Archive for the 'Leadership' Category
Leading Your Church in a Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting | Just Imagine
On Sunday morning, October 13, 2013, I led our entire Cross Church Family in a prayer meeting. I believed it was time to issue a call to the Cross Church Family for spiritual revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America.
Our Purpose
Why dedicate an entire Sunday morning service to a prayer meeting? I felt God leading me to alert our Cross Church family of the need for spiritual revival and awakening in America. I lead them through a spiritual process that was both personal and sequential, and then sent our church out with a burden for revival and a hope for the future. Revival is the manifestation of the presence of God in our lives. Revival begins with me. Revival begins with you.
A Personal Conviction
I have a personal conviction about why we pray for revival and awakening. Personally, I believe we need to pray for personal revival, revival in the church, and awakening in the nation, so that we can see the Great Commission of Jesus Christ escalated and accelerated to completion in our generation. I am compelled to call the church to revival and the country to be awakened spiritually, so that we can see the completion of the Great Commission in our generation.
Word-Based, Spirit-Led, and Worshipful
We focused solely on praying, and everything we did was based upon the Word of God. I took the Word of God, read it, taught it briefly, and then led our people to respond to God through prayer. Throughout the worship experience of teaching and prayer, we expressed various moments through songs of worship.
Prayer Times Built Upon Biblical Principles
I taught through five specific principles, spending four to six minutes on each.
- A Vision for Revival in the Church and Awakening in the Nation
- The Exceeding Sinfulness of our Sin
- Cleansing and Renewal
- Fully Surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and Experiencing the Fullness of the Holy Spirit
- Advancing the Gospel Everywhere
After each principle was taught from God’s Word, we moved to prayer. We prayed silently, we prayed together, we prayed on our knees, we prayed standing, and we prayed at the altar. My desire was to lead by the Spirit’s direction; built upon the Word of God, responding to God through prayer, and expressed through worship.
It was a Wonderful Experience
Without a doubt, the entire service was a wonderful experience. Lay people and pastors want to pray. Those who do not know how to pray want to learn to pray effectively. As spiritual leaders, we need to create a pathway for them. It was a highly memorable day for many, and life changing for some.
Just Imagine…
Just imagine what would happen in America if every church spent an entire Sunday morning worship service focused on prayer for revival in the church and awakening in America? Just imagine what would happen if each of those services led toward praying about advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ regionally, nationally, and internationally, calling upon the church to rise up and complete the Great Commission in our generation?
I am convinced that every great movement of God is preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people. Now is the time we rise up as the church of Jesus Christ and elevate prayer in our churches. If we are not careful, we will reduce prayer in local church worship services to routine and less important than announcements.
Jonathan Edwards said it This Way
Jonathan Edwards, the man God used as the catalyst for the 1st Great Awakening said,
“So it is God’s will that the prayers of His saints shall be great and the principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s Kingdom in the world. When God has something to accomplish for His church, it is with His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayer of His people.”
Oh friend, just imagine, if every church in America turned just one entire worship service into a prayer service, calling upon the God of Heaven to bring revival into our lives personally, in His church, and awakening in our nation, so that we can see the Great Commission escalated and accelerated to completion in our generation.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
6 Guidelines to Follow in Your Vision Casting
People will rally to support your vision when you cast it before them effectively. The big question is: How do you do it?
Many pastors and spiritual leaders work through the processes of their church or organization; however, they struggle sharing the vision with the masses, enlisting their support. Today, I want to provide you with six guidelines to follow in your vision casting.
1. Cast it clearly.
The most important thing a leader can be is clear. Therefore, when God has given you a vision, share it with others clearly. Are you providing clarity in your leadership?
2. Cast it simply.
If you want people to grasp your vision, keep it simple. So often, complexity absolutely destroys the ability to embrace a vision. While detail is important, limit how much detail you share; otherwise, people will get lost in your vision.
Just remember: what people do not grasp, they usually do not support. If you want them to come alongside of you with verbal, active, and even financial support, insure you cast the vision with extreme simplicity.
3. Cast it visually.
Technology is a friend to vision casting. Never has so much opportunity existed to get people excited about your vision. Brainstorm all the visual ways you can share your vision. People love to see where you want them to go. Show them!
4. Cast it biblically.
Tie your vision to how it fulfills reaching others for Jesus Christ. Tie your vision to how it makes disciples. Tie your vision to God’s Word, the Bible.
At Cross Church, I have always tied any vision to God’s Word and reaching other people. Our people have always embraced the vision when they see how it is tied to God’s Word.
5. Cast it creatively.
Ask God for insight into how you can share the vision with people creatively. You can even gather a small group of people to help you brainstorm on creative ways to effectively share your vision.
I believe one of the important things in sharing the vision creatively, is sharing the vision in multiple ways. Different people will respond to the vision in different ways.
6. Cast it enthusiastically.
Passionate enthusiasm always attracts people to a better future. Leaders must be passionate. A leader cannot expect people to follow them unless they are overflowing with enthusiasm.
One of the saddest things I observe in the lives of pastors and staff members of churches is their lack of enthusiasm. Check your enthusiasm level. Be excited about your calling. Be enthusiastic about what God is doing. Cast your vision enthusiastically.
When you follow these guidelines
When you follow these guidelines in your vision casting, people will follow your vision. In fact, they may even run to your vision with enthusiasm. Lead on.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.