A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. Robert L. Allison is the minister at St. Andrew’s and St. Stephen’s congregation in North Vancouver, B.C.
We are a motley collection of ministers, professional church workers and para-church leaders. Every Tuesday at noon we gather for an hour of prayer. The make-up of the group runs the spectrum from Anglican to Pentecostal and many others in between. No United Church leaders or Roman Catholics are involved but we are working on them. The group very quickly forgets about denominational labels when praying together.
Several years ago a few pastors decided to meet in this way and to make the hour a matter of urgent priority. From that small beginning we now have, depending on the season, from 14 to 24 out each Tuesday. The group is very jealous about the time. Knowing that prayer is hard work, and how great is the temptation to fritter away the time in conversation, we covenanted together to spend the hour in real prayer — the entire hour.
Someone begins by reading a verse or two of Scripture and we end promptly at 1:00 p.m. Often a good number of the members end up enjoying an hour of fellowship in a local muffin place following prayer. We have fun.
Motivation for beginning came, I suppose, from a sense of desperation and impotence. The North Shore of Vancouver with its affluence and secularization has been known as a difficult place for ministry if not a veritable spiritual wasteland. The churches — with few exceptions — were not growing.
There was also the realization of our own personal need for revival along with the apparent need in the lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia and indeed in all of Canada.
Several pastors had researched the reasons for past revivals occurring in North America and the world. It was discovered that almost every great moving of the Spirit was preceded by special prayer. In the majority of cases, prayer groups were established that ran across denominational lines. God obviously blesses when his people lose the pernicious sense of competitiveness and begin to see each other as brothers and sisters in ministry.
When one part of the body prospers and is healthy the other parts should, and do, rejoice. It takes a while to grow into this realization but it is a wonderfully liberating experience. If the Baptist congregation down the road is growing and just jumping with life and joy it is good for all the churches. So we pray fervently for one another and if one congregation is suffering through division or some serious problem we pray together for healing.
One of the surprising effects of this hour together each week is the realization of a growing bond of love and pastoral concern for one another. We both hold one another to account and stand by with loving support when someone encounters hardship. Ministers facing difficult and challenging tasks, such as a funeral for a teenager when the parents are not believers, can count on the prayers of the group.
Time is devoted to praying for both the social and spiritual needs of the world outside of our small circle. We pray for governments and nations and for the blessing of Christ upon his church world-wide.
It is not always easy to judge the results of a prayer meeting but God has called us to obedience even if we do not witness the results. We have seen growth in numbers and vitality in almost every congregation where our members provide leadership. A pastor’s son was converted and the renewal in the son’s family brought joy to many people. A minister with serious heart problems was healed. Church divisions have been mended.
Some of the lay people may wonder what relevance there is here for them. The possibilities are almost without limit: prayer breakfasts monthly, or even weekly, before work begins; brief lunch hour gatherings with invitations to the Christians at the mill or office. The important thing is to decide how much time will be spent in prayer, to stick strictly to the schedule and to have an overwhelming purpose such as praying for renewal and for all the churches represented.
The significance for professional church leaders is obvious and for some there will be nothing new here. Prayer groups such as this are springing up all over the country. These are not intended to replace local congregational meetings for prayer and Bible study but the importance of prayer and fellowship across denominational distinctives should be emphasized.
A special word to ministers and professional church workers is needed. The members of our churches in North Vancouver are more than a little impressed by the fact that their staff pray with others of their profession on a regular basis. They see it as very significant in a day when churches are still suspected of being in competition with one another. I think they also see the cosmic ramifications of our actions as, in his good time, God will answer our plea for revival.
Finally, I would suggest that the church chosen for the pastors’ prayer meeting be one where the secretary is on duty over the noon — so there are no interruptions — and that the room used be comfortable and not too large for the group. We meet over the holiday months and it is important that someone be responsible to see that the doors are opened and locked afterwards. Someone in the group should always be appointed to make sure that it gets started and ended on time.