The priority of prayer took hold of the heart of a South Carolina pastor, spread to his own congregation and now is global in scope.
Wayne GoldenWayne Golden of St. Matthews is the founder and director of Global Intercessory Prayer Ministry, whose aim is to “enlist and train those whom God has given a heart for prayer to intercede on a daily basis for a specific range of kingdom needs.”
Foundational to the ministry, says Golden, is “the belief that nothing happens apart from prayer. The Scripture teaches that God works powerfully through the prayers of his people when they pray according to his will and in Jesus’ name.”
Golden, a Georgia native who graduated from New Orleans Baptist Seminary, emphasizes that “prayer directs God’s saving power where missionaries cannot go,” adding, “Through prayer, God softens hardened hearts and opens eyes that are blinded to the truth of the gospel. Through prayer, we partner with God in his work throughout the world.”
The goal of Global Intercessory Prayer Ministry is to “enlist and train prayer intercessors to pray daily for unreached and unengaged people groups of the world, missionaries and their specific requests, for revival in our nation, and for national and world leaders.”
Since 2010, when he resigned as pastor of Congaree Baptist Church in St. Matthews after 18 years and established his GIPM organization, Golden has been busy with training sessions for his prayer ministry and speaking at prayer conferences and assemblies.
He recently led two evening sessions at a four-night meeting called “The Summit” at Simpsonville First Baptist Church. Of this third annual event, Randy Harling, pastor of the Simpsonville congregation, said, “It’s a time when God tends to tear down barriers some have in their lives, and the past two years we have seen some folks come to know Jesus. It has had the effect of a revival in the life of our church, and we have already scheduled one for 2011.”
Golden says that God had been working in his life for years to “help me see the importance, the priority of prayer.” During 2003-05 he experienced severe depression. “I reached a point of brokenness which I had never before experienced.”
And if it took its toll on his life, it also produced rewards. “To know God more intimately became the driving force of my life, and it impacted my church as well. I saw the power of prayer. The church became more focused in ministry and in the advance of the kingdom of God.”
In January of 2009, Golden took part in a prayer retreat at St. Christopher Episcopalian Retreat Center near Charleston. While there, Golden says, “The Lord gave me a vision for this ministry, and I understood what I needed to do.”
Back at Congaree, he “shared that vision with the church, and it became a part of it.”
Golden recalls how one member told him, “I have prayed for a long time that you would become a man of prayer.”
During those spiritually heady days, Golden prayed that the ministry would reach worldwide. He spent time with Southern Baptist prayer specialist and author T.W. Hunt at his Texas home. He also traveled to South Korea to learn about the “prayer culture” of the Christian church there. “They have such love and devotion to God,” he says, “not seeking his hand, but the face of God. This is their emphasis.”
The months following his resignation at Congaree have been “interesting” for Golden and his wife Elaine, who is the 911 coordinator for Calhoun County. They have three grown daughters. “I had no idea how I would survive after leaving the Congaree pastorate,” he admits, “but God has provided.”
Golden has spent time in recent months meeting with directors of missions in South Carolina to recruit and then train intercessors, which number 33 to date. He will be on the program for the Feb. 4-5 Salt and Light Men’s Conference at White Oak Conference Center.
Already, the ministry extends to seven countries, including Haiti, where pastors there partner with churches in the United States. Golden often turns in his devotional reading to Psalm 2:8, which offers motivation and assurance for his ministry: “Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.”
Information on this faith-based ministry is available at its website, Gipm.homestead.com.
Golden believes that prayer is “foundational for everything we do as Christians and as the church. Our prayers often are misdirected, concentrating more on our personal needs and less on ‘his kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’?”
Rick Astle is director of missions for the Waccamaw Baptist Association and a board member for GIPM. “An outstanding feature of Global Intercessory Prayer Ministry,” he says, “is the opportunity it provides to personally connect with the person or church you are praying for.”
He concludes, “I have seen firsthand Wayne Golden’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading as these prayer partnerships are identified and established. That is why GIPM is more than just another ‘kingdom prayer idea.’ It is truly a ministry with God’s hand upon it.”
Golden publishes ‘A Closer Walk’
Wayne Golden is author of a 170-page book, “A Closer Walk,” about applying biblical truths to daily living.
The devotional guide covers subjects relevant today and offers practical truths for daily living – such topics as grace, forgiveness, joy and discouragement. The author’s hope is that readers will experience God’s truth, blessings and power in their lives.
Paul Welch, director of missions for Orangeburg-Calhoun Baptist Association, says in the foreword, “You’ll be challenged to follow that river called intercessory prayer that flows straight to the heart of God. Trust me! It’s quite a journey.”
Golden is founder and director of Global Intercessory Prayer Ministry in St. Matthews, where he lives with his wife Elaine. He formerly was pastor of Congaree Baptist Church there.
The book was printed in 2009 by Tate Publishing in Mustang, Okla.