THE PRAYER AND HEALING MINISTRY TRAINING CURRICULUM

(“PrayerCare Training”)

 

This 24-hour Curriculum (four 6-hour workshops) is for Christian congregations and

other religious communities who want to develop ministries of prayer support and

healing as part of their service to their own members and to others, or to provide comprehensive training for participants in already existing ministries.   It consists of these three core Workshops: RE/Minding for Positive Change, RE/Minding 2, and Praying for Others.  Certificates are given to those who complete the basic training.  A fourth Workshop, RE/Minding Down the Road, is offered at no cost to these persons, several months after completion of the series. Additional follow-up training sessions are also available to them periodically.

 

Participants will

1. deepen and enrich their own personal prayer life
2. be competent, confident, and comfortable in praying effectively for and with      others, both in person and at a distance
3. learn conversational prayer, listening prayer, affirmation prayer, guided imagery prayer, meditative prayer, contemplative prayer, and hands-on prayer
4. be firmly grounded in understanding the relationship between prayer and        physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual healing
5. learn the “prayer ethics” of confidentiality and physical/relational boundaries

  

Ideally, a congregation’s Intercessory Prayer and Healing Ministry will include at least

ten trained volunteers available to support persons through prayer in one or more of these structures: 

1. within the context of an ongoing (weekly or monthly) Service of Prayer and      Healing
2. as an intercessory prayer group meeting weekly with or without the physical  presence of those being prayer for
3. individually or in pairs,  praying for or with persons on an individual basis

 

The training is appropriate for adults and mature youth age 16 and older, but usually 18

and older, who are perceived to be trustworthy in maintaining prescribed boundaries and confidentiality in their communications with others, and who are both gifted and open to growth in genuine care and compassion for others.  The guideline for participation in this kind of ministry is “If you care, you can”.   Although professional or clergy supervision is certainly appropriate, committed and trained lay leadership is usually both appropriate

and sufficient for this ministry.

 

SCHEDULING is flexible, within this framework:   RE/Minding for Positive Change is normally a prerequisite for the other Workshops. A minimal one-month period of time is required between the beginning of RE/Minding 1 and the other Workshops.  Each Workshop can be offered as a Day-long experience or in either four weekly 1½ -hour sessions or three weekly 2-hour sessions.  RE/Minding 2 and Praying for Others can be scheduled on two consecutive days.   The three basic workshops can therefore be (but need not be) completed within a one-month period.  The fourth workshop, RE/Minding Down the Road, should be scheduled between two and six months after completion of the Basic Three.

 

Congregational cost for the entire four-workshop Training Curriculum is based upon the number of participants, its scheduling format, and our traveling time and distance.   General cost guideline:  Basic Package is $995* for up to ten lay registrants plus unlimited professional staff.  $75 for each additional lay registrant above ten.  (Additional travel expense in some instances.)  Each registrant also pays $15 for his/her own Manual plus two Cassette Tapes or CD. Training is currently conducted by Ron Shonk, Director of RE/Minding Ministries. 

*Many families are pleased to designate memorial gifts to make this Curriculum available to their congregation.