7 Ways to Pray for Ministries that Train Church Leaders [August Prayer Focus]

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Aug 01, 2017

C hange is only lasting if it outlives us . That’s why so many TEAM missionaries invest in ministries that train church leaders and national missionaries.

By teaching at Bible colleges, sending students on internships and coaching them on how to disciple others, missionaries around the world ensure that local believers have the skills to make more disciples. And in that way, this vital work ensures that Christ’s kingdom will continue to grow on this earth until His return.

This August, will you pray with us for ministries around the world that train leaders and national missionaries?

Click here to get a printable version of these requests, and sign up here to get the new prayer focus in your inbox each month.

1. Pray for impactful teaching.

Translation discrepancies and cultural relevance are two major hurdles that cross-cultural teachers face when developing new church leaders. Photo by TEAM

Cross-cultural communication in a learning environment creates a unique set of challenges. Sometimes teachers pay so much attention to their translation capabilities that the strength of their message is diluted. Other times, they struggle with making their classes culturally applicable.

TEAM missionaries Brian and Joyce Flickner teach many South African students who come from churches where prosperity theology is openly taught. The Flickners and other teachers at Durban Bible College need wisdom to build up their students in the truth while tearing down the false teachings they were raised with, like prosperity theology.

Pray that teachers will understand the cultural differences they face and know how to communicate effectively. Ask God to make each lesson clear to the students who hear it.

2. Pray for tuition funds for students.

Poverty and rural living often make it difficult for individuals to receive a quality, biblical education. Photo by TEAM

When it comes to ministries that train leaders and national missionaries, this is the most common prayer request we receive from the field.

Many of these ministries are in areas with a high concentration of unreached people groups , which is why they are so crucial to kingdom advancement. However, this means poverty and rural living are often daily realities for many of the students.

“Many students come to SAIACS [South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies] in faith that God will supply the approximate $1,500 USD for the year’s fees, which covers study, room and board,” says one TEAM worker.

Pray for students who have stepped out in faith to follow God’s call. Ask God to give them courage, and pray that He will meet all their needs.

3. Pray for unity and renewal among teachers and staff.

From the teachers to the behind-the-scenes staff members, running a school requires unity of vision and purpose. Photo by TEAM

Faculty and staff members work long hours, day in and day out, in order to keep ministry schools alive and thriving. They recruit new students; organize classes and records; keep the books, and teach classes while also tending to their students’ souls.

Much of this work goes largely unnoticed, so pray for seasons of renewal when the work seems thankless and draining.

Pray also for unity among teachers and staff as they seek to fulfill a common goal: to train church leaders and evangelists. Pray that their lessons and work will reflect this aim and unify them as a team.

4. Pray for resources and facilities.

Advances in technology can enhance any student’s learning experience, but some schools struggle to obtain even everyday resources. Photo by TEAM

Anyone who has worked in education can attest that physical resources are a must, from computer monitors to pencil sharpeners and everything in between.

Take library supplies, for example. TEAM missionary Lynda Collison says one of Swaziland Evangelical Bible College ’s immediate needs is getting bar codes on their library books so they can create a computer-based checkout system. Many students currently use the library for research, so acquiring resources that could make the checkout process easier is among the school’s top priorities.

Please pray that each school will have all the resources it needs. Pray also for patience and discernment as staff members await the provision of these much-needed materials.

5. Pray that graduates will put what they’ve learned into practice.

Pray that students will have the courage to lead where they are now and continue to use what they’ve learned after they graduate. Photo by TEAM

The ultimate aim of any leadership training program is to see students use what they learn to share the Gospel with others.

“Our hope and prayer is that the students finish the three-year program and go back to serve in their village churches as pastors and shepherds,” says Dan Hubert, who serves at Merauke Bible School in Papua.

Pray for wisdom as graduates of these programs seek God’s purpose for their lives. Pray they will know how to apply their newfound skills in the real world, and that they lead many people to Jesus.

6. Pray for growth and awareness of the schools.

Attending Bible school is a wonderful opportunity — but one that many potential students don’t realize is available to them. Photo by TEAM

A school can’t enroll the right students unless those students are aware of the school in the first place. However, getting the word out is a challenge for small institutions running on tight budgets. And once students are accepted, they still face obstacles, such as having to move or take care of family members.

Pray that staff members will find effective ways to spread the word about their programs. Pray also for wisdom to accept the right applicants and steer others in a healthy direction. Ask God to make the way clear for each student He wants at these schools.

7. Pray for spiritual protection of staff and students.

With an Enemy right on the doorsteps of schools disciplining new leaders, prayer is essential for students and faculty to stay focused on the truth. Photo by TEAM

Of course, the Evil One hates what these schools stand for. He will not miss an opportunity to attack on any and every level.

For two students at Union Bible Institute in South Africa, this reality is all too palpable. “One of our female students was in a severe car accident some years ago and has had several surgeries since then,” said TEAM missionary Eric Binion. “She has continuing problems with eyesight, depression and other health issues.”

Eric went on to request prayers for another student who is struggling financially. His family’s only source of income while he attended UBI was his wife’s preschool business, which has now fallen on hard times.

Likewise, faculty and staff members struggle with weariness from spiritual warfare.

“We pray God’s protection for our teachers and staff,” says TEAM missionary Brett Miller, who serves as a teacher at Zion Bible College in Swaziland. “They are constantly under attack.”

Join us in praying not only for the protection of staff and students of these schools, but also for divine refreshment and zeal even in the face of trials.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click the image below to get a printable version of these requests to remember how to pray all month long.

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Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024

TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024

Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.