The Sunday School class leaders were essential to the success of the project. If they passed along the class material that was provided but indicated that the material was
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sub-standard or had been forced upon the class, their negative attitude could affect the entire class. An individual with a negative attitude toward the project can quickly develop a hardened heart and miss any potential benefit of the process. Hardened individuals can poison the environment in a small group. For this project, gaining the trust of the class leaders and proceeding with them as allies is crucial.
For this project, six of the ten class leaders were eager and willing to participate in the process. They enthusiastically embraced the concept and taught the material with passion. Two leaders dutifully participated with no explicit negativity. They participated and faithfully taught the material. One assigned a substitute teacher who readily participated. Only one grudgingly participated with a blatantly negative class.
I should have involved the class leaders more in the planning process for the project. Rather than just tell them that the project was going to happen, they might have engaged more in the process had they seen more concrete plans and material earlier. I should have invited the class leaders to be part of an on-going prayer time together before and during the project.
I was busy preparing the sermons and Sunday School material and overlooked opportunities for church-wide practical projects or activities. If I were going to do the project again, I would recruit a intercessory prayer team to plan and implement projects to increase the participatory aspect of the project.
In retrospect, I did not model prayer well during the project. I focused primarily on teaching the material. We did not do anything special during the worship services or Sunday School classes with respect to evangelistic prayer.
Theological Reflections
I have taught sermon series on prayer before. This series was different in part due to its academic aspects. The project forced me to focus on measurable results rather than just proclaim the Word of God and trust the Holy Spirit to make changes. While true
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life transformation is a function of the Holy Spirit, my preaching must have more intentionality for that transformation.
I do not lead the church alone. I have many leaders who are my partners in leading the church. The Sunday School teachers are key components of that leadership.
This project highlighted the partnership of the class teachers in life transformation of the members of the church.
This project was a success in just doing it. Anytime that we intentionally focus on prayer and evangelism, we will profit. We grew as a church in the process. We grew as leaders through working together. We grew closer to the Lord as individuals, as classes, and as an entire church.
Personal Reflections
Through the process of this project, I grew personally in knowledge gained in research for the material of the project, leadership as I led the church in this endeavor, and in my own relationship with God as I more closely examined and put into practice the discipline of prayer.
This project has renewed within me the commitment to make prayer the central component of this church. We must grow beyond the point of using prayer to open and close meetings and serve its place at the appropriate points in the worship service. We must grow in our dependency on God and our intimacy with him. God has given me the assignment as the leader of this church to lead these people to depend on prayer and grow in prayer.
Leading a church that has never had much of a history of evangelism to be more evangelistic is a difficult task. This project is just one step in that ongoing process. I will continue to seek avenues to lead the church to be more evangelistic
God has blessed me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. He has given me the opportunity to lead an incredible church. He has provided me with a
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wonderful family. He has graced me with an exceptional wife. But most of all, he has revealed himself to me and allowed me, a sinner, to represent him to a lost world around me.
I would like to repeat this effort in two or three years. I intent to update the material and incorporate lessons learned in this process in order to continue the
movement of this church to a more prayer-driven church and a more outreach-oriented church.
Conclusion
Over a period of three months, I led Oakland Baptist Church through a coordinated series of sermons and Sunday School lessons about prayer. The lessons provided a theological background of prayer but moved to a focus of evangelistic prayer.
True prayer is transformational. The person who prays is transformed through a direct encounter with God and the world is transformed through the action of God responding to prayer.
The project was of great value to me in that I grew in my prayer life and evangelistic activity through the project. The people of the church grew in the area of evangelistic prayer and by extension, the kingdom of God profited.
93 APPENDIX 1
PRE- AND POST- PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE