Called to Serve

Since I was burdened by the Lord to start the new year with a challenging prayer emphasis, I invited Called to Serve Prayer Ministry to conduct such a special day for our church on the first Sunday in January. What a day of spiritual challenge and refreshment our congregation experienced through the three different services they called a “Prayer Power Sunday”! Our expectations of the Lord’s blessing upon the first Sunday of the year were more than met.

One of the most impacting things they did was not simply to “talk and teach” our people about prayer, but they led us in a very meaningful “Concert of Prayer” as the final part of the Sunday evening service. We highly recommend the “prayer coaching” ministry of Dennis and Betty Jo Conner.

This letter is to let you know that our people are still buzzing after the stirring presentations you made at our recent Prayer Conference. As you know, this was a first for our church, but based on the response, it won’t be our last. Your message on Friday night, “Hearing and Heeding the Voice of God” truly set the tone for the entire Prayer Conference. Both sessions of your workshop on Saturday received a five, which was the highest evaluation possible.

I must admit, the idea of a “prayer coach” was a bit of a stretch for me at first, but you made a believer out of me. Prayer is hard; if it wasn’t, everybody would be doing it. Thank you for “coaching” us on how to do the hard thing, so that our prayer ministry can become what we want it to be. Your unique brand of humor, coupled with the power and practicality of your messages, touched every person present. We look forward to working with you again real soon.

Just over a year ago, I was introduced to Dennis and Betty Jo Conner through a letter I received from Don Gibson the Executive Director of the Texas Baptist Men. In this letter, Don explained how the Conners could be a great asset to any church desiring to take their prayer ministry to the next level. God had been leading me and our church to truly make prayer a priority in all that we do. So I called Dennis and thus began a journey that has helped us as a church transition into more of a “House of Prayer.”

Over the course of several months of phone calls and a face to face meeting, Dennis and I began to formulate a plan for a prayer conference. This conference was exactly what our church needed. Heading into the conference, Dennis coordinated weekly phone calls with me. During these calls, we prayed for each other, the church, and what God wanted to do in and through the prayer conference. We also took time each week to talk through the details of the conference. These calls were very valuable to me and helped me and our church prepare for the conference. Dennis did a great job coaching us through the whole event.

It will not take you long to see Dennis’ heart for the Lord and for the power of prayer. He not only talks about it, but he also lives it. I highly recommend for you to consider having your own prayer conference with the Conners. God used them tremendously in our church to help equip us to become a “House of Prayer.” After the conference, I have seen God using prayer to bring people to Him. They are coming to the throne of grace and are being changed forever.

One of the friendships I cherish most is my friendship with Dennis and Betty Jo Conner. One reason for my excitement about having their Called to Serve Prayer Ministry lead a weekend seminar at our church is the opportunity it provided our congregation to grow deeper in their relationship to our gracious, living, saving, “ready-to-answer-prayer” God.

In their “Building a House of Prayer” seminar we studied the Bible, we gained new insights into powerful and effective prayer, and, most importantly, we prayed. The end result was a group of church members, leaders, and staff who shared a very special spiritual growth experience and came away with a renewed commitment to be people of prayer. We began to see – some for the first time – what it means to “be” and “build” a House of Prayer.

I am grateful for the obvious priority of personal prayer which the Conner’s beautifully model, and the way God used them to call our church to a higher place of prayer. I commend them and their “prayer coaching” ministry to those who believe that God will “build a house of prayer” in personal lives and churches today.

I would like to recommend Dennis and Betty Jo Conner to your church to come as trainers and facilitators in the area of prayer.

We scheduled Called to Serve Prayer Ministry for an October 10 “Prayer Power Sunday”. Dennis led our entire Sunday School through “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pray-ers”. It held tremendous nuggets of wisdom, teaching and motivation for our members.

We had deacons together before our evening service for another time of exhortation and instruction with Dennis. Then the evening service was an extended time of congregational praying for our staff in separate groups. It was a very joyful, filling and moving experience. One of our staff members reported the next day that he was overwhelmed hearing the people he led weekly lifting him up, one after another, before the very throne of God in prayer.

We are only getting started, but I believe prayer will become the “D.N.A.” of our church in the weeks and months ahead. We are catching a vision for prayer, and God’s sending of Called to Serve Prayer Ministry to us was instrumental in that.

ln agreement with Dennis’ recommendation, we are initiating a six-week prayer-training class (“When God’s People Pray”…Jim Cymbala) for our people, beginning this coming week.

I’ll close by stating that as the pastor, I was perhaps most prepared and moved for this weekend by the weekly prayer time I had with Dennis for one month prior to their coming. To pray for our church and this event, and to hear Dennis’ supplications on behalf of myself and the church I love were wonderful. I know many ministers are weary and wounded as they serve our Lord. I would encourage you to prioritize this weekend. It will refresh you. I don’t need another conference or a service to keep me moving forward after 26 years of full-time ministry.

I need exactly what Dennis and Betty Jo offer, a plea to sit back down at the feet of Jesus through prayer. I hope you will consider making this “main thing the main thing” in your church in the days ahead. The pastor and staff will be as blessed as will the congregation.

