“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:20-23
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Converge is asking God for a gospel movement across every least reached people group–in this generation! Because of this, we are dedicated to planting churches so the least-reached can hear a credible presentation of the gospel! Our Converge family of churches is well on its way to planting 312 new churches in just five years!
While the reward of planting these churches is people coming to Christ, the groundwork of planting a church is difficult. Many may believe that the success of a church plant falls on the pastor who’s planting the church. It is true they are the primary driving force behind the starting of the church, but, in reality, it is a team effort that includes leaders who have stepped up to support the pastor in the challenge of establishing a new church plant.
The planting of a brand new church provides it with many opportunities that more established churches don’t have. With creating a new church, pastors are able to establish the culture from the first Sunday morning. In addition, new churches have little to no reputation in the area and may have an easier time reaching the least-reached! But, there are also temptations that can arise in the church planting stages. That is disunity. When envisioning a church, it’s tempting for us to create the church WE want rather than the church God wants. Leadership teams may have a difference of opinion in how certain aspects should be run or the church planting pastor may have a different vision than the original one shared with them.
In order for our church plants to succeed and reach more people with the gospel, there must be unity! Today, we join together to pray for our church planting teams and the unity that would exist between them. Will you join us?
Prayer for Starting Churches:
Father God, we thank you for the church and for those who you are sending to start churches in areas that need a strong gospel witness. We thank you for the unity we have in Christ, and we desire that more people experience this by becoming a part of the body of Christ. As we unite in prayer together for new churches, we pray that the people in the communities where our church planters are being sent would see the amazing unity that is found in the church, and they would know it is because of Jesus, whom you sent to us to show your love. Amen.
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If you’ve enjoyed this excerpt from our United in Prayer guide and would like to join us for our 21 Days of Prayer, we invite you, your church leaders, pastors, staff and congregation to unite with us. To access all of our resources and let us know that you are praying with us, click here: converge.org/21-days-united-in-prayer