Yes! Prayer is absolutely essential to effective evangelism. We cannot hope to share Christ effectively without earnest intercession. Satan is ready to cast his hellish shadow around every person seeking to know God, but prayer opens the way for God to push back the devil.
There are times when prayer is our only way of reaching people, for other doors for evangelism may be closed by persecution, government rules, or other situations. In these cases, prayer is a mighty weapon that God has given us to use against the kingdom of darkness.
“Prayer is a necessity in our labor for the salvation of souls. God alone can give the increase of the seed we sow” (Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 528).
“Only the work accomplished with much prayer, and sanctified by the merit of Christ, will in the end prove to have been efficient for good” (Desire of Ages, p. 362).
Prayer As Evangelism Resources
What If the World is Your Parish? - A thought-provoking story that will open your mind to new thoughts about prayer's role in evangelism.
Prayer as Evangelism - These Scriptures, Ellen White quotes, and thoughts on the work of Holy Spirit reveal that prayer is truly a form of evangelism.
How to Integrate Intercessory Prayer into Your Evangelistic Campaign - These practical guidelines will show you to make prayer the foundation of your evangelistic campaign so that God can bless abundantly.
The Function of Prayer in Evangelism - A PowerPoint presentation that showcases the need for prayer in evangelism and explains the All-Night Prayer meeting.
Prayer Walking People to Jesus - A detailed plan for prayer outreach initially developed for use in one of the most secular cities in the world.
Evangelistic Prayer Ministries
Can prayer really be an outreach ministry? Absolutely.
1. Prayer Walking: Have a prayer walk for your community. As you walk, pray for residents, community leaders, children, etc.
2. Outreach Prayer Group: Establish a group that commits to praying regularly for those who have expressed an interest in the church. Pray for community members, Bible study contacts, visitors, outreach contacts, etc.
3. Drive-through Prayer: Invite people to stop for prayer as they pass your church. Post signs and have prayer warriors available to pray for anyone who stops. This is especially effective if it is combined with a service ministry like a weekly food distribution.
4. Prayer Breakfast: Host a prayer breakfast for the leadership in your town. Use it as a time to pray for the leaders of your town, develop friendships with them, and find ways that you can serve your town more effectively. Plan ahead and make it a really special event.
5. Online Prayer Requests: Set up a space on your church website where people can submit their prayer requests for your prayer team to pray over. Then make sure that the prayer requests are prayed for faithfully.
6. Prayer Canvassing: Go door to door in the community around your church, getting to know people and offering to pray with/for them. Make sure to write down people’s prayer requests and then check back with them in a couple of weeks. This can be an excellent way to build friendships with people and connect with your praying church family. This suggested script and ideas for follow-up are helpful. If people are not home, pray for the occupants of the home and leave these cards and a small tract on people's doors.
7. Social Media Prayer Outreach: Advertise on social media in your local area with your church’s offer to pray for people and their needs. Pray consistently for prayer requests you receive. You can also reach out to those who request prayer and begin to build friendships with them. Central California Conference has been experimenting with this type of outreach in some of their churches. Learn more here: https://www.adventistfaith.com/media/recorder/when-prayer-meets-technology