Short Creek’s Altar Workers’ Training / Directions
September 22, 2024
We have a somewhat unusual church where some of our most trusted and dedicated Leaders, Board members, and Elders are in their 20s. I’m confident that the Lord’s Vision for Short Creek is to raise up these young Ministry Gifts by teaching, training, equipping, and sending them. And we are witnessing just that. Multiple times a month, we send groups out to minister at Teen Challenge, Lovelady, Eagles Wings, ROSS Recovery, Genesis Missions, other churches, other revivals, events, and crusades.
Your natural age doesn’t always reflect your spiritual maturity; how you live your life does.
1 Timothy 4:11-13 (NASB) Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching.
Calling, Gifting, Endurance, Character Development, and Anointing
Romans 11:29 (NASB) for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
We are all called by the Lord for a purpose in the Kingdom of God. Much like an athlete, this purpose is realized as we grow “In Christ!” With our calling (purpose), the Lord gives us gifts that empower us to carry out our purpose.
The Elders and Five-Fold Ministry Gifts of the local church help develop our calling and grow in our gifts. This requires endurance and embracing the process of growth. This is where correction happens; if we aren’t correctable, we will never grow in any area of life.
1 Timothy 4:14 (NASB) Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.
Compromise Isn’t Unity
Being in leadership at any church requires embracing and getting on board with the apostolic vision of the church.
We are a church that fully embraces all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s Fivefold Ministry Gifts. We don’t just preach about healing; we practice healing by praying for the sick. Our Spiritual Warfare sermons aren’t vague renderings of a Roman soldier’s armor; we go deep into understanding the strategies of the realm of darkness.
We speak specifically about how demons gain their influence over the lives of those who come into agreement with them. We don’t just talk about demons; we cast them out.
We are also a church that believes Christ is the head of the man and the man the head of his wife. We acknowledge, encourage, appoint, and send women out for ministry. But we stand on the Truth of God’s Word as it pertains to a woman not having authority over a man.
Mark 16:15-18 (NASB) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
- The Great Commission encompasses preaching, baptizing, making disciples, casting out demons, divine healing, the Gift of Tongues, and divine protection.
We have so many sermons on the Gifts of the Spirit and not many of the Fruit of the Spirit. If the Fruit of the Spirit isn’t easily and consistently seen in a believer’s life, any Gifts they think they are displaying probably aren’t from the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Does your life consistently demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit? The Fruit of the Spirit is what shows maturity, “In Christ!”
We Have Three Types of Christians
- Babes in Christ –
- These are new converts who have been saved for less than a few years.
- Some folks mature quicker than others. The rate at which you mature could be based on what God has purposed you to do, but most likely, it is based on your willingness to be consistent with your spiritual disciplines and your response to godly correction.
- Carnal Christians –
- These are folks who should be much further along than they are. But they refuse to let go of worldly things and ideas. They have little to no self-discipline. They are constantly offended; they are on fire one day and quitting the next. They gossip, complain, and can’t be trusted.
- Mature Christians –
- 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NASB) Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
At Short Creek, we have four groups.
- Elders – the local church is governed by the Elders. I am one of several Elders.
- Board Members – oversee the nonprofit side of church matters.
- The Elders and Board Members make up what we refer to as the Pastor’s Inner Council.
- Leaders – People assigned by the pastor to lead particular groups.
- Lay Folk – Members and non-members who consistently attend the church.
Board Members
- President – Ron Green, and Marilyn
- Secretary – Emily Barnes, and Maliq
- Treasurer – Barbara Moreland
- Board Member – Jadd Buchannon
- Board Member – Joshua Smith, and Abby
- Board Member – Danny Bearden, and Cynthia
- Board Member – Allen Carlisle, and Candi
Elders
- Virginia Parr
- Pat Green
- Chris and Debbie Shoemaker
- Brandon and Dana Free
- Maurice Davis
Deacons
- Chris Shoemaker
- Tammy Hope
- Virginia Parr
Evangelist
- Ashley Barnes
- Josh Smith
- Maurice Davis
Teachers
- Dana Free
- Virginia Parr
- Barbara Moreland
- Jacob Hicks
- Ken Felder
- Maliq Barnes
- Emily Barnes
What We Look For When Appointing Elders and Board Members
- Spiritual Maturity.
