Effective Altar Working

As a generational Pentecostal who grew up around “altar calls” I have had opportunity to witness many different methods to working the altar, but probably more important than my random observations have been my experiences.  As a child I sought the Holy Ghost for some 3 years, and in that time I encountered a large number of altar workers.  All of them were well-meaning, but I will readily admit that some were helpful and some were far from it.  Based on those experiences and subsequent observations I have compiled some practical guidelines to altar work that I hope will answer questions and give direction to those who wish to be an effective altar worker.  Under no circumstances am I attempting to be rude or condescending in my comments, but rather to put altar work into a sometimes humorous but at all times logical perspective.  As you read the rest of this post, keep in mind that praying at the altar is a very special time for a person to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the great God of Heaven, and for many, it will be their first ever conversation with that God.  With that in focus, here are a few “rules of thumb” to use when praying with someone else.

1.       Don’t talk to them unnecessarily.  There are rare times when you will feel a strong prompting to say something specific to someone who is praying and in that instance, by all means say it.  There will also be times when you need to give them brief practical instructions that I will talk about in #8.  But as a general rule, don’t talk to them.  They don’t need you to tell them, “Worship God!  Say, ‘Hallelujah!”  “Tell Him how much you love Him!”  or “He hears you if you will just talk to Him!” unless they are clearly stuck.    They are there to talk to God and let God talk to them – and when you talk to them you interrupt that conversation. 

2.       Don’t be overly “physical.”  A hand on their shoulder to let them know you are there and supporting them is great, but don’t rub their back, push, shove, touch their face, or anything else that would be potentially distracting.  Again, this is a conversation they are having with God.  If you were having a deeply emotional conversation with another person you wouldn’t want someone to walk up in the middle of it and begin to to forcibly rock you from side to side, give you a massage, pat your face, or any number of other things people tend to do when praying with others in the altar.  Consider your actions and if what you are planning to do could potentially distract them, don’t do it.

3.       Understand the need.  Keep in mind that, as often as not, the point of working the altar is for the person to know there are others who are still praying and who are supporting them while they pray.  Toward that end, be aware of the need and respond accordingly.  If someone is seeking the Holy Ghost, worship!  The presence of God that comes down as a result of your worship will do what no amount of encouraging, shaking, yelling, or anything else will do.  If someone has an unknown