Prayer walkers see walls come tumbling down

Posted: 4/28/06

Prayer walkers see walls come tumbling down

By George Henson

Staff Writer

AMARILLO—Neal Hughes feels certain about two things: Churches need to be started in multihousing environments, and doing so begins with prayer.

Hughes, the Southern Baptist national missionary for multihousing church planting, should know. As pastor of Hope Community Church in Montgomery, Ala., his congregation started 53 churches in apartment complexes. Since beginning work with the North American Mission Board, he has led in starting 88 churches in the trailer park communities that sprang up following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The congregations were started with the “Jericho Prayer Walk” for indigenous church planting. Just as the Old Testament reported the walls of Jericho tumbled after seven circuits of the city, Hughes said, seven weeks of prayer breaks down barriers to starting a church.

Hughes spoke during a church-planting conference sponsored by the multihousing outreach office of Amarillo Area Baptist Association.

Churches interested in multihousing ministry at a particular property should talk with management and assure them no one will knock on doors or disturb the residents, he said.

The first week of the process, volunteers walk the property, “praying the resurrected Christ through the locked doors,” and minister to the people who initiate conversations, Hughes said.

Any number of people can prayer walk the property, he said, but they should do it in groups of no more than two. The prayer should be conducted with the ultimate end in mind—an opportunity to see the Great Commission fulfilled in the lives of the people who live there.

Prayer walkers should avoid calling unnecessary attention to themselves, he advised.

The second week, volunteers arrive at the same time, and repeat the process. Hughes said most residents don’t expect people from the church to return. When they do, respect begins to build, and opportunities to pray with people individually will increase.

The third week marks a crucial point in the process—the arrival of a “person of peace,” he said.

The person of peace is the person God has placed in that particular setting to facilitate the ministry, he explained.

He told the story of a dramatic appearance of a person of peace during preparations to start a discipling group at an apartment complex when he still was a pastor in Alabama.

The second week of prayer walking, as his group approached the apartment complex, they heard a commotion. When they arrived, they saw a man and woman arguing loudly and profanely—and both were brandishing guns. Hughes recalled stepping between the pair—almost against his will—and he told them to go into their apartments and calm down. For some reason, they did.

When the volunteers returned the next week for their third week of prayer walking, the man met Hughes as he entered the property and told him to come with him. When they rounded a corner, a group of about 20 rough-looking men awaited them.

“We want you to pray,” the man told Hughes.

“I’m way ahead of you,” he replied.

He learned the man was known as Dirty Dog. Dirty Dog was by no means a Christian then, but by giving his approval, he became the man of peace for that apartment complex. Now, years later, Dirty Dog is a Christian and a leader in a Bible study group.

The fourth week is a continuation of prayer, “but begin to talk with the people of peace about what God is saying to your heart regarding their community,” he said. “Welcome any feedback, as well as their desire to be a part of this new work. Ask them to become your prayer partners.”

The fifth week marks another critical point, because some in the group will begin to think there has been enough praying and it’s time to move on to something different. Hughes counsels the opposite.

“As you pray, walk a little slower, and stay a little longer. God is seeding into the community not only their need for Christ, but also the church being birthed in their backyard. Become more public with your intentions.”

Weeks six and seven, continue prayer walking, but also have fliers with dates announcing a kick-off rally, he urged.

“During the prayer walk, ask the community to follow you back and join your team for prayer at the place you intend to start the new church. Almost always by the seventh week, a cluster of people you have been praying with would have committed their hearts to Christ and are ready for the new church to start,” Hughes said.

The last week before the church starts, hold a block party or kickoff rally with face painting, recreation for children, food and fun events, he suggested.

It is best if other volunteers can operate the block party so that the people who have been ministering among residents can continue to do so.

The ninth week, begin discipling groups for men, women and children, he said.

In the weeks to come, hand over responsibilities to leaders in the group, Hughes said. Start by modeling the way to do things, and gradually move into an assistant’s role, helping indigenous leaders as necessary.

Later, try to observe more than lead, and then leave the church to the people who live in the community, he added.

Target 18 months as the time for the people in the community to have full rein, Hughes said. While the volunteers who started the church are no longer there for services regularly, they still should continue to mentor leaders.

And since Hughes has seen the process work more than 140 times, he is sure it will work, and new congregations can be successfully started this way.