- Biblical Structure in their Home.
- They must fully embrace the apostolic vision of the church.
- That they consistently support the church with their tithes and offerings.
- Willing to serve in whatever capacity.
- Not gossipers or slanderers.
- Home Stability.
- Good stewards with their finances.
- Good reputation in the community.
- Faithful church attendance.
- Willing to have conversations about disagreements.
- Able to teach, self-controlled, gentle, and hospitable.
Leaders
- Senior Pastors – Ron and Marilyn Green
- Associate Pastors – Josh and Abby Smith
- Youth Pastors – Maliq and Emily Barnes
- Admin Pastors – Maliq and Emily Barnes
- Worship Leaders – Abby Smith and Racheal Green
- Adult Teachers – Dana Free
- Marriage Group Leaders – Chris and Debbie Shoemaker
- Young Adult Leaders – Josh and Abby Smith
- Children’s Ministry – Barbara Moreland and Jacob Hicks
- Nursery – Candi Carlisle
- Men’s – James Dearry and John Green
- Women’s – Cynthia Bearden, Ashley Barnes, and Kelly Dearry
- Addiction Services – Pastor Ron and Reese Davis
- Media – Madison Sanford
James 5:13-16 (NASB) Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.
Are You Ready For REAL Altar Ministry?
- Do you proficiently know how to lead someone to Christ?
- Do you proficiently know how to pray for the sick?
- Do you proficiently know how to lead someone in deliverance?
- Do you proficiently know how to share prophetic words?
- Do you proficiently know how to ask questions to determine a demon’s legal right to influence a person?
- Do you proficiently and biblically know how to lead someone in forgiveness?
- Are you skeptical of deliverances and healings?
- Only those who can answer yes to all these should lead someone in prayer at the altar.
You are qualified to be an altar worker if:
- You have a passion for God and the people he has created
- You recognize that Jesus is the solution to man’s problems
- You are “born again”
- You are filled with the Spirit
- Able to pray for a variety of needs
- Spiritually Mature
- They consistently Tithe and Give in Offerings.
- They embrace the Mule Work at the Church.
- They have a Daily Devotional Life that includes prayer, fasting, and studying.
- They aren’t addicted to and feel entitled to the pulpit.
- They are happy serving with no attention to themselves.
- Their church attendance and participation are consistent – at least once a week.
- They aren’t gossips.
- They know how to handle confrontation wisely.
- They aren’t easily discouraged.
- They support church leadership.
- They refuse to walk in offense.
- They know the Word.
- Not superficially, but deeply. They don’t speak generically of stories; they know chapter, verse, and detail. The memorized words of Scripture fall regularly from their lips.
- Prayer is in their DNA.
- It’s usually easy to recognize when people are praying just because it’s what to do. The most spiritual people I know pray for a different reason: They just love the Lord and want to communicate with him.
- Their prayers are honest and trusting conversations with the Father.
- They’re unafraid to show their heart to God because they know how much he loves them. There’s nothing routine or fake about their praying.
- They don’t have to work at evangelism; it just happens.
- Somehow, they can easily move a conversation to the gospel—and others just listen to them. They almost seem to attract people who are seeking.
- Humility oozes from them.
- They’d deny that, of course, because deeply spiritual people are close enough to God that they see their sinfulness in a greater light. In humility, they serve others regardless of their positions of leadership.
- They guard their lips.
- In most cases, I’ve never heard them mouth an off-color word. I’ve also never had reason to doubt the integrity of their words. Their “yes” is a “yes,” and their “no” is a “no” (Matt. 5:37).
