3 Ways to Pray for Church Plants

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Mar 01, 2021

Ask a church planter how you can pray for them, and they’ll tell you they need perseverance.

Church planters have to learn a whole new culture, while building relationships, organizing services and staying in close connection with God. On top of all that, being a church planter means being available to your new congregation at all hours.

“There are times when the people in your young church need you to drop everything and help them,” says Vicki Reyes, a TEAM church planter in Mexico.

Vicki shared a few examples:

  • “A woman and her two children show up at the door. They have just escaped a husband who arrived angry and high on some kind of drug. The woman and her children stay a few nights at our home until she can make arrangements.”
  • “A distraught family calls at dawn to ask if they can come to our house for advice, as their daughter has run off with a man they don’t really know.”
  • “A woman and her boyfriend stop by as we are leaving for a meeting. They are concerned because another friend has threatened to take her life. Art [Vicki’s husband] drops everything and goes with them.”

Church planters have to be flexible, compassionate and ready for action .

“It’s going to use every ounce of your gifts. … And even the gifts you don’t have, you’re going to use,” says Craig Querfeld, TEAM’s senior director for ministry in South America.

Will pray with us for church plants and the church planting teams that serve them?

1. Pray for opportunities to build relationships and break down barriers.

The Czech Republic has never recovered spiritually from its time under Communism. Today, it’s one of the most atheistic countries in Europe. The Church is seen as completely irrelevant — along with any other religious or spiritual talk.

Because of this, missionaries like Christina Mayer have to get creative with how they draw people into the church. Each month, Christina and her team hold a women’s creativity night, a moms’ club and English classes.

“We introduce the Bible or Christian teaching in subtle ways. An example of this is through parenting tips,” Christina says.

Pray that these efforts will break down barriers, helping unbelievers see the wisdom and truth their believing friends have to offer. Ask God to soften unbelievers’ hearts as they hear His word.

2. Pray for church plants to grow, both in numbers and in spiritual health.

When you’re planting a church, it’s not enough to get visitors. You need people who will faithfully return, again and again, and invest in God’s work. But that’s become harder during COVID-19. In the U.S. alone, 32 percent of practicing Christians stopped going to church (even online services) during the pandemic.

Keith Moore’s growing church plant has struggled since the beginning of COVID-19. While taking precautions, he prays that people will prioritize Christ in their lives.

“We are meeting together as a church, but very few attend,” says Keith Moore, who is planting a church for Latin Americans in North Carolina. And while COVID-19 has lowered attendance, he also points to an issue that predates the pandemic: “The basic problem is not putting Christ first in their lives.”

Please pray for church plants to find safe ways to hold meetings — whether online or in person. Christina asks, “ Pray for growth in numbers, but more importantly in spiritual growth and commitment from these church members to make church life a priority.

3. Pray for encouragement and perseverance.

When it comes to planting churches, people like to ask Craig Querfeld what his secret is. He responds, “What secret? I’m just stubborn.” He adds, “You just have to keep knocking on the doors.”

Planting churches means running services with the help of perhaps one or two other people. It means being on call for the people who need you. It means enduring while the numbers are low and using resources wisely when numbers are high.

“Pray that we would be encouraged even in the small things, because we don’t often see big things happening, and that can be discouraging,” Christina says.

Keith asks, “ Pray that we won’t quit. Church planting is like a rollercoaster ride: There are many ups and downs. The downs can be longer and harder. Pray that we will have fruit that will remain.

Click here to download a printable copy of this month’s Prayer Focus, with additional prayer requests from the field!

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
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