Melbourne Prayer & Evangelism Strategies

Strategies for Winning our Neighbours and Regions to God

This discussion paper was prepared by Sue Tinworth & Rod Schneider, to summarise God’s invitations to us. This reflects conversations, meetings and consultations with those we have been in relationship for many years – pastors and leaders across the body of Christ in our city and nation. We honour the foundations upon which this fresh era is being built and acknowledge the countless disciples of Jesus who we are building with.

 We celebrate what our Father is doing:

  • awesome reports across our city of radical healings, salvations and reconciliations
  • mobilising us to deep prolonged united prayer and worship
  • assembling a mighty army of warriors
  • connecting us as channels of Jesus’ power and grace to the people of our city.

We invite those who are, or who want to be, in ongoing relationship to co-discern what is on our Father’s heart for Melbourne – His strategy and timing. For vital context please see Vision of Melbourne by Rod Schneider from October 2008 in the attached powerpoint.

If we each simply fulfil our assigned part in His plan– Jesus’ rule will flow life to our city and beyond. Our Lord wants this because He loves them so much.

1.    Vision

We see God’s blessing overflowing in every street in every neighbourhood of Melbourne through Christians partnering in prayer and evangelism.

2.    Mission Statements

  • The body of Christ collaborating at the grassroots to win the hearts of Melbourne’s people and transform our local neighbourhoods and regions until they become like heaven on earth.
  • Empowering, equipping and enabling every Christian to enjoy being an effective minister in their neighbourhood, workplace, school or university.

3.    Local Neighbourhood Strategies

Your “local neighbours” include the people who work near you, the people who play near you, the people who learn and study near you and the people who shop near you.  It especially includes the people who live near you.

a.     Local Houses of Prayer & Evangelism

We encourage every Christian to become a Local House of Prayer & Evangelism in his or her neighbourhood, workplace, school or university, using these simple strategies:

  • Prayer-walk and speak blessing declarations throughout your neighbourhood or surroundings.
  • Introduce yourself to neighbours, co-workers and others as you go
  • Intentionally visit people at their homes.
  • Find other Christians who live or work or study near you, so you can meet to pray for your neighbours and colleagues and bless your local area together.
  • Speak natural, warm, hope-filled, encouraging words to your neighbours and colleagues.
  • Pray directly for your neighbours or colleagues expressed needs e.g. peace, healing, provision etc.
  • Meet any practical needs that you see in your neighbourhood, workplace, school or university through intentional acts of kindness e.g. serve people by doing their gardening or housework. If you see a need that is too big for you to meet, draw on the resources of the proposed Neighbourlink to meet the need for you.
  • Make opportunities to share a meal with your neighbours or colleagues.
  • Be generous to your neighbours or colleagues – share your garden, market or baking produce.  Respond to needs they have expressed by blessing them in practical ways and by offering to pray for and/or with them.
  • Co-host block parties or street barbecues with Christians who live near you.

Have a look at:

Stories:

In practice:

This is the primary focus of PIPES – partners in prayer & evangelism – overflowing blessing to your neighbours, regions and nations.  Loving God with our whole heart (Mark12:30) fills us to a point of overflow as love for our neighbour (Mark12:31) and for one another. (John 13:34-35) www.partnersinprayer.org.au  Contact sue@partnersinprayer.org.au for support in becoming local houses of prayer. We distribute Ffald-y-Brenin resources in Australia because we highly recommend this anointed teaching. e.g. A simple guide to establishing a local house of prayer.

b.    Proposed Neighbourlink – collaborative community projects

NeighbourLink invites local people and organizations to seek free assistance from their neighbours, and invites people from surrounding local churches to join volunteer project teams to provide free assistance.

Neighbourlink’s mission is:

practical, neighbour-to-neighbour expressions of God’s love through knowing and serving one another in a community.

The NeighbourLink website has three primary functions-Project Posting, Project Selection, and Volunteer Sign-Up. The Project Posting Site is where you can post a project with which you or someone you know needs help. Once a project has been posted to the site, the NeighbourLink Coaches will evaluate, construct (e.g. how many volunteers, and what tools and materials are needed, etc.) and select projects.

Once a project is selected, the Coach posts the project to the NeighbourLink website. Persons accessing the site can review the posted projects, and volunteer by signing up for a specific project, date and time, and if they so desire, may also donate tools or materials to the effort.

The Coach and the Volunteers meet at the project location at the scheduled time and complete the project–totally free of charge, no donations accepted.

Have a look at:

Stories:

In practice:

If we do this effectively together, we could radically transform public perception of the Church and impact every street of our city.  Will this be a partnership between existing services or a new network? We’d prefer partnership if there is engagement. Are you or your local church, workplace, school, denomination or ministry willing to collaborate? Strategic leaders are needed to discern, explore, champion and facilitate this crucial aspect of neighbourhood evangelism. Contact: Rod Schneider rod@partnersinprayer.org.au

4.    Regional Strategies

a.     Prayer & Worship Gatherings

Initiated and hosted by multiple local churches and ministries, providing regular opportunities for the body of Christ to pray & worship together in various venues, regionally and centrally in and around Melbourne. This needs the active support of pastor’s networks.  We acknowledge work God is doing through the Empowered Pastors Network, Ethnos & Dandenong Pastor’s Network, Casey Pastor’s Network and Christian Federation.

