Perhaps one of the biggest blessings to me and my youth ministry last year was a team of parents and youth leaders who got together every week to do nothing but pray for me and our youth ministry. For years I knew that it’s something that I would love to have in place. I always believed it was important, yet somehow it always fell to the bottom of my priority list.

The kick in the pants for me to finally put this prayer team together was sparked mostly out of my last trip to Haiti and Mexico where we saw time and time again just how powerful prayer is. I approached a youth group parent about it and she pretty much took off with the idea and made it a reality. Every week I’d send her a list of prayer requests and praise reports and she’d get together with parents and youth leaders to bathe them in prayer, sometimes early in the morning before everyone headed to work, sometimes in the evening while youth events were taking place.

While I didn’t always attend the meetings due to other commitments, the support and encouragement that flowed from the prayer team was incredible. Every time I could attend the early morning prayer meetings, I would, and I was always blessed in so many ways.

Out of all the things you need to do to prepare for this fall’s youth ministry launch, put this at the top of your list. Find some other people who value prayer and make it happen. Then prepare for God to shake you and the ministry is some crazy ways, like He did mine.

Posted on August 2, 2011