LIFECHURCH READIES 'ONE PRAYER' LAUNCH FOR GLOBAL CHURCH IMPACT

By Lillian Kwon

Christian Post Reporter

Fri, Apr. 04 2008 11:42 AM ET

LifeChurch.tv is launching a bold new initiative aimed at uniting churches, empowering pastors to experiment with video teaching, and making a local and global impact through outreach.

Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel announced this week that Life Church and hundreds of other churches will partner together for a four-week sermon series titled "One Prayer" beginning in June.

Participating pastors will preach on the premise of "If God would answer 'one prayer' for the church at large, what would you pray?" at their local churches and then infuse video teachings from other world-class preachers the following three weeks.

At Life Church, Groeschel plans to preach "Make Us One" and thereafter show video messages from other pastors including Ed Young of Fellowship Church whose one prayer is to make the church "creative;" Perry Nobel of NewSpring Church whose prayer is "Make Us Dangerous;" and Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel who will teach "Make Us Passionate."

"Think about the benefits," said Groeschel in a promotional message. "Some of you (pastors) have been hoping to experiment with video teaching but you've been afraid. Here's permission. You can introduce your ministry to other great leaders. You can have three weekends off in the month of June, and you can infuse some spiritual power in your church during a normally dead month.

"But the most important thing is we stand together, we lift up the name of Jesus."

Groeschel encourages churches worldwide to participate and submit their video teachings for free use by other churches. A Web site will accompany the sermon series to gather thousands of believers for fasting and prayer during the four weeks. Participants will also be asked to submit the names of persons who do not know Christ so that believers around the world can pray for them.

"We're going to pray for miracles together," said Groeschel.

Creating a more hands-on impact, the One Prayer initiative will also collect offerings which will be donated to regions where people are in need and churches are further encouraged to partake in missions activities in their local communities.

"Think about what's possible," Groeschel commented.

Groeschel pastors one of the fastest growing churches in the country with more than 18,000 people at 13 separate campuses throughout Oklahoma and several other states as well as over the Internet. Sermons are shown through satellite broadcasts. LifeChurch.tv was named the most innovative church in the country by Outreach magazine in 2007.