We particularly envisage and encourage 24 hour events (e.g. Friday 7pm to Saturday 7pm) that are big enough to challenge us to work with the other churches in our region so we are praying together for our region, and building relationship and the ability to sustain collaborative regional 24/7 prayer and worship in the future. We envisage the inclusion of creative worship expressions such as painting and dance. Collaborative evangelism could arise.

Have a look at:

Stories:

In practice:

Regional worship gatherings will emerge when there is local initiative and momentum that we can gather around to support. This needs committed church leaders, venues, worship leaders, prayer leaders, artists, dancers, event planners and organisers.

Contact: Rod Schneider rod@partnersinprayer.org.au

b.    A Social Media Prayer Network – Prayerhouse: Jesus House of Prayer.

We have launched a national online prayer network called Prayerhouse which is designed to connect people from across the body of Christ  to pray for Australia or their region of it.

The social media prayer website was developed by Rod Schneider with funding, initiatives and input by others from Stairway Church Whitehorse. This site operates exactly like Facebook and with high capacity. It enables people to maintain an ongoing prayer page; to keep track of friend’s prayers, encouraging them to pray for their friends; to form and reform spontaneous prayer chains; praying in agreement with each other.  People can invite Facebook friends to pray and there is a facility for networks, ministries and churches to have their own private groups as per facebook, as well as public prayer postings. It identifies prayers with the highest agreement, so prayers that ‘strikes a cord’ – carry anointing or prophetic power – are identified and shared.

The site is designed so people across Australia with common areas of interest and concern can pray together for:

  • Local regions: See 85 regions of Australia in the Prayer Rooms of Prayerhouse
  • Spheres of cultural influence (10 domains / 7 mountains) e.g. finance, education, law & justice,  local churches, education, government, sport &      recreation,   health, business,  families,   community service, charities, creative arts,  media,  entertainment.
  • Specific topics e.g. ethnic or cultural people groups – prayer for Israel, Indigenous Australians, refugees etc and topical advocacy – for abused children; abortion etc.
  • Blessing. People are hungry to receive and release daily and regional blessing, by praying in alignment with God’s outpouring at Ffald-y-Brenin in Wales, which is having global impact. As their Australian distributors, we are working with Ffald-y-Brenin to help people access their copyrighted written prayers and teaching resources; and to  link people to the Caleb Network. www.ffaldy-y-brenin.org

In practice:

The Prayerhouse network needs others to join us to trial the site and form a team to administer the site and disciple people in prayer. This may include modelling and training in new skills for praying powerfully! Questions or offers to Rod Schneider rod@partnersinprayer.org.au

c.     Proposed Freedom Festivals

The body of Christ, in different regions around Melbourne, combining resources to host all-age, family-friendly festivals with live music, comedy, evangelistic preaching, food, rides, healing tents, prophetic stalls, dream interpretation stalls, prayer ministry tents, bible study tents, quiet prayer and meditation tents, painting, dancing etc. This can begin by hosting stalls at general regional markets and festivals.

In practice:

Teams from many local churches are already present in local festivals and are collaborating as joint forces and are being discipled.  It is another step to host Freedom Festivals – so this will happen when there is Spirit led mobilisation of organisers, evangelists and comedians to preach, and lots of people and resources from many local churches.

d.    Prayer Strikes

Trained and equipped spiritual warriors who know how to destroy the works of the devil, bind strong men, take spiritual territory, establish God’s kingdom rule and release God’s blessing on a territory e.g. praying on-site at abortion clinics, freemasonry centres and other spiritually dark places, praying on-site where the Freedom Festivals will be hosted. Warriors are called into Prayer Strike assignments as the Spirit leads. This work is usually known only to a small confidential circle.

In practice:

Warriors groups are often built over time spent in prayerful relationship with God and each other. There are numerous groups operating, within local churches and ministries, with different purposes, styles and spheres of influence etc. Many are known to us and each other and many will be unknown. If you are interested in identifying yourself as someone seeking discipleship; or as a mature warrior, prayer strike leader or trainer  contact: Sue Tinworth sue@partnersinprayer.org.au

5.    Prayer & Evangelism Training

Lifestyle training includes identity and character development, confession and repentance lifestyle, baptism of water and Holy Spirit, taking communion, living in community with other believers, fasting, learning how to worship God, chat with God, declare blessings, see the needs around you, connect with people, encourage people, identify persons or houses of peace, pray for people, tell your God stories, share good news, lead pre-believers to Christ, baptise people, lead bible discussions, receive from God, meet people’s needs, heal sick people, cast out demons, prophesy, receive words of knowledge, raise the dead.

In practice:

There are obviously many general and applied training courses. We are keen to engage in training that is based in relationship– discipleship- rather than event or task based. We are examining materials and processes that can be adapted by local trainers to the proposed strategies. Let us know training you recommend and trainers and authors who are willing to place their video, audio and written training materials online for people to download free of charge. We’d like to hear from evangelists who are willing to disciple others in ‘natural’ supernatural relational evangelism. Is that you?

See: What’s On for vital upcoming events.

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