THE VISION

The TRANSFORMATION prayer initiative was set up in response to a challenging vision for prayer; a vision of transformation for ourselves, our churches and our communities. Transformation happens as Christians come together in unity to pray for Jesus to be glorified in their own lives, in their churches and in the communities that they serve. There are some important ideas at the heart of our vision:

UNITY

Praying together reflects the underlying unity of the body of Christ. We don’t want to dismantle all the distinctives that mark our individual congregational character but we do have a vision to unite around some core agreements like our need of TRANSFORMATION for instance.

DEPENDENCE

Praying implies that we are completely dependent on God. Spiritual blessing won’t come from great resources, smart programmes or clever people but from God pouring out his Holy Spirit in response to the intercessions of His people. We want our united prayer to be characterised by a humble dependence on God.

TRUST AND RESPECT

Coming together in united prayer means being open with each other and that implies vulnerability. We aren’t suggesting that we confess our sins to each other (although it’s not such a wild idea) but that we are honest about our needs, challenges, weaknesses and sorrows. And we respect each other’s characteristics and ministries because we recognise that Christ has dies for us and distributed his gifts according to his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So if you’ve got a sense of need and a heart for unity join us in TRANSFORMATION prayer. As God stirs us up to join our prayers together beyond the horizons and limitations of any one church we will pray with kingdom inspired hope for ourselves, our churches and our communities. I’ve been hearing this word a lot recently, "transformation." Christians are increasingly coming alive to the need for transformation and the limitless possibilities that are ours when we turn to God in prayer.

We set up our TRANSFORMATION initiative in response to a challenging vision for prayer; a vision for transformation for us, our churches and our communities. Transformation happens as Christians come together in unity to pray for Jesus to be glorified.

As God stirs us up to join our prayers together beyond the horizons and limitations of any one church we begin to pray with kingdom-inspired hope for ourselves, our churches and our communities.

There are two important ideas in this that lie at the heart of our transformation vision. The first is unity. Praying together reflects the underlying unity of the body of Christ. Different churches and denominational distinctives make us feel comfortable but are quite foreign to the New Testament idea of church. Serving together and working together begins with praying together and that will lead to mutual respect and deepening love. But the second idea is humility. Praying implies that we are completely dependent on God for what we need. It doesn’t come down to great resources, smart programmes or clever people; it’s God pouring out his Holy Spirit in response to the prayers of people who depend entirely on him. If you’ve got a sense of need and a heart for unity join us in TRANSFORMATION prayer.

CORE PRINCIPLES OF TRANSFORMATION

  • God wants to be invited into our communities.
  • He is drawn to holiness and humility.
  • Our individual obedience will come before corporate revival
  • God approves of biblical unity
  • Prayer releases the purpose that God has for us
  • God’s work will differ from one place to another
  • God uses leaders who submit to him and serve each other

WE WANT TO BE

  • Holy and Godly; pure in thought, speech and action
  • Christlike; reflecting the character and values of Jesus in our lives
  • Loving; valuing and serving each other
  • Visionary; seeing by faith the possibilities that are in Christ
  • Energetic; investing time and effort in the kingdom of God

OUR CHURCHES SHOULD BE

  • Places where kingdom values are promoted and celebrated
  • Inclusive of people from different cultures, races and backgrounds
  • Welcoming to those who are, as yet, outside the kingdom
  • Led by the Holy Spirit and open to new things
  • Respectful of other Christians, churches and traditions
  • Generous; using our resources to bless others

OUR COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE

  • Places where divine fire has not just been summoned, but has fallen
  • Societies whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God.
  • Places where natural change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power
  • People whose culture has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God.
  • Places where Kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations.

NEXT: THE STORY