When Crisis Comes to Your Ministry

Crisis is a part of ministry. It is not a matter of “if” crisis comes, but “when” crisis comes. When it comes, how do you respond? When it comes personally, what do you do? When it comes in ministry, how do you respond?

I submit to you that crisis should move us to extraordinary prayer. You know, prayer beyond the usual! Prayer that is above the ordinary for each of us. If crisis does not move you to God, it will lead you away from God. As a God-called minister and born again believer, we should always interpret crises as God’s invitation to come to Him.

What About Extraordinary Prayer?

Most pastors I know believe in prayer. However, I am not sure if most pastors believe in the power of extraordinary prayer. Extraordinary prayer is prayer beyond the ordinary. Leaders of the past have called us to extraordinary prayer. Jonathan Edwards wrote about it and called for it among his peers.

I believe Jesus would expect us to rise early for prayer, even as He did in Mark 1:35,

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.

This was an ordinary practice of Jesus.

Rising early in the morning, even when it is still dark, and finding a private place to enter a session of prayer should be an ordinary practice in the life of a pastor. How could a pastor ever expect his people to do something he himself is not practicing and doing personally?

Therefore, extraordinary prayer would be something like this, plus more. Perhaps it would be a special season of prayer, possibly including a time of prayer and fasting. Or, something else that the Holy Spirit would lead a pastor to do. All I know is that we all need to be practicing extraordinary prayer.

Pastor, we need to rise up and lead our people in the call to prayer. We need to model ordinary and extraordinary prayer. We need to pray. We need to pray extraordinarily. We need the filling of the Holy Spirit. We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We need the power of God. Extraordinary prayer is the key to the Spirit-empowered ministry of the pastor.

Are you leading your church to pray extraordinarily?

I have a major burden right now for my church to be stronger in the ministry of prayer. I am burdened that we seem to do many other things before we practice prayer.

I tell our team continually that if we are not careful we will diminish prayer even in a worship service. I love worship music, but it is not a substitute for prayer. I feel it is imperative that a pastor calls upon the Lord before his church weekly, modeling earnest, passionate, believing prayer. A pastor can mentor the people in prayer by practicing prayer in worship. Pastor, when you pray, “cut the flesh out of your prayer before your people” and “Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 20) What does that mean? I am not sure we know fully what it means, but it does mean to be empowered by the dynamic of the Holy Spirit. Pastor, pray with urgency, passion, and hope!

Then, there are moments for practicing extraordinary prayer. I have tried to lead our church to engage in extraordinary prayer through the years in many ways like:

• Special prayer meetings on Sunday night
• Special seasons of prayer on Sunday mornings
• Special seasons of prayer and fasting
• Special nights of prayer
• And many other ways

An Idea for Extraordinary Prayer

In October, we launched our Cross Church Circle, a ministry of prayer in our church. I communicate with the people monthly with a prayer guide I have designed personally. I have asked our people to:

• Pray for 30 minutes weekly for our church by using this prayer guide
• Enlist others to participate along the way.

Amazingly, we are right at 3,500 people who are a part of our Cross Church Circle, praying 30 minutes a week using our prayer guide that I have designed by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, all focused on the mission and ministries of our church. We believe God is going to launch us into the next great move of God in our church. We need it! We are praying it through!

Can you imagine it?

What If?

What if you modeled before your people weekly praying passionately, urgently, and confidently? What if you mobilized your people to extraordinary prayer in their lives? What if your church, my church, and other churches did this at the same time? I believe God may take us into the next great move of God! May it be so to His glory!

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd