I recently caught up with Sam Harvey, national coordinator of 24-7 Prayer New Zealand and lead pastor of Bay Vineyard Church in Hawke’s Bay. We talked about why prayer matters, what God is doing in churches across Aotearoa, and how any parish can begin building or continue developing a culture of prayer.
Sam: I grew up in the Anglican Church, so that’s been my world for much of my life. Today I’m the lead pastor of Bay Vineyard Church in Napier, which we planted about eight years ago. Alongside that, I serve as the national coordinator for 24-7 Prayer New Zealand, helping encourage and resource churches across Aotearoa to grow in prayer. It’s a real privilege to walk alongside church leaders as they seek to make prayer more central in the life of their communities.
Sam: 24-7 Prayer is a global movement of prayer, mission and justice that began around 25 years ago in the United Kingdom. Pete Greig, the founder, realised that while everyone talked about prayer, many of us struggled to actually pray. So he and a group of friends decided to try something a little wild. They committed to praying day and night for a season.
Pete often jokes that “God sneezed and the whole thing went viral”. What started as one prayer room has now spread to well over 100 nations. The vision is simple: to see the Church revived and culture rewired through prayer, mission and justice.
Prayer isn’t just for a few enthusiastic Christians. It’s for everyone. We often say that we breathe in through prayer and breathe out through mission.
Sam: There are two things that really stand out.
Firstly, churches that prioritise prayer simply become places where people love Jesus more deeply. John Mark Comer once said, “The best thing about following Jesus is Jesus.” As churches spend time with him, there’s a humility, joy and healthy dependence on God that begins to shape the whole culture.
Secondly, we’re seeing remarkable missional fruit. In our own church, and in many others around New Zealand, we’re seeing people come to faith, new leaders emerge, and communities transformed. Ultimately, you can only point back to the fact that people have been faithfully praying.
When the Church gets on its knees, God moves in powerful ways.
Sam: It starts with leadership.
If prayer is going to become part of a church’s culture, it needs to become a shared conviction among the vicar, wardens, vestry, staff and ministry leaders. Begin by learning together. Read books like Dirty Glory by Pete Greig, listen to podcasts, explore resources, and ask together why prayer matters so much.
Then start discerning what prayer could look like in your own context. Every church is different, and that’s one of the beautiful things about building a culture of prayer. There’s no single model that fits everyone.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was this: start with one really good prayer gathering. Lead it well. Pray thoughtfully. Create space for people to encounter God. Then build from there.
Don’t feel like you need to do everything at once. Simply begin with what God has already placed in your hands.
Sam: The best place to start is the 24-7 Prayer website. There you’ll find practical resources, prayer room ideas, books, courses and encouragement for individuals and churches.
Our team also loves meeting with church leaders around the country. If you’re exploring what a stronger culture of prayer could look like in your own church, we’d be delighted to sit down, listen, and help however we can.
Prayer isn’t another programme to add to the calendar. It’s about helping people encounter Jesus and allowing his presence to shape every part of church life.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
I recently caught up with Sam Harvey, national coordinator of 24-7 Prayer New Zealand and lead pastor of Bay Vineyard Church in Hawke’s Bay. We talked about why prayer matters, what God is doing in churches across Aotearoa, and how any parish can begin building or continue developing a culture of prayer.
Sam: I grew up in the Anglican Church, so that’s been my world for much of my life. Today I’m the lead pastor of Bay Vineyard Church in Napier, which we planted about eight years ago. Alongside that, I serve as the national coordinator for 24-7 Prayer New Zealand, helping encourage and resource churches across Aotearoa to grow in prayer. It’s a real privilege to walk alongside church leaders as they seek to make prayer more central in the life of their communities.
Sam: 24-7 Prayer is a global movement of prayer, mission and justice that began around 25 years ago in the United Kingdom. Pete Greig, the founder, realised that while everyone talked about prayer, many of us struggled to actually pray. So he and a group of friends decided to try something a little wild. They committed to praying day and night for a season.
Pete often jokes that “God sneezed and the whole thing went viral”. What started as one prayer room has now spread to well over 100 nations. The vision is simple: to see the Church revived and culture rewired through prayer, mission and justice.
Prayer isn’t just for a few enthusiastic Christians. It’s for everyone. We often say that we breathe in through prayer and breathe out through mission.
Sam: There are two things that really stand out.
Firstly, churches that prioritise prayer simply become places where people love Jesus more deeply. John Mark Comer once said, “The best thing about following Jesus is Jesus.” As churches spend time with him, there’s a humility, joy and healthy dependence on God that begins to shape the whole culture.
Secondly, we’re seeing remarkable missional fruit. In our own church, and in many others around New Zealand, we’re seeing people come to faith, new leaders emerge, and communities transformed. Ultimately, you can only point back to the fact that people have been faithfully praying.
When the Church gets on its knees, God moves in powerful ways.
Sam: It starts with leadership.
If prayer is going to become part of a church’s culture, it needs to become a shared conviction among the vicar, wardens, vestry, staff and ministry leaders. Begin by learning together. Read books like Dirty Glory by Pete Greig, listen to podcasts, explore resources, and ask together why prayer matters so much.
Then start discerning what prayer could look like in your own context. Every church is different, and that’s one of the beautiful things about building a culture of prayer. There’s no single model that fits everyone.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was this: start with one really good prayer gathering. Lead it well. Pray thoughtfully. Create space for people to encounter God. Then build from there.
Don’t feel like you need to do everything at once. Simply begin with what God has already placed in your hands.
Sam: The best place to start is the 24-7 Prayer website. There you’ll find practical resources, prayer room ideas, books, courses and encouragement for individuals and churches.
Our team also loves meeting with church leaders around the country. If you’re exploring what a stronger culture of prayer could look like in your own church, we’d be delighted to sit down, listen, and help however we can.
Prayer isn’t another programme to add to the calendar. It’s about helping people encounter Jesus and allowing his presence to shape every part of church life.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
