Reading A Book On " The Prayer Saturated Church. "

I have had this book in my Logos library for awhile, but have until now not had the time to read it. It's is an excellent read and one that is practical and inciteful. 

Whether pastoring in CT. at FCF or here at Covenant we have had a special place for intercessory prayer within the fabric of all we do. When we have Gathering meetings we have some folks who are just intercessors during the service praying for all that is going on and the anointing and will of God in the service. This book is a nice introductory work to understand intercessory prayer, or to have a prayer soaked or saturated church. I highly recommend it to the Body ( I am going to require it for our Shepherd Leaders to read ).

Blessings to all this fine Sunday morning. 

Reverend Patrick Vossen, Founding Pastor

PS. Here is an excerpt from the book.

THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR’S INTERCESSORS
Problems sometimes arise between pastors and intercessors simply because the role of those serving on the intercessory prayer team has not been clearly defined. The following guidelines will help define the personal intercessor’s role:

Pray daily if possible.

The intercessor should be faithful to pray for the pastor on a regular basis. However, intercessors should not be under bondage or fall into condemnation when they’re unable to pray. The length of time each intercessor on the team can spend in prayer will vary greatly depending upon his schedule, circumstances, and gifting.

Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Many intercessors find they pray for one particular area of their pastor’s life more than other areas. For instance, some intercessors feel inclined to pray mainly for the leader’s spouse or children, others for some particular aspect of the leader’s life, such as integrity and moral purity. Feel free to pray whatever the Holy Spirit directs you to pray.

Pray—don’t counsel.

Intercessors need to resist the urge to counsel the pastor or give direction to the ministry. God, however, does often reveal His plans to those who pray. If you receive a Scripture or prophetic word for your pastor in prayer, ask the Lord if you are to share it with your pastor or just pray about it. Ask the pastor or prayer coordinator what the best way is to pass on information of this nature. Unless it is an urgent matter, one suggestion is to drop your pastor a note.

Avoid expecting pastors to pray for you personally.

It’s the pastor’s responsibility to faithfully pray for his prayer team, although he cannot make the same commitment in prayer to his personal intercessors as they make to him. It, therefore, is not appropriate for an intercessor to ask the pastor to pray over his prayer requests, except for critical requests.

Never talk about or entertain anyone who talks about your pastor or his family.

Set the example. Never repeat anything your pastor asks you to pray about. If you’re uncertain about the confidentiality of the request, ask for permission to share the request with others. Prayer team members who speak critically about the pastor or the pastor’s family or share confidential information have ruined prayer ministries and brought pastors much pain.

Expect intercession to be a sacrifice of love.

If you expect to receive special recognition from the pastor, you may be greatly disappointed. Let your prayers be a sacrifice of love, and the Lord will reward you.
Stand in the gap.

The Enemy is looking to attack the leader in a place of weakness. The intercessor’s role is to stand in the gap where the wall of protection is crumbling. Ask the Lord to rebuild vulnerable places in the leader’s life. Be on guard that if you do not understand your role, you may become disillusioned, disappointed, and even critical of the leader.

Don’t be an overcommitted intercessor.

Agree to serve as a personal intercessor only if you are directed of the Lord and have enough time to pray adequately for that pastor or ministry leader. Some intercessors say they pray for ten, fifteen, or even more ministries a day. This may be true. However, to commit to that many ministry leaders as a personal intercessor would take more time than most people have.

Be patient for pastors to reveal personal requests or needs.
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Pastors are under no obligation to share prayer requests until a trust relationship is built.