Altar Workers’ Training / Directions
Jesus said: Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:7 (NKJV)
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
Spiritually Mature
Able to pray for variety of needs
God’s Will
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
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up”.
James 5:14-15
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
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.
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 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 opportunity 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?” 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)
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 Etiquette:
If married, only pray with your spouse. However, if your spouse is not in service with you 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 (Must be approved prayer team member).
Anoint with oil according to James 5:14 (Only if praying for healing).
Be Careful with Anointing Oil – Please make sure you don’t place the same hand used to anoint people on their clothing. This could leave a spot on their clothes that is impossible to clean. Use one hand for anointing and the other to place on their shoulder.
Use discretion in “laying on of hands” with the opposite sex.
Keep It Short – Pray fervently but with brevity (There are many people in line to be prayed for in a short amount of time). Some of our prayer teams are only praying with 1-2 people as a result of prayers getting longer. Please remember to stick to the actual prayer request and keep it less than 30 seconds. Jesus spoke and people were healed and Scripture says that same power lives in us!
Signal for help if you are dealing with a difficult personality/situation (unruly person, demon possession, major distraction, etc…). This is an exception.
Don’t use this as a counseling appointment. Encourage the person to contact the church office if they feel they need counceling.
Move back to your seat when signaled by a host.
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 immune system
Other things as the Holy Spirit leads you
Encourage faith for victory. God is Spirit and He heals us in our spirit first 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.
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: Usuage: 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."
“Feel free to copy and paste from above to help build your own church policies and procedures. ”