If you ask Chris Schofield to define the biggest need in N.C. Baptist churches, he won’t hesitate with his answer. He says it’s not bigger buildings, budgets or better ministries. It’s not marketing plans or programs. It is even more relevant than evangelism, outreach, discipleship strategies or increased efforts.

“We are in desperate need of God and His great mercy through revival and spiritual awakening,” said Schofield, who left the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) at the end of 2021 after nearly 25 years leading prayer ministries through BSC and the North American Mission Board. 

“We are under God’s judgment and must repent and return to the Lord in godliness and holiness. The fact is, God, through His mercy and forgiveness, is our only hope.” 

Schofield, who is still actively helping churches prioritize Kingdom-focused prayer, has focused much of his ministry on mobilizing prayer toward the kingdom, especially as it relates to revival, spiritual awakening and the evangelistic mission. But mobilizing personal and corporate prayer toward the Kingdom of God always begins, he says, with a believer’s prayer and spiritual life in Christ.

“When pastors and leaders ask me what they should give the most attention to in their church, I immediately say, ‘You must lead the people of God to seek Him with all their hearts while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6) and to rekindle and give attention to their own vital spiritual lives in Christ (Psalm 42:1-3).’ 

“There is a waning of the holy manifest presence of God both personally and corporately in the American church. And if we do not give attention to that element, you won’t have people uniting and praying—you won’t have evangelism going on, and you won’t have a devotion to the mission of God, because of the lack of the presence of God with and in God’s people.”

Despite the growing spiritual famine in the land and the waning of the manifest presence of God among Christians and churches today, Schofield sees signs of hope throughout the state. He notes how churches gathered online to pray during the COVID-19 crisis and met to prayer walk throughout their communities. 

Throughout the state today, he sees pastors and churches forming specific prayer groups, organizing prayer walks and even taking part in “prayer drives” around their communities. Corporate united prayer, which he says hasn’t always been an emphasis in Southern Baptist life, is also now gaining some traction among N.C. Baptists. 

One example of united prayer is the Praying on the Mountain initiative led by Fred Lunsford in Western North Carolina, where believers and churches are gathering on phone calls, in a prayer garden and on a mountain to pray for spiritual awakening. All of those, he says, are positive examples of churches engaging in prayer and depending on the Lord in their contexts.

Schofield also celebrated the work of many N.C. Baptist associations that are mobilizing churches to pray among their own congregations and gathering to pray as an association. He pointed to the Sandy Run Baptist Association in Rutherford and Cleveland counties, mentioning that they had been active in gathering pastors for prayer and challenging churches to meet together for prayer. 

The Green River Baptist Association, a neighboring association, is partnering with the Sandy Run Association on many of those prayer initiatives. In many other associations throughout the state, pastors gather regularly to pray for God’s mercy through revival and spiritual awakening. Some, like the Pilot Mountain and the Metrolina Baptist Associations, have been gathering regularly to pray for years. 

Schofield believes the pastor plays a crucial role in mobilizing prayer within the church. Without the pastor, a prayer ministry won’t be effective. 

“If the pastor is not the champion—not that he has to do the ministry—but if he’s not the one that continually says from the pulpit, ‘We must walk with Christ. Prayer is the key. We are dependent on God for revival, for spiritual awakening, for renewal, for evangelism,’ it will not happen in the life of the church, and the church will not depend on the Lord.”

Schofield also suggests pastors must model Kingdom-focused, mission-centered prayer as a part of his daily walk with Christ. He encourages pastors to get together with other pastors near them to pray for God to raise up leaders who are passionate about prayer in order to help kindle a heart and spirit of prayer in their communities and churches. 

“I would encourage each church to start a prayer team where you have someone with passion, and someone with administrative responsibilities, who are co-leaders for that,” he said. 

“You’ll want a prayer team that goes across the board in the life of the church with regard to the different ministries in the congregation. You want prayer representatives from each of the ministries in the church who are a part of the prayer team, people who are passionate about Christ, their ministry and prayer. They’ll go back to their ministries and wave the flag and say, ‘We’ve got to pray.’”

But, Schofield admits, many churches face an uphill battle when starting prayer ministries because of the waning of the vital spiritual life. He notes that churches are getting more comfortable ministering to their communities without the power of God. This has produced a shallow faith and an apathy in the church’s mission work.

“The key is that we walk with the Lord. It really is about the vital spiritual life,” Schofield said. “Out of that will flow the ministry of prayer in the life of a Christian and the life of the church. And that’s why it’s so important for us to give attention to our own spiritual lives. We often give attention to our professional lives, our educational lives, our athletic and physical lives. But what’s been lacking in the church is, we haven’t given enough attention to the vital spiritual life in Christ. The result of that is evident: the waning of God’s presence and power through the church, the spiritual and moral famine in the church and in the land and the decline of the church and devotion to the mission are all indicators of this.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Chris Schofield is founder and president of Chris Schofield Awaken Ministries and is available to speak in churches, associations and events related to prayer, revival, spiritual awakening and the mission. You can contact him at [email protected] or 919-612-9311. Tobin Perry is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of writing experience with Southern Baptist organizations. He can be reached at TobinPerry.com)