- They genuinely grieve their sin.
- I said this to Josh Smith Wednesday Night. Sin crushes mature Christians.
- Valleys and troubles don’t shake their faith.
- They wouldn’t dream of turning away from God when he allows pain in their lives. Rather, they stand strong even when anguish drives them to their knees.
- Non-believers respect them.
- They so truly live out their faith that even those who strongly disagree with them give them honor. Somehow, non-believers are willing to listen to them when they wouldn’t listen to any other believer.
- Nobody in their family questions their walk with the Lord.
- That is, those who know them best and see them at their worst still validate their faith. Spiritually mature believers live out the good works for which they’ve been equipped (2 Tim. 3:17).
- Their faith is almost childlike.
- It’s fascinating, actually. They’re the most mature believers I know, yet they speak of Jesus with the wonder and joy of a child. Their trust in him is unshakeable.
- Their lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).
- Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. It’s all there.
What is God’s Will?
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. – 1 John 5:14-15
Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. – Matthew 18:14
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. – Mark 16:15-18, 20
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord – Ephesians 5:17-19
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24
As believers, our part of “go into all the world” may include:
- Touching the lives of those coming forward with the love of Christ
- Assisting them in making a decision for Christ
- Answering questions
- Sharing the importance of Bible reading, daily prayer, and church attendance
- Instructing that by sharing their faith they will be strengthened
- Filling out our decision form and giving out material as appropriate
- Follow-up
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. – 1 Corinthians 14:33
Altar Etiquette:
- Some folks go to the altar just to worship.
- Laying face down in the altar consumes a lot of real estate.
- Elders are to take the lead in prayer. Lay folks should help pray from the back.
- If you feel you have a Prophetic Word for the person, run that Word by the Elder leading the prayer.
- If married, only pray with your spouse. However, if your spouse is not in service with you, you should be available to be paired up with another prayer worker of the same sex.
- If single, only pray with a person of the same sex.
- Anoint with oil according to James 5:14.
- Be Careful with Anointing Oil—Please don’t use the same hand to anoint people’s clothing. This could leave a spot that is impossible to clean. Use one hand for anointing and the other to place on their shoulder. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit; you don’t need a handful for the prayer to be effective.
- Use discretion in “laying on of hands” with the opposite sex.
- Keep It Short—Pray fervently but briefly. Please remember to stick to the actual prayer request. Jesus spoke, and people were healed, and Scripture says that the same power lives in us!
- Signal for help if you are dealing with a difficult personality/situation (unruly person, demon possession, major distraction, etc.…).
- Don’t use this as a counseling appointment. Encourage the person to contact the church office if they feel they need counseling.
- I see this a lot – this is not a time to have a full-on conversation about what’s going on in a person’s life.
ADDITIONAL Tips
Many paths to healing:
- Deliverance (authority of the believer) In Jesus’ name, bind Satan, the spirit of infirmity, and specific diseases by name
- Laying on of hands
- Anointing with oil
- Prayer of faith
- Speak to the “mountain” (Jesus cursed the fig tree and it obeyed)
- Speak strength to the immune system
- Other things as the Holy Spirit leads you
Encourage faith for victory. God is Spirit and He heals us in our soul first (mind, will, and emotions) and then healing is manifested in our bodies. Sometimes healing will not be evident immediately. Many reported receiving healing days and even weeks after being prayed for. Encourage the individual to continue in faith. Remember that God is sovereign and all things come to pass in His time.
Practical Helps & Policy
- Honor the leadership(Pastor or Evangelist) of the meeting. Dress moderately and come with good breath (mints are good to have). If you have small children with you, arrange for someone to supervise them.
- Keep self (flesh)out of it; do not bring attention to yourself. Direct their focus to Jesus for salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, deliverance, healing, etc. Remember that we are humble vessels of the Lord, in partnership with Him.
