Develop an ongoing prayer culture in the life and ministry of the congregation in which members pray for one another, pray for the life and ministry of the congregation, pray for the clergy and lay leaders, and pray that the Evil One will find no place of comfort in this congregation. Congregations who earnestly pray for one another find they have less they dislike about one another and more they love and appreciate. For this to happen it is necessary for congregational participants to use their power to bless one another by a willingness to openly pray for the welfare of one another.
It is extremely difficult for people within a congregation who become genuine dialogue and prayer partners to then dislike one another or argue with one another in a manner that exhibits extreme anger. It is easy for people to exhibit extreme anger towards one another when they do not really know one another, do not want to know one another, do not have in-depth dialogue with one another, and never take advantage of the opportunity to pray together. It is sad, but true, that such attitudes can exist in congregations among those who claim they love the Lord.
Extrapolate this to the whole congregation and it will be obvious that congregations who dialogue with and pray for one another will be successful in avoiding unhealthy conflict situations. Congregations who stay at a surface level of relationships and do not engage in meaningful spiritual experiences together leave the door open for unhealthy conflict. In extreme cases this can lead to the creation of a toxic congregation where the culture is one of hate rather than love, debate rather than dialogue, and winning rather than discernment of God’s will.
To never experience unhealthy conflict in a congregation it is a great idea to develop a prayer culture. This is a culture where congregations provide regular vehicles for congregational participants to not only worship together, have fellowship with one another, be on mission with one another, but to also pray for one another at a dimension deeper than surface praying. It is where congregational participants pray for the welfare of one another much more than they criticize one another. It is where the response of a person to a feeling of having been offended by another person is to seek dialogue with that person and to pray genuinely that each of them will be open to the perfect will of God.
A favorite approach to this is for the active congregation to divide into dialogue and prayer triplets each year for a season of 100 days of discernment. This is where three people who do not know one another, only know one another at a surface level, or who want to get to know one another at a much deeper level commit to meet ten times for up to 100 minutes over the period of 100 days to dialogue with and to pray for one another, their congregation, and the people in the context where their congregation serves.
What intentional and perennial actions does your congregation take to develop a prayer culture that is meaningful and effective?
