Prayer Ministry Process:

We ask you to minister in teams of two. Be sensitive when praying for someone of the opposite gender. It is wise to have a woman present with you when praying for a woman, and a man when praying for men. 

  1. Interview: Briefly interview the person requesting prayer. Be attentive and gentle as you talk to the person. You may ask questions like:
  • What is your name? 
  • What would you like prayer for?
  • Ask if they have given their life to the Lord Jesus Christ before proceeding forward. Don’t assume that everyone who comes forward is already a believer. 
  • Do you know what the cause is?
  • Do you know what was happening in your life when this started, even if it seems unrelated?
  • If the person came up in response to a specific call, refer to the specific altar call and ask if their was anything from that specific call, that they would like prayer for.
  • In some cases, you must simply rely on the leading of Holy Spirit.
  1. Assess what type of Prayer or Ministry is needed.
  • If you aren’t sure, it is always wisdom to pause, and ask the Holy Spirit to come and lead you, and thank the Lord Jesus for whatever He does.
    • Not everyone who comes forward will be forthcoming with all the details. Some people may be dealing with abusive situations, mental health issues, or other circumstances, and they may not feel comfortable sharing more openly. As the prayer minister, you are simply ministering as led by the Lord. But this is why it is important not to assume and stay within the simple direction from the Lord.
  • Types of responses:
    • Is a prayer for healing what is needed? This may sound like:
      • Father we ask in Jesus name, that you restore sight to this eye.
      • Holy Spirit come and touch this person…
    • Is a command the best response, to address a specific condition. This may look like:
      • In the name of Jesus, I command this tumor to dissolve.
      • In the name of Jesus, I command afflicting spirits to leave.
    • Is leading the person through repentance, what is needed?
      • Lead the person to bring the issue to the light, and repentance.
    • Is leading the person through forgiveness, what is needed?
    • Be led by the Holy Spirit.
  1. Before you end the ministry time, Pause and Re-interview
  • Ask the person what they are experiencing? Do they feel free, or do they still feel any blockages? 
  • Ask the person if he senses the Holy Spirit is still touching him/her. Encourage them to remain in the altar to receive for as long as they feel God is still at work. Feel free to continue to pray for them silently, or move on to pray for others. Though you may want to explain what you are doing, so the individual is not confused.
  • Assessing Blockages:
    • Is the person willing? You cannot push a person, they must be willing to surrender this area to the Lord.
    • Consider whether a wrong spirit may be present that needs cast out?
    • Is their any area of unforgiveness that may be preventing the individual from receiving?
      • Lead the person, “I choose to forgive (insert name) for (insert details).”
      • Does the person need to forgive themselves?
    • Is the person who is requesting prayer, in need of emotional healing from hurts and wounds. Allow God’s love and truth to minister to this person.
    • Ask the Holy Spirit for His leading, and expect to receive it.
    • If the person you are ministering to continues to experience blockages, don’t cause the person to experience guilt for this. You may encourage them to remain in a posture of rest and receiving from the Lord. The Holy Spirit is not in a rush, and will lead the individual in freedom. We are believing the Lord is good and gentle in how He leads His children and will finish the work He started in them.
  1. Consider if you should provide any post prayer suggestions.
    Examples of this:
    • If the person was repenting or being set free from occultic influences. You may encourage the person to consider purging their home of occultic material, books, music that opens doors, etc.
    • If the person struggled with forgiveness, you may encourage them to continue to declare, ‘I choose to forgive (insert name), whenever the issue comes up in their heart. Forgiveness often comes in layers.
    • If the person had an addiction, such as to alcohol, drugs or a sexual addiction. You can encourage them to pursue accountability and make some lifestyle decisions to help them put up boundaries. There are often root issues underneath the addiction behavior that makes it worthwhile to consider seeing a professional counselor so they understand their triggers.
    • You can encourage the person to pursue a personal inner healing process, such as Restoring the Foundations or meeting with the Freedom group at Newport, etc.

General Expectations:
Be careful in your prayer ministry to stay in the arena of: encouragement, strengthening and building up. We recommend that any directional and correctional words be brought with extra accountability, so that the word can be judged and processed in a healthy way. Recognize that by partnering in a Newport prayer ministry team, we are committing to relational process where we grow and learn together.

When ministering prophetically or with words of knowledge, frame your message from the perspective of the heart of God for that person, being careful not to proclaim what the enemy wants to do. Words that expose the plan of the enemy may inadvertantly produce fear, not faith. If you feel led to share something that might be easily misunderstood, seek input from leadership.