Our church is healthy, our church is growing, our church is unified, but, yet, there is something still missing at our church” was a recurring theme in recent staff meetings.” We had studied the statistical growth of our church and the number of baptisms and the overall giving per family unit to our budget and building project and things looked good, even in the midst of an economic recession. But still, something was missing in our church.

Our staff had committed to praying for God to reveal to us the missing element. And to His glory, God answered by sending Dennis and Betty Jo Conner our way. They led us in a one-day “Prayer Power Sunday” emphasis; and in that one day, the Lord showed us that we were missing a strategic and purposed focus on intimate encounters with our Father through individual and corporate prayer.

What I can share is that it was obvious from our intimate time with this couple, they believe what they teach and live it as well. After Dennis shared his heart, we have quadrupled the number of prayer requests we receive during our Sunday morning worship service. One man came forward to pray for a very pressing need in his life and stated, “I just don’t do this kind of thing normally.” Simply one example of the benefit our people experienced following being “coached” on having an intimate encounter with our Creator and becoming a “House of Prayer”.

Without reservation, I would encourage you to invite Called to Serve Prayer Ministry and the Conner’s into your church.

For two years, I had the chance to not only hear about Dennis and Betty Jo’s ministry, but to actually watch it in action. From the launch of our new campus in August, 2011, Dennis and Betty Jo have not only been personally praying for our staff, our volunteers, and our church, but have also hel ped mobilize small groups within our church to do the same. It has been an incredible encouragement to me to know that there is a couple who goes far beyond saying “I will add that to my prayer list”, but to actually praying for those needs and mobilizing others to do the same.

What I love most about their ministry is not just the importance of prayer that is taught, but specifically the content of what they teach regarding what to actually pray. Everything is covered in scripture and their approach, modeled by Jesus himself, allows prayer to be something that isn’t a mystery or a code that needs to be unlocked. Rather, by using scripture, they teach others how to pray the very words of God which gives a person’s prayer life biblical validity and guarantees they are heard and answered as they are clearly in line with God’s will. You will love their content and you will also love them personally, as it is clear they believe and practice what they teach. You will not be disappointed and your church will never be the same.

It is my privilege to recommend Dennis and Betty Jo Conner, founders of Called To Serve Prayer Ministry. As a congregation, we have had the joy and benefit of working with Dennis and Betty Jo over several months, as they have led our church in Building A House of Prayer. I can testify to their true love for our Lord and their commitment to serve Him with an attitude of excellence.  Beginning with our church staff and filtering throughout our congregation, we have seen tremendous growth in the prayer life of our church toward becoming a “house of prayer”:

1. Many adults are discovering a vibrant new personal prayer life–and how it can impact not only their lives, but also their family’s life and the life of their church.
2. Our Wednesday night Prayer Service has grown by 400% in these past few months.
3. Our Sunday morning invitation time has become a time of freedom for all who feel led to come to the altar and seek the face of our Lord…as a result of the new prayer ministry that has started (in a separate room) during our worship services.
4. We have experienced a significant increase in people making decisions…to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and/or to join our church.
5. We are learning the true power of corporate prayer and intercession through prayer.
6. I have had more members than ever before asking me: “How can I pray for you and your staff?”
7. The financial stewardship offerings have increased significantly.

As you consider partnering with Dennis and Betty Jo, I am confident that you too will see the strong walls of a house of prayer build around your church family.

In my own 25+ years of ministry, I have never observed a couple who minister together with more love for one another and those whom they are serving/leading than Dennis and Betty Jo. Their deep love for the Lord and His Kingdom’s work is reflected and contagious in everything they do.

Having seen the spiritual impact the Lord has had on thousands of people through their 30 years of ministry gives me full confidence that their new “calling” from the Lord–“Building A House of Prayer”–will be a significant blessing for any pastor and church.

I am convinced that Dennis and Betty Jo Conner are addressing the greatest need of churches in America today. That great need is to recognize the priority and power of persistent prayer. Dennis recently led our Men’s “What If?” Prayer Conference at Falls Creek.

The content of this conference was life-changing for me personally and for our men. Dennis is faithfully following God’s “calling”; to call individuals to a life of prayer as well as churches to truly become “Houses of Prayer.” His instruction at this conference was challenging, insightful, and saturated with God’s Word. I would like to wholeheartedly recommend the Called To Serve Prayer Ministry to you and your church.

It is with confidence and joy that I encourage your partnership with Called to Serve Prayer Ministry.  You will not find more committed, competent, and passionate prayer warriors than Dennis and Betty Jo Conner.

I have known these great leaders for almost 30 years.  Our paths crossed as we served together in the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and through God’s local church.  At a time in which I served the First Baptist Church, McKinney, TX, Dennis and Betty Jo were trusted advisors as we developed a prayer ministry and strategy for a global impacting church.  They were instrumental in leading prayer walks, prayer conferences, and for personally praying with our senior pastor and for me in my role as Executive Pastor of that great church.  As the Prayer Ministry of that church developed, Dennis and Betty Jo met on several occasions with our leaders to help guide us with a Biblical foundation, a dependency upon the Spirit, and with expectancy in prayer each time.

