc and anecdotal prayer wisdom factors. Come back with the results and then we can talk some more about theology of prayer and whether missional churches have such a thing. 
The report could include a chapter on Concert Prayer. I didn’t know there was a formal term for some of the stuff I have been involved with in the past, but certainly some of it was in that category…

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Stewart

2010-01-15

My initial thought would be missional prayer would focus less on “Dear God give me, help me, heal me”. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
And more on “Dear God send us, help us, heal us, free us. Guide and protect us as I engage our world.” This kind of thing.
For me being missional is taking seriously the call to “go” and humbly be in, with and among communities that are far from God or suffering or both in an attempt to live redemptively in the midst. This is why the prayer would be less about “me” and my needs and more about “us” and our needs because as we live work and play in the midst of those who God sent us to, they are no longer them, but become us.
Just my off the cuff response.

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Matt Stone

2010-01-20

Stewart, yes, less “me” focussed would have to be part of it. Not that “me” should be ignored mind you. But maybe the Lord’s prayer wouldn’t be a bad guide. More up front “may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth” type of intercession. And when we get to the me stuff, maybe more of a “daily bread” focus. You know, what we need for today, to answer God’s call, and not so much stress on comfort and security above all else.

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Matt Stone

2010-01-20

Lucy, ok part of what concerns me with conventional intercessory teaching is I often find it plagued by a very unmissional sacred/secular dualism.

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Jarred

2010-01-20

It would seem to me that any missional theology of prayer would have to ultimately reflect and embody the missional principles of the church as God’s agents here on earth reaching out to others. To me, this would make prayer very service-focused. I would expect that rather than hearing prayers such as, “please help Sally,” one might hear prayers more like, “please tell me what you would have me do to help Sally?” As such, I think a missional theology of prayer is going to need to be reflective and cover receiving God’s guidance through prayer, or prayer as dialogue with God rather than merely talking to Him.
I also foresee there being a lot of talk about praying for wisdom, patience, increased compassion, and open eyes to see opportunities to touch other lives.

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Matt Stone

2010-01-20

Jarred, if only more Christians grasped this as well as you do!
You’re last comment particularly grabbed me. Many of the prayers of Paul were indeed for greater faith, wisdom, love and perseverance. Not so much “God do this for me” as “God empower us to do your will”.

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Jarred

2010-01-20

Matt, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for giving me what I consider to be a rather strong compliment. I’ll try not to let it go to my head though. 😉

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Matt Stone

2010-01-20

No worries, I mean what I said.

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andrew park

2010-01-20

Along the missional service line being addressed above Shane Claiborne recently wrote a book with another writer called “Prayer Activists” (not sure of the exact title because I read it early last year and couldn’t find it when I looked just now). It talks about a missional-service focus of prayer.
I often use Dick Eastman’s popular quote of “being prepared to be a practical part of God’s answer to our prayers [in the service] of others”. He has written a series of books over the 1970’s and 1990’s which commonly featured prayer as “love on its knees” (one of the titles of his books.
Michael Card talks about the conversation of listening to God (in the context of us not doing all the talking all the time and at times being intentionally silent).
Volf’s wonderful book “Free of Charge” has a series of 3 chapters at the start of it which I think are useful when examining our own attitudes toward God and prayer. Our formulas of prayer can be designed as if attempting to prayer-contractually manipulate God into agreeing to or doing things we want – particularly when we have skewed ideas about God’s grace toward us and its “Free of charge[ness]”. It also looks at attempts to earn God’s favour, which can effect the way we pray for ourselves and others.

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Curious Christian