Dear Prayer Coordinator:

It is with great anticipation that I look forward to my visit to your area. I pray that God will use our team effort to expose thousands of people to the gospel! My hope is that many will come to know Christ and eventually become strong disciples as a result of these evangelistic meetings.

In John 4: 38, Jesus told His disciples, "Other have labored and you have entered into their labor." That's how I feel: I will be entering into your labor. I want to be a servant to you, to help you accomplish your personal and ministry objectives, to help you grow in your faith.

Prayer is a most important and vital part of preparing for this Lecture Series. Your movement's emphasis on prayer is a direct reflection of its dependence on God to work through the participants. Everyone may work hard on preparation, but if prayer is lacking, the response will often not be what it could. "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2).

This material has been carefully prepared to help your ministry gain the most from my visit. It includes ideas that have worked well at other locations. As you plan and prepare, please consider these guidelines carefully. You will want to work closely with the Lecture Series Coordinator. If you have additional ideas that will help maximize the impact of this outreach, please be sure to incorporate them.

I am thankful to God for you! Be confident of my love and prayers for you as we labor together in the Lord's harvest. To God be the glory!

Because He lives,



Rusty Wright


Prayer

How to Organize Prayer for Your Outreach


A. Motivation: Benefits of Using These Guidelines

    1. You will be able to help bring about a renewed spiritual emphasis through prayer.

    2. You will be able to initiate a prayer strategy for your ministry, one that can be used in an ongoing
        manner, even after Rusty leaves.

    3. You will know how to serve as a prayer coordinator and receive valuable experience for future
        responsibilities.

    4. You will be able to make adaptations for different groups easily.

    5. You will involve a large number of people in regular, organized prayer.

    6. You will see growth in the lives of those who participate (including yourself!).

    7. You will see God respond to prayer.


B. Overview of Your Materials and Responsibilities

    1. The next several pages contain three main items that are designed to help you accomplish your
        objectives. (Remember: This is your Lecture Series.)

        a. Responsibility description that highlights the main aspects of your job.

        b. An organizational chart to show lines of communication between the believers working on the
            project.

        c. Helpful guidelines with specific details and ideas for doing the best job possible.

            These items contain ideas that have been used with success around the globe. Many have come
            from the ministries of Josh McDowell, Andre' Kole and the Paragon Experience, as well as from
            Rusty's own speaking ministry. We hope they will help you to glorify our Lord though this outreach.

    2. Paul wrote, "Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner" (I Corinthians 14:40).

        a. The Responsibility Description (RD) shows the purpose and scope of your job and lists your main
            responsibilities. It may seem somewhat cold and impersonal at first glance; but remember that its
            purpose is to briefly explain your job. Please understand that we (and, we hope, all involved in this
            ministry) love you and care for you as a person. We merely use this written material as a simple
            and accurate means of communication.

        Most of the RD is self-explanatory. One aspect that is sometimes new to some is the "Authority" line
        under each item. This is a simple way of communicating how you should act on a given task. There
        are three main types of authority for our purposes:

            1) "Act" – This means you can act on the item without checking with your "supervisor" first.

            2) "Act and inform" – This means you can act without checking with your supervisor, but you
                should inform him/her of the action after you have done it.

            3) "Act after approval" – This means you should submit your plan of action to your supervisor and
                wait for his/her approval before acting on that item.

        b. The Organizational Chart shows how those involved relate to and communicate with each other.
            Most of your communication regarding the work of the lecture series should be with the person
            immediately above you or those immediately below you on the chart. This can help keep confusion
            to a minimum.

            1) The chart is not intended to convey positions of superiority or inferiority but simply working
                relationship. Everyone's job is significant. This is a team effort!

            2) Remember that the best leader is a servant. If ever anyone qualified to be the "man at the top" it
                was Jesus. Yet He turned the organizational chart upside down when He said, "Whoever wishes
                to become first among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall
                be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
                His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43-45).

        c. The Guidelines are intended to help you carry out your responsibilities You will want to use them to
            develop a strategy for your area of responsibility that is personalized to your ministry location. Go
            over your strategy with your supervisor to get his or her input and feedback.

        d. You probably will not be able to do your job without helpers. Consult your supervisor and the
            Lecture Series Personnel Coordinator for assistants. Once you have your helpers, consider them as
            teammates. Practice "Growth Delegation": Delegate responsibility not just to get the job done, but
            to help that person grow and develop in their job skills and their walk with God.

        e. Continue to emphasize "Relational Thinking" rather than "Terminal Thinking." Relational Thinking
            considers every activity in light of how it contributes to the overall objective. Terminal Thinking sees
            activities only as ends in themselves.

        f. Our overall objective is to glorify God by reaching people for Christ and building committed
            multiplying disciplers to help reach the world. If you can evaluate everything you do in light of your
            objectives, your motivation and effectiveness will most often increase. Your committee members
            need you to help remind them of this.

        g. Besides your encouragement, several items will help your team members see how they fit into the
            overall team. You should.

            1) A copy of Rusty's letter, so they can see his heart-desire to be a co-laborer with them.

            2) A list of the benefits for their tasks.

            3) A copy of this "Overview of Your Material" (Section B).

            4) A written responsibility description.

            5) A copy of the organizational chart.

            6) A clear statement of your committee's objectives, their individual objectives and how both help
                accomplish the overall objective.

If copies of these are not provided for you, photocopy them. In some cases, you may need to write them yourself, which will be a good learning experience. It is best to assemble the material in some sort of binder cover before you give it to the committee member. This conveys your desire to be sharp and do a good job as well as your concern for them.

Special note on distributing sections of the manual: You may find it best simply to print out sections of the lecture series manual and distribute hard copies to the appropriate workers. Or you may wish to distribute the material in digital form, so each worker can read and use their material on a computer. (There are many sample letters and charts that workers can adapt to their needs, so having digital versions may make their jobs easier.) Please realize, though, that if you divide and distribute the digital manual by “cutting-and-pasting” manual subsections into separate Word files, the page numbers will not appear in the new files and the valuable hyperlink navigation feature of the Table of Contents can be lost. Alternatively, you may find it simplest to give each worker a digital version of the entire manual (it should fit on one diskette, 1.44 MB size), show them the hyperlink navigation feature (explained at the top of the and encourage them to read their own subsection.

    3. In order for you and your co-workers to be really motivated in your work, it is important to have a
        vision for how Rusty can be used on your campus. One of the best ways to do this is to circulate
        copies of his evangelistic articles among your volunteers. The Lecture Series  Coordinator should
        have access to these. Take the initiative to get them and expose your committee members to them,
        perhaps at a committee meeting. Consider it your responsibility to "keep the vision before them."

    4. Be sure that individually and as a group, you bathe everything you do in prayer. A well-organized
        effort without constant dependence upon the Lord can have greatly diminished effectiveness.

    5. A priority for you and everyone involved in this project should be to continue to develop your
        personal relationship with God. Never let activity keep you from seeking the Lord often through
        prayer and Bible study. Our desire is that this be a growing experience for you that you are built up
        (not burned out) through your involvement. Strive mightily to keep this perspective in your personal
        life and to impart it to those with  whom you work.

Prayer Coordinator

Responsibility Description

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Colossians 3:23-24)

"Serve the Lord with gladness." (Psalm 100:2)

I. Purpose: To develop consistent prayer support for Rusty Wright acti-vities

II. Scope: University and surrounding community.

III. Responsibilities:

    A. To set up a prayer chain of Christian students for the Rusty lecture series.

        Authority: Act and inform.

    B. To plan and develop student group activities which will encourage and promote fellowship and group
        prayer.

        Authority: Act after approval.

    C. To recruit prayer support from the local community.

        1. To inform local churches of the need to pray for the activities.

            Authority: Act after approval.

        2. To inform local prayer groups and Bible studies of the need to pray for the activities.

            Authority: Act.

    D. To insure that all committee groups are praying for the activities.

        Authority: Act.

    E. To submit upon completion, a written report and evaluation of your job (see enclosed form). Submit it
        to the Lecture Series Coordinator.


        Authority: Act.

IV. Working Relationships:

    A. Report to Lecture Series Coordinator.

    B. Reporting to you are the committee members you recruit through the Lecture Series Personnel
        Coordinator.

    C. Work closely with all committee chairpersons.

Organizational Chart and Lines of Communication

 

C. Directions: Guidelines for Establishing Prayer for Your Ministry

1. As Prayer Coordinator, your top priority should be your own prayer. You must set the example.

2. Begin to develop a personal vision for what can be accomplished in your ministry as a result of Rusty's
    visit. Be excited about the potential of prayer, considering it a challenge rather than a chore and be
    willing to work responsibly and faithfully in every area of your assignment.

3. Establish an overall goal. For example:

"Our goal is to mobilize and unite all existing prayer resources to pray as much as possible and as specifically as possible for the lecture series and to develop prayer as a way of life."

4. Identify your existing resources. For example:

    a. Local ministry resources, specifically: discipleship groups, Bible study, prayer groups, ministry staff,
        volunteers and students, national and international ministry prayer chains.

    b. Other Christian groups, specifically: city or campus groups such as the Navigators, InterVarsity,
        Baptist Student Union, faculty groups, community groups such as churches, Gideons, prayer groups,
        Bible studies.

    c. Friends and family of students.

    d. Supporters of the ministry.

5. Identify your prayer requests. Make them as specific as you can. In order to identify your prayer
    requests, you will have to set up a system of communication between you, as Prayer Coordinator, and
    each committee head. In order to clarify each prayer request; ask yourself the following questions.

    a. Does it glorify God?

    b. Is it biblical?

    c. Is it specific enough that I can see when it is answered?

    d. Can I believe God for this request?

    e. Will it contribute to the growth of all involved?

    f. Has God provided a promise in Scripture for me to claim concerning my request?

"And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" (I John 5:14-15).

    g. Do we want to influence the most people possible for the Lord?

You need to strike a balance between praying for specific individuals and large numbers. We want individuals to be reached and their lives changed permanently by Jesus. At the same time, we want lots of individuals to be reached. (See Acts 2:41, 4:4 for biblical examples of an interest in large numbers of people.) Ask the LSC and local director the goals they have set for attendance at the meetings. If none such goals have yet been established, prayerfully set goals with them. Make them more than you could do on your own, so you have to trust God. Pray for a maximum impact, but with the right motives – to glorify God, not feed our own pride.

"You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3).

6. After identifying your existing resources and specific prayer requests, establish and design various strategies to mobilize and unite these resources. Orient your prayer strategy toward a system that will promote community encouragement and prayer as a way of life.

D. Directions: Suggestions for Prayer Strategy

1. The Publicity Coordinator will be establishing an “Operation Andrew” strategy to encourage believers to pray for, invite and bring their nonChristian friends to the lecture series. This is one of the most important facets of the entire lecture series. Many nonChristians who attend outreach meetings come because a friend invited or brought them. Work closely with the Publicity Coordinator and Special Promotions Coordinator on “Operation Andrew” and help however you can. The Publicity Coordinator has sample “Operation Andrew” materials and information. Take the initiative to ask him/her about the materials and implementing the plan.

2. Establish a daily or weekly prayer meeting on or near campus. Decide on the best time and meet consistently at that time. Try to involve your whole ministry.

    a. Have someone share a brief five-minute devotional to begin your prayer time.

    b. Allow five minutes for sharing answers to prayer.

    c. Allow approximately 20 minutes for prayer.

    d. The best time might be before a meal hour so that you can all go eat together after you have prayed.

    e. You may want to combine the prayer meeting with an existing meeting-gather one-half hour early.

    f. Share war stories of what God is doing through Rusty on other campuses.

3. Establish a weekly or biweekly prayer list. (See example at the end of this section.)

    a. Obtain prayer requests from each chairperson each week.

    b. Use this list to communicate to your prayer resources.

    c. Be sure to include a section for answers to prayer.

    d. Be sensitive to the Christians involved with you in prayer.

4. Establish an off-campus newsletter-prayer letter. (See example at the end of this section.)

    a. Use this letter to communicate to off-campus groups and individuals.

    b. Be sure to include a section on answers and encouraging "war stories."

    c. Work with the Lecture Series Coordinator in planning how to contact those groups.

    d. Work with the Publicity and Church Coordinators in making your initial presentations to these groups,
        to ensure the groups are not flooded with requests from many different lecture series committees.

5. Plan Prayer Parties.

    a. Plan a "pizza, prayer and poster" party.

    b. Plan parties for fellowship, songs, prayer and advertising work (posters, banners, etc.) Work with
        Publicity Coordinator on this.

6. Send letters or postcards. Have each student who attends Christian meetings bring the name and address of a friend or church. Provide prayer lists, paper, envelopes and stamps. Have each student mail a prayer list and personal letter urging the friend or church to be faithful in prayer for the ministry. Postcards, with prayers requests printed on the back, work as well.

7. Establish a 12-hour prayer chain.

    a. The chain should operate daily from seven days before Rusty arrives until seven days after he leaves.

    b. Divide each 12-hour segment in to 15-, 30- or 60-minute time slots.

    c. Utilize existing prayer partners. If you do not have any, sign people up!

    d. You may want to set up prayer sites on campus with easy accessibility. Or, it may be more
        convenient to allow partners to choose their own  locations. If there is difficulty in partners meeting
        together to pray, they can use the telephone.

    e. Two days before the Lecture Series, you may want to establish a 24-hour prayer chain instead of the
        usual twelve-hour one.

    f. Remind everyone to pray even while they are listening to Rusty's lectures. You may want to recruit
        certain ones to pray during the lectures.

    g. Be sure to continue the prayer after Rusty leaves. Pray for fruitful follow-up and for Rusty as he
        continues to travel. Pray for protection and growth of new believers and for borderline students to
        accept Christ. Pray for many to become disciples.

    h. We encourage you to keep these prayer activities going as a regular part of your ministry. That way,
        you will have continual prayer support for your work. Once you have gone to all the trouble to set the
        apparatus in motion, why dismantle it (though you may cut back some)? Shortly after Rusty  leaves,
        challenge your praying people to continue on even after the prayer chain for Rusty ends. This will help
        you be a  good steward of the prayer resources God has given you.

8. Plan a "Praise Rally" after the results are in.

    a. Suggested time: About a week after Rusty's visit.

    b. It could be either a special meeting or in conjunction with an existing meeting (meet one-half hour
        early).

    c. Perhaps include a time of food and fun.

    d. Share the results of the meetings and allow others to share their follow-up experiences.

    e. Include a time of prayer -- thanking God for the results and praying for continued follow-up.

9. Establish any other method that meets the needs of your prayer resources. Remember, your job is to
    serve as an effective liaison between the student/volunteer workers and their prayer supporters.

10. Be sure to delegate responsibilities. Here are some you can delegate:

    a. Collecting, printing and distributing prayer requests.

    b. Contacting other Christian groups to pray.

    c. Making sure the prayer chain is filled.

    d. Organizing group activities.


Some Prayer Promises to Claim

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord build the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain."

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know."