It was our privilege at Wellspring Church, a church plant in Phoenix, AZ, to host Dennis and Betty Jo.  Not only did Dennis fill the pulpit with excellence, but their presence among our people helped begin a foundation that this church might become a house of prayer. We have Dennis’ sermon on our website for your availability.

My hope would be that you consider how God might use Called to Serve Prayer Ministry to encourage and equip believers in your ministry.   You will find the teaching to be dripping and overflowing with scripture.   You will find Dennis and Betty Jo to be witty, well prepared, and willing to serve in the capacity you need.

I highly recommend the ministry of Dennis and Betty Jo Conner to any pastor or church that is seeking to move beyond the realm of mere human achievement and unleash through prayer the power to achieve the things that only God can do. Dennis’ biblical teaching and practical application on prayer first and foremost edifies Jesus Christ. Never, during the week they were with us, did I discern any self-promotion. Their humility and genuine desire to glorify Jesus Christ was obvious to all who they touched by their ministry.

Dennis’ teaching was packed with practical handles that helped people to grasp and remember the valuable truths of God’s Word concerning prayer. Further, this godly couple was willing to become involved in the lives of individuals in our congregation. This included one-on-one with church members and visiting in homes to pray for those in need.

Their loving ministry always moved people to put their trust in God and expand their personal prayer lives. At the end of their final session with us, our people seemed excited about prayer in a way that I have not seen in my nearly eight years as their pastor.

I am truly thankful for the Lord sending the Conner’s to us and urge you to advance your journey toward becoming a House of Prayer by inviting them to lead a “Building a House of Prayer” Conference in your church.

We are rejoicing we can write this letter to you!

When our pastor, Bro. Gene Parker, first spoke to Dennis about his prayer-coaching ministry, “Called to Serve”, and heard about the BAHOP (Building a House of Prayer) Conference idea, he was interested, because the Lord had already spoken to his heart about the need for some type of “prayer-emphasis” at our church, Smyrna Baptist, due to a lack of individual and corporate prayer among the congregation.

The BAHOP Conference at Smyrna Baptist Church came to fruition September 14-16, 2014. Dennis is a great communicator and a “prayer coach” who is not “dry”, but holds everyone’s attention through real life examples of the power of prayer. He effectively related his personal experiences as a tennis coach with humor and how the Lord miraculously answered many of his & his wife, Betty Jo’s, prayers.

“Prayer Power Sunday” with adults and youth together was truly powerful! The morning’s 2-hour session included Dennis’ Sunday School teaching about what it takes to be a highly effective pray-er; then his Worship Service sermon was a personal testimonial about how the Lord transformed his own prayer life when he began to call upon the various names of God in his daily praying. That evening, Dennis led the church in a “Concert of Prayer”, which included a unique segment where the congregation was given the opportunity to gather around and pray over our pastor & wife, church ministers, plus the deacons & teachers. We could sense a powerful Spirit of encouragement during this service.

Monday night and Tuesday night were considered to be “Phase 2 – Effective Prayer Equipping.” Dennis did an excellent job of communicating Biblical principles pertaining to the mandate, the model and the methods of powerful prayer. Even though we are a small church, Bro. Gene was pleased with what he titled “the core group”, who attended every session through Tuesday night. That final night, the Lord did a miraculous work of unity as every person stood on either side of Bro. Gene to affirm and support him as our spiritual leader. Bro. Gene then led us in a prayer of commitment to our God & Savior promising to obey Him in making Smyrna Baptist Church a House of Prayer.

The night after our BAHOP Conference ended, our regular Wednesday night service took place. Bro. Gene led us to pray, but not with our usual focus on health and physical needs, but instead for “CHANGE – including SELF, HOME & CHURCH.” Then Sunday morning, the Lord led 5 church members to pray in the sanctuary before Sunday School, covering the podium, every pew, every door, the sound system & every nook and cranny with prayer. Also, Pastor Gene’s sermons on Sunday morning and Sunday night were powerful and spirit-filled. This morning during the Women’s Bible Study, one of the ladies confessed a sin she had been convicted of earlier that morning. There was a Spirit of love, compassion and affirmation as the other ladies tearfully poured out their prayers to the Lord in unity for their sister as well as for our church body.

God has begun a great work of prayer within our church. We believe Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Because of ways we have seen the Lord at work during and after the prayer conference, we highly recommend Dennis & Betty Jo Conner’s “Called To Serve Prayer Ministry”–and in particular the BAHOP Conference–to any church who’s seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord “in prayer”.

The pastor, elders and members of our church found Dennis and Betty Jo Conner to be humble people of prayer, who greatly challenged and blessed our people through their personal prayer testimonies and Bible-soaked prayer teaching. As a result of this conference, our leadership has not only decided that they want our church to become a biblical “House of Prayer”, but also has begun a seven-week “prayer emphasis” study in each of the Sunday School classes.

Whether a church is just starting out in its prayer ministry, or ready to begin the transition from a “praying church” to a “house of prayer”, we heartily recommend to everyone the “prayer coaching” ministry of Called to Serve.