Today we are going to be addressing the issue of prayer in relationship to a healthy church. Last episode we said that preaching the Word was one of the foundational pillars of the church in Acts 2. Another of those foundational pillars is prayer. In Acts chapter six, pastors and elders are encouraged to focus on prayer and the Word in their ministries. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5 to “pray without ceasing.” In Ephesians 6, the armor of God is put on with the covering of “all prayer and supplication.” I could go on and on. Prayer is essential for church health. Unfortunately, there is no ministry of the church in America, no spiritual discipline in the life of the believer that is more difficult to sustain and grow than the prayer. Is it any wonder that so many churches in America are declining. But I believe there is a way forward for us as churches in this critical area of prayer. I believe we can, in fact, see the temperature of prayer raised in our churches. On this episode, I have asked Pastor Dana Olson, pastor of a multi-campus Converge church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to join us. Dana, not only has been pastor for many years, he has been a major voice in our movement regarding the issues of prayer.

• Give us the 2 minute Dana Olson story.
• “The church that prays together stays together”. How are we doing?
• Why do you think it’s so hard to pray?
• You’ve coined the term “Healthy Desperation” as it relates to prayer. Tell us what you mean by that term?
• Can you share a brief personal story of how you’ve seen a church pray with that kind of healthy desperation?
• You often talk about “raising the temperature of prayer” in our churches (another phrase I stole). What are two or three ways we can raise the temp?