Matthew 21:22 "And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Sample Prayer Sheet

For Speaker Rusty Wright:
    His health and voice
    That he be Spirit-filled
    His safe and timely arrival
    That he be rested physically and mentally

For the Master of Ceremonies
    That his voice be clear and sharp
    That he be Spirit-filled
    That God give him wisdom and sensitivity as he introduces Rusty

For the students of our campus
    God to cause them to respond to your personal invitations.
    God to cause them to respond to the advertisement.
    God to prepare hearts to receive Rusty’s message.
    Students to be willing to complete comment cards.
    People to be comfortable, yet spoken to by God
    That students attend.

For Yourselves:
    That God give you wisdom on ways to invite your friends
    That you be Spirit-filled
    That God shows you the importance of this and that you move in faith.
    That God would raise up laborers for follow up

For Physical Arrangements Chairperson
    That he be able to get all things set up properly.
    That he be Spirit-filled
    That all equipment work properly.
    That we have enough pencils and comment cards.


Saturday through Friday, (dates), from Noon to 1:00 p.m. will be an hour of prayer. We are asking students to commit themselves to take ten minutes to pray for the needs in one of the above areas. You don’t have to go to a special place. Just pray wherever you can find a quiet place

Take time to pray for these needs in your Bible study groups, with your prayer chain partners and during your quiet times.

There will be a prayer meeting on Thursday (date) at (location) from 7:30 – 8:15 a.m. This will be the last time we as a group can be together to pray about the lecture series. Please be there if you can.

Sample Off-Campus Newsletter

(Include a piece of publicity that tells who Rusty is.)

Date

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We're planning to take advantage of Rusty Wright on February 15, 16 and 17 here at M. U. Rusty will be giving a three-night series on How to Be Successful and Satisfied, The Dating Game, and Dynamic Sex: Unlocking the Secret to Love. Please join us in trusting God for fantastic things to take place during that time.

    1. Pray that (number) people will hear the presentation of the gospel.

    2. Pray that the follow-up of students who make decisions for Christ will be effective.

    3. That Channel 8 news would cover Rusty and thus Christ's claims be aired on television.

    4. That local churches would lend their support through prayer and take advantage of Rusty by bringing
        non- Christians to hear him.

    5. That Christians would help spread the word about Rusty by helping put up blackboard messages in
        their classrooms.

    6. Pray that Christians would write to the local papers encouraging others to go and hear Rusty.

    7. That Christians would be willing to commit time to make and put up posters, banners and signs about
        the campaign.

    8. That God would move people to contribute money to cover the cost of having Rusty on campus.

    9. Pray that we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ.

God has already answered prayer in providing (name) auditorium for the lectures.

Jesus said, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).

Thanks for asking and believing with us!

In Christ,


Date

Prayer Thoughts

In the past few weeks many of us have been so caught up in our daily schedules and preparing for Rusty, that there have been the tendency to forget to spend time with the Lord daily in Bible study and prayer. I thought we should spend some time meditating on God and His attributes before mentioning the prayer requests for this week.

First of all, I Chronicles 29:11-12 -- "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength to all."

God is stronger and more powerful than anything; there is no reason to fear or be disappointed about opposition that we may receive.

James 1: 5-8, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways will receive anything from the Lord."

So, Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Let us in faith and with confidence ask the following:

    1. That God would use ads in the school paper to their fullest extent.

    2. That Christians would by personal invitation ask their friends to go and hear Rusty.

    3. That many would find Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord when Rusty speaks at the other universities in our
        area.

I appreciate you!

In His name,

Prayer Coordinator Checklist

(Work with your Lecture Series Coordinator to plan out "target dates" for each responsibility. Then check them off as you complete them.)

 

Lecture Series Job Report and Evaluation Form

 (Please complete this and give to your supervisor soon after the Lecture Series is over. Your input can be very valuable to your fellow believers and your local ministry.)

Your Name:                                                                     Job Title:

Today's Date:                                                                   Campus:

Description of Your Job

1.  Briefly describe your responsibilities.

Evaluation

2.  What things went well with your job?

3.  What things did not go well?

Recommendations

4.   Any suggestions for improvement?