Prayer Partners Support a Pastor and His Church
At Antioch Christian Church in Marion, Iowa, John Seitz invited men to commit to praying for his ministry and the church. The prayer partners pray throughout the week, gather before Sunday services, and build relationships through retreats and quarterly breakfasts.
- Prayer partners provide focused prayer for Seitz, church leadership, services, and the wider church.
- Several men gather an hour before Sunday services to pray throughout the church building.
- The ministry also creates opportunities for relationships, teaching on prayer, and involvement among the congregation’s men.
By Jennifer Taylor
When John Seitz joined the Antioch Christian Church (Marion, IA) staff in 2000, he challenged the men to join a team committed to praying for his ministry and for the church.
“Prayer is so integral in seeking guidance from God and providing spiritual protection for the pastor,” Seitz says. “We have a prayer ministry open to everyone, but I wanted this to encourage strong male leadership in the church.”
Prayer Throughout the Church
In addition to praying through the week, each year the team gathers for a retreat, and each Sunday morning several of the men gather at the church building an hour early for focused prayer.
“We pray throughout the building for the services and for everything that will happen in the coming week,” says Seitz. “The worship area, Sunday school rooms, lobby, kitchen—every room is covered in prayer. We end with prayer for my message, my ministry, our other staff and leadership, for our church here and for the church worldwide.”
Seitz says the weekly experience is also a great opportunity for him to build friendships with the men in the group, a benefit that’s hard to achieve in a large church.
The entire team of prayer partners—about 30 in all—hosts a special Sunday morning breakfast four times a year for all men of the congregation. Seitz teaches on prayer, the men pray in groups, and they learn more about the prayer partners ministry.
