Does your church train for altar work?
 

If your church has an altar, or anything akin to it (ie a place where 'seekers' come to pray), does your church have altar workers?

Is it a free for all, where anyone can come forward and pray with the people at the altar?

Or do you have specially designated people only who are allowed to do that?

And in either case, does your church give instruction and training on how to minister 'in the altar'?

And IF so, could you describe that training? Also, has the training been effective?

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Ours is sort of a free for all. Do they have an altar workers thing....:nah

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Has your church ever taught on what to do at the altar with people?

Or is it pretty much learned by example? Trust the Spirit to lead you? That sort of thing?

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

:dunno

I donno. I've never been trained...It's a free for all where I go. :bliss

I have been to some churches where there are certain persons specifly for that though.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Would you prefer to have the pastor/elder/whoever teach on altar work? Or do you think it is better to just let everyone do what do?

What improvements would you like to see in your church's altar services?

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Eli, this is an EXCELLENT topic!

When I was raised, our altars were a free for all. And, like so many other things in Pentecost, if you were raised in the church, you understood certain terms and nomenclature that seekers didn't understand.

So, we would tell them to "just let go", and someone else would say "hold on, hold on", and I"m sure the poor seeker was confused.

I've seen people lay hands on the seeker so hard they nearly broke their necks, lol. Sometimes people got the Holy Ghost IN SPITE of the altar workers, not because of their efforts.

But, on the other hand, I"ve seen people truly led of the Spirit who said just the right things at the right time to help the seeker break through.

I definitely think there needs to be training of some sort for altar workers, and I've seen some good material. Good altar workers can still be led of the spirit, but stay within certain protocol.

I'm not sure how many churches train altar workers, but in my experience, the ones that don't outnumber the ones that do.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Probably, the best would be to occationally have the preacher teach the congregation about alter work, so that everyone is equiped to serve in that capacity.

Daniel

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

My previous church held a training annually but it was more about leading people to the H.G. We were given a repentance prayer to lead them thru and then show them how to praise. Some of it was weird but I did glean from it a bit

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Maybe some of the "turn loose let go" folks will actually follow the leading of the Spirit! :bliss:bliss:bliss

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

What should the training of altar workers look like, and consist in, if such training were preferable to no training at all?

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Maybe some practical things, like using breath mints, physical contact, volume of one's voice, scriptures that can be quoted to help the seeker understand how to pray, etc?

Just some ideas.........

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

How about... 'Do not speak to the individual at the altar until after they have had a chance to pray?'

An old holiness manual on altar work I read a long time ago pointed out that seekers who come forward to pray are there to talk to God, not to YOU. Thus, they need time to speak with God, before anyone comes up and interrupts them.

Also, it was suggested that only one person speak to an individual at a time. People get mighty confused and irritated when two or more people are talking to them, or shouting at them, at the same time!

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

A friend sent me the DVD altar training from PPH. One question I have incorporated is to ask what is it you want from the Lord today. A girl I am teaching a HBS had some weird things said to her at the altar one night while she was having marital difficulties.

Why not just ask? Does that make sense?

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

The breath mints thing is a definite necessity. In fact, I always kept a packet of breath mints with me when I went to church, just in case I ever found myself praying with someone.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Great MP.....mints are a must....especially if you've just preached for 30 min.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

I would be in total agreement with that, sounds like excellent advice.

One of the other things that bothered me, especially when I was pastoring, was when a backslider came back to church, and people went to get them in the pew to try and bring them to the altar.

I always taught our church to wait until the person came to the altar, then they could gather around.

I believe that sometimes backsliders want to come back to church, but are afraid that they'll be 'put on the spot' so to speak.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Lol, ain't that the truth? I carried mints ALWAYS and considered them almost as important as my preaching notes.

Oh yeah, and altar workers shouldn't eat onions on Sunday afternoon!

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Yes, it makes perfect sense.

That old holiness manual I mentioned earlier said the same thing. After a season prayer, gently ask them if there is anything they need prayer for, specifically, or anything they need help with, specifically.

It could be as simple as 'Do you have a witness in your heart that you have forgiveness of sins?' or something like 'Are you wanting forgiveness of sins or deliverance from sins/temptations/addictions/etc?' (Of course, the wording would need to be revised for today.)

If you don't ask, then you really don't know what they are there for. And if you don't know the reason they are there, you cannot pray for them properly or minister the Scriptures to them properly or testify to them properly. imo

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

You know, I do believe there is a time and place for going to someone and personally encouraging them to come forward for prayer. But there is also a time and place NOT to do that.

If a person is not under conviction, there is not much point in singling them out individually. And if they are truly under real conviction, they will almost single themselves out.

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

One thing that always bothered me was when someone was praying at the altar, and the various 'workers' were praying with them... and then after about 15 minutes it seems as if the workers get bored or tired or discouraged or whatever and they just get up, one by one, and leave the poor soul there by themselves. Often, that person will then feel 'Well, I guess it's time to go. Nothing else happening here.'

I made it a commitment to NEVER leave a person at the altar until they themselves indicated they were done. I have persevered with folks in prayer... you will be amazed at what can happen if you just hang in there with them. (As long as you are not becoming a pest or overwhelming them... then you may overhear what they are praying for - 'God, get me outta here! Please!' lol)

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Exactly.

I agree with you that there are times when God lays it on your heart to go to someone, and if that's the case, I think there will be a witness in the spirit.

Concerning backsliders, I heard it preached once, and to me it makes sense, that when the prodigal son left the Father's house, the Father never went after him to find him.

Seems callous, seeing that the widow turned the house upside down to find a lost coin, and the shepherd left the ninety and nine to go after one lost sheep.

But, the premise is that the son willingly walked away from his Father's house, and it was not until he "came to himself" in a pig pen (no one came to him, he came to himself) that he got up and made his way back to the Father's house.

Now, the Father had the house prepared for him, and was waiting anxiously, but he realized that the young man had to come to himself and make the first step.

I have always found that when a backslider is truly ready to repent, no one needs to go back and pry them out of a pew, they are headed to the altar on their own!

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

In fact, if a backslider was sitting on the pew, it seems clear to me they are already halfway to the altar anyway. They could instead be out on a drunk or something, but there they are, listening to the Word being preached...

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

Lol, excellent observation, I've seen that so many times! And, kudos to you for staying in there!

I heard Jack Cunningham tell a funny story about his 13 year old daugher. He taught her the same thing, that she needed to stay and pray with seekers in the altar as long as they were there, and she should never leave until they got the Holy Ghost, or stopped praying on their own.

Well, she was at a Youth Camp with him, and the announcement was made that all the campers were going to have pizza after the service that night.

Well, they had a great service, several young people in the altars praying for the HG, and after awhile, everyone had left, except one seeker, and Bro. C's daughter, just praying and crying with this person.

He said he was so proud of her, she had learned what he had taught her, she wasn't going to stop praying until this young lady had received the HG!

So, all choked up and teary eyed, he went over to them to help pray, and as he got closer, he heard his daughter crying, "OH God, pleeeease fill her with the Holy GHost, my daddy said I can't leave until you do, and they're giving away pizza, and I'm starving!"

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

:ursofunny:ursofunny:ursofunny

Re: Does your church train for altar work?
 

ROFL!!!