- Can you lead someone to Salvation?
- Do you know the scriptures to which to point them?
- Do you know how to pray for the sick?
- Can you lead someone in Deliverance?
- Be ready to minister. This means come prayed up. Prayer is the highest priority of preparation in Altar ministry. Pre-service prayer cannot be optional but must be a priority if we intend to minister under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- Be prepared to share scripture(Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10) and lead them to Christ (be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading). Offer opportunities for baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, or other prayer needs.
- The team must have only one person praying out loud directly in front of the individual. This may be the evangelist, pastor, or yourself. Do this so the individual may focus on the prayer of the leader and avoid confusion. The function of the prayer leader may alternate from one person to another in an orderly fashion as led of the Holy Spirit. Others in the altar team should intercede silently (rule of thumb: men with men and women with women).
- Be prepared to help those who fall under the power of the Holy Spirit (slain in the Spirit) to the floor. Cover the legs of ladies wearing skirts or shorts (use judgment concerning other areas). Be ready to assist individuals back to their feet when they get up. Be aware that in some cases, people fall on their own without it being the Holy Spirit. Obviously, this can lead to injury, so it is important to assist (catch) them.
- Those who fall under the power of the Holy Spirit should not be disturbed while on the floor. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister at this time. He put them there for a purpose. Please honor Him with this request!
- Compassion, not sympathy: Jesus was compassionate and proved this with His actions. We are to do the same. Dwell on the solution, not the problem. Jesus showed great compassion but never sympathy (sympathy feeds the flesh).
- Build Faith: Quote victory scriptures and encourage as the Holy Spirit leads you. After Jesus healed someone we see that many times he would say, “go in peace, your faith has made you whole”. Remind the individual that Jesus is still in the healing business and it is His will they receive; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Matthew 8:2-3)
- Challenge: Remember to start with “Are you born again?” “If you died right now, are you completely confident you will go to heaven?” Many times people may respond and come to the altar for one thing, but the Holy Spirit had drawn them for salvation.
- Forgiveness: Ask if they need to forgive anyone, if so lead them in prayer to do this. Now (Matthew 5:23-24; 6:14-15; 11:25, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11)
- Are you comfortable praying in tongues over someone?
Personal Etiquette:
- Be prepared – Come “prayed up” in advance and full of the Holy Spirit. (Come with expectation that God will heal) It’s critical to be prayed up as you come into service each week. God’s desire is to work through you in great ways as you pray over people’s needs and believe for miracles.
- Be ready – Come forward quickly when the invitation is given (Sit close to the front).
- Be modest – Dress appropriately. (Don’t want anything to distract from what God is doing)
- Be friendly – Put on a smile and put people at ease. (People are coming down with very serious needs and need confidence and reassurance)
- Be attentive – Listen carefully to the individual’s/couple’s need.
- Be encouraging – Pray a prayer of faith and agreement. (Core Value #7, we want people to leave church encouraged)
Altar Workers:
- Do not dwell on what may appear to be defeat
- Trust Jesus (He is sovereign, and we march under His banner of victory)
- Our responsibility is to go (it’s the Holy Spirit that confirms the Word with signs following)
- Remember the follow-up (be sure to fill out the decision form and give out material as appropriate)
Parting Thoughts:
* Sozo is the Greek word that scripture uses to reveal that Jesus’ work on the cross includes salvation from sins, healing, and deliverance.
* Sozo (sode’-zo); from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, “safe”); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively)
* Below are a few examples from just the book of Matthew: Usage: To save – 93 times, to make whole – 9 times, to be whole – 3 times. Matthew 1:21; 8:25; 9:21, 22; 10:22; 14:30; 16:25; 18:11; 19:25; 24:13, 22; 27:40, 42, 49
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts… – Be open to the Holy Spirit to be used in the Gifts of the Spirit.
John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Matt 18:19-20 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
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