Another important manifestation of the prayer movement in local churches is the increasing number of pastors and other Christian leaders who are seeking prayer intercessors. A prayer intercessor, after seeking God's permission to do so, commits a portion of his or her day to pray for a specific person.

Day after day, the intercessor brings prayer needs for the person to the throne of God. Several intercessors may pray for the same person daily. The power of prayer that emanates from their intercession becomes a "prayer shield" around the Christian leader.

Such an unusual and extraordinary manifestation of prayer is becoming the norm in many churches across our land. Rarely a week passes that a pastor or other Christian leader does not share with me testimonies about their prayer shield. They share some truly miraculous stories of God's intervention.

But more important than the specific interventions is the ongoing empowerment by God for these leaders. One pastor recently told me about the almost unbelievable change in his life and ministry after a prayer shield began to cover him daily. His sermon preparation time became exciting and enlightening. God gave him insights into Scripture that he had never known in 20 years of ministry. The sermons themselves became instruments to change lives Sunday after Sunday. And the pastor, who had always been weak in personal evangelism, began to lead people to Christ regularly.

The old rural church he pastored responded to their newly-empowered leader. Slowly attendance declines reversed. For the first time in three decades, the church experienced an increase in worship attendance!

The changes, however, were not limited to statistics and numbers. The church started new ministries. Mission projects and mission giving increased tenfold. And, much to the amazement of the church members, two feuding families reconciled to one another after almost eight years of strife!

This traditional, rural church had no demographic reason for its turnaround. Its experience defied church growth "laws." Yet the last time I heard, the church was still growing and reaching out to its community in unprecedented fashion.

Scant attention has been given to the prayer shield phenomenon by observers and church futurists. However, this very exciting aspect of prayer may be one of the keys to the renewal of the American church in the 21st century.

Prayer outside the walls

In the decade of the 1990s, God led many church leaders to a method of prayer which, for me, was invigoratingly new. A few have been practicing it for a while, but now God is showing the whole Body of Christ how to pray in the community. Churches across America are not only praying within the walls of their church buildings, they are discovering exciting and innovative ways to pray outside the walls.

One method of praying outside the walls is prayerwalks. Steve Hawthorne defines prayerwalking as "praying on site with insight." Hawthorne comments, "This is intercessory prayer … praying in the very place in which you expect your prayers to be answered." The idea of prayerwalking is to pray with your actions as well as your words and thoughts.

Prayers for corporate repentance and unity

In their book "Setting Your Church Free," Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander describe in detail another significant prayer movement in local churches. Although I am not in agreement with everything in the book, the authors believe that the lack of evangelistic and spiritual growth in many churches is the result of corporate bondage. They define corporate bondage as "unresolved personal and spiritual issues that inhibit churches from being the most God wants them to be - free in Christ."

Many churches, according to Anderson and Mylander, have corporately renounced the sins that have prevented the church body from being a dynamic testimony for the Savior. These services of corporate repentance and prayers for unity are taking place in an ever increasing number of churches. Just look at some examples of renouncing and confession taken from various actual churches, using their own words.

• We renounce complacency and contentment.
• We renounce a critical and judgmental spirit.
• We renounce gossip and pettiness.
• We renounce our distrust of God's chosen and faithful leaders.
• We renounce our poor stewardship of time, talent and treasures.
• We renounce lukewarmness and weariness in doing the Lord's work.
• We renounce our self-focus that produces apathy to the lost.
• We renounce attacks on leadership.
• We renounce the spirit of fear that paralyzes open sharing, involvement, service and evangelism.
• We renounce any footholds gained by the evil one through past hurts and traumas.
• We renounce Satan's use of discouragement as a tool against us.

Again, this aspect of the prayer movement has hardly been noticed by those who look for trends in the church. And again, it is the American church that has been most affected by the prayers for corporate repentance and unity. Most American churches typically have a lengthy history, some of which is healthy, some of which is unhealthy. It is that unhealthy aspect of its past that churches are bringing before God. The Lord is hearing the prayers and answering with renewal and revival. It is a movement that may grow in the years ahead.