The pastor who preceded me at Arcade served the church 40 years. Bringing change to this congregation would be either a supernatural work of God or professional suicide.

My first sermon at Arcade stressed the importance of learning to pray in community. Our priority, I said, was to become a house of prayer. Most people are prone to become complacent; instilling a desire to seek after God was essential to revitalizing Arcade for a new level of impact. And that desire had to ignite in the lives of individuals if the church as a whole was to be transformed.

I announced we were looking for people who seriously wanted to pray for the church. I didn't know them well enough yet to select leaders for a ministry, so I sought out people who were already passionate about prayer. A handful volunteered. Along with the current prayer leaders, they formed a core that would lead a prayer renewal.

I trained these leaders in four areas.

1. The personal attributes of a prayer leader. Building the hearts of prayer ...