Praying Over Your Facility

By Stephanie Lippi

As a Facility Manager or other leader in your church, it’s vital to the health of your ministry to stay connected with the God we serve in your personal faith walk. That’s likely a no-brainer for you, but are you also thinking about how you’re staying connected with God while doing your tasks in the building in which you serve?

There are so many ways that you’re already serving your local church body, but perhaps there are deeper ways in which you can serve. Do you pray over your facility as you work? Are you praying for the people who enter your church building’s doors as you do your daily or weekly responsibilities? Let’s dig into this a little more and see how you can grow deeper in your faith and in your service.

The Jewish Mezuzah

When I visited Israel a few years ago, I learned about a practice the Jewish people have that is a very tangible way of remembering God and who they are in God. Every doorpost in a Jewish home is to have a mezuzah in place. The mezuzah is a small box located on the right doorpost of every room as you enter (except bathrooms and closets). Inside is a rolled-up piece of parchment that contains the handwritten words of the Shema on one side, as well as God’s name, “Shaddai,” on the other side. The purpose of this is twofold: to make it known as one enters the dwelling or room that this is a Jewish household they are entering, and to remind them of God’s covenant to the Jewish people.

Since our local church buildings are where we worship and serve God, we should also instill practices that help us remember that it is a holy place for God to meet with His people, and to remind us of all God has done for us. This helps us keep our focus on the God we serve over the daily tasks and responsibilities that can pull our focus away.

How do we put this into practice?

Pray for the Facility

Depending on all the responsibilities you have, you may or may not be in every single room in your church building on a weekly basis. But regardless of where you travel throughout your workday, you can be praying over each area you visit. This is a reminder of the God we serve and who we are in Him.

As you take care of your responsibilities, every time you enter a room, you can pray for protection over that room and the conversations and activities that will take place there throughout the week. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill the room as people enter and invite an atmosphere that allows God to move in mighty ways in each room. Quote scripture passages that invite the work of the LORD into the space. And don’t forget to pray over the parking lot and playground equipment!

Pray for the Church Body

Along with praying for the actual church building and being reminded of why you serve there, you can also take advantage of praying for each person who will enter that room or use that piece of equipment. This allows you to stay connected to the church family you’ve aligned yourself with and brings a reminder of the people you serve through your ministry.

I recently overheard a Facilities Director say that as she cleans the toilets in the church, she’s praying for the spiritual and physical health of every individual who will use that toilet. As you arrange the chairs in the fellowship hall or vacuum the sanctuary, you can pray for the health of each person who sits in those chairs or walks on that carpet. Pray for them to have their eyes and hearts open to the Spirit’s leading. Pray for physical health as well as spiritual health and growth. Ask God to meet people in exciting ways when they use the microphones on stage or play with the toys in the nursery.

Taking care of a facility doesn’t just have to mean doing the behind-the-scenes physical work of keeping a building up and running. It can also include the behind-the-scenes spiritual foundation building work of prayer that ushers the Holy Spirit in to do more powerful work. Plus, it’s an act of worship that draws you closer to God.