Ideas For Evangelism - Way of Life Literature

factor, the absence of dynamic corporate prayerministries was the contrasting element compared tothese 576 evangelistic churches. More specifically, Icould not find one declining church that had anongoing prayer ministry specifically for the lost.Perhaps these dying churches have not becausethey ask not” (Rainer, Effective EvangelisticChurches, p. 77).In my Bible conference ministry I have preached in over550 churches, and I have observed that churches that hostspecial prayer times, such as a men’s prayer meetingbefore the services and cottage prayer meetings in theweeks before a conference, have more evidence of God’spower.The following occurred at Pelham Baptist Church, inSouth Carolina, which was pastored by Harold B.Sightler from 1942 until 1952. Dr. Sightler later pastoredTabernacle Baptist Church of Greenville, South Carolina,for 42 years until his death in 1995.“In 1946 only three people were baptized at Pelham,and so in early 1947 a week of prayer meetingswere held at night at the church, prayer only, forrevival and salvation of souls, with no preaching orsinging. People began to get saved, and the churchgrew. It was during these meetings that my dadtestified that he was filled with the Holy Ghost. Theprayer meetings continued, and by 1949 were beingheld on Sunday nights after church in a pasturebelonging to Thomas Leonard, located about 200yards north of the intersection of what is nowWestmoreland Road and Abner Creek Road. Theseoften drew a hundred people and sometimes lasteduntil one o'clock in the morning. A rock altar was builtaround a tree. According to Thomas Leonard eachrepresented a person being prayed for byname” (James Sightler, “Observations on Dr. HaroldB. Sightler’s Early Ministry and the Heritage ofTabernacle Baptist Church,” http://tabernacleministries.org/Church/ history.php4)