Prayer to support evangelism

Lots of churches talk about evangelism, outreach, etc. blah blah blah, but few actually do much of it. There are lots of reasons for that. But one of the key reasons may be that we're not praying for the Spirit to bear witness to those that do not believe.

One way to put such prayers into practice is to make a simple ritual for it. At your church's altar, prayer station, or other dedicated place for prayer, have a small area with pad and pen, a basket and candles. Then tell people how to use this area : write down the name of someone you care about who is 'missing' from the faith, put that name into the basket, pray for them to have faith in Christ, and then light a candle for them. The prayer circles/chains/ministries of the church will also pray for each of the 'missing' persons in the basket. The candle gives each participant a way to 'act out' their prayer, with the newly-lit candle as a symbol of the light of Christ lighting up the lives of the non-believer. The hope and expectation is that the participants keep praying for the 'missing' person, and maybe even find the courage to use natural opportunities for bearing a more specific witness for Christ.

Another way is to hold specialized prayer meetings. For instance, hold prayer nights for educators, health workers, legal professionals, high school students, or sales staffers. Hold them at appropriate locations other than church grounds, to better build bridges to them. Get the word out about the special night and invite broadly everyone in that field. The purpose is to pray about the needs of that specialized concern; this is no time to lay an evangelistic gospel rap on them or to hand out tracts. But it is a place where people in that specialty can see others eagerly and openly bringing their full Christian faith to bear on their field. And that can be a good living witness. Even if they don't believe, they may want to pray, and they may want the prayers of others. That's a start; the Spirit will use it.