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Determine the length
of time for a commitment. Some churches have said, "This is
a one-year commitment by the prayer partner (citizen) to
pray daily for the safety and well being of an assigned
public servant and his or her family."
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Decide how much
information will be shared. Many churches have found that
limited information is best. Typically, a fictitious badge
number is given for the officer or firefighter so he or she
can be anonymously assigned to his or her prayer partners.
Basic information would include if the public servant is a
man or woman, married or single, if he or she has children,
the type of work he or she does, and if it is known that he
or she is a Christian.
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Determine how
correspondence will be handled. For example, the church
Shield a Badge chairman could be responsible for collecting
notes of encouragement to deliver to his or her contact at
the police precinct or fire station. If the public servant
has a specific prayer request, it can be given to the
contact person at the precinct or station to pass on to the
Shield a Badge chairman to get to the appropriate
intercessor. Birthdays could be listed, or other greetings
could be sent to let the public servant know he or she is
being prayed for regularly.
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Establish a "no
personal contact" policy to protect both parties. The goal
is to pray for the public servants. Cards and notes to the
officer or firefighter via his or her agency will be
sufficient. Gifts should be discouraged.
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Make provision for
interruptions in the relationship. If the officer leaves his
or her agency, the prayer partner can be notified and
another officer assigned. If for some reason the prayer
partner cannot fulfill the commitment, he or she should
notify the Prayer Coordinator in charge.
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Keep motives pure. The
prayer partner should enter into this ministry with no
ulterior motives. No expectations should be placed on the
officers and firefighters. The prayer partner should expect
nothing from the officer or the agency in return for prayers
rendered.
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Share the blessing and
answered prayer stories. Depending on your situation, you
may invite the person in charge or the contact person at the
agency to speak at your church about how God is using the
prayer support in the lives of those in your community who
wear a badge. At least annually, the intercessors
participating in the ministry could come together to share
how God is using the ministry in their lives, too.
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Host a service or
dinner in honor of the public servants in the community to
show appreciation and to reaffirm that they are being prayed
for by your church intercessors.
