A lack of unity on church boards, committees, or ministry teams limits effectiveness. To be sure, as a group of diverse people come together, disagreements will surface. Those differences will either divide us or make us better, depending on how much our old human nature drives us. Certainly that should make praying for unity an absolute necessity and priority. We need God’s power to experience true unity on our boards and committees.
Jesus Prayed for Our Unity
In John 17 we read of Jesus praying for His disciples. He prayed for their protection but also their unity.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (Jn. 17:20-23)
If Jesus found it important to pray for our unity, certainly praying for oneness on our church boards, committees, and ministry teams should also take priority.
Praying for Unity on Church Boards, Committees, or Ministry Teams
Learn from the following factors in Jesus’ prayer:
- Jesus wants our unity to be patterned after that of the Trinity. Each person of the Godhead has distinct roles, or different parts to contribute, but all work toward the same purpose with the same heart. This would suggest that the unity we pray for isn’t that we lay aside our differences, but that we use our differences in ways that contribute to the big picture.
- Our oneness, or relationship, with Christ is the starting point. Without this foundation, we have no real basis for unity. He must be our Source of unity, not just the pattern for oneness. This would suggest that we pray not only for the work we have to do but also each other’s relationship with the Lord.
- Jesus gives of Himself to make unity possible. When founded on our relationship with Christ, complete unity becomes a reality. It’s a oneness that won’t be broken when disagreements or obstacles come our way. This would suggest that we keep our focus on His glory, not our personal pursuits, as we pray.
- Such unity, according to Jesus, gets noticed. The purpose of a unified board or committee goes beyond having a more efficient means of accomplishment to being a testimony to the world around us. This would suggest that our boards, committees, and ministry teams have an outward focus.
Take time today to pray for unity on your church board, committee, or ministry team. Continue to regularly pray for the oneness Jesus prayed we’d experience.
For More, Go to: Resources about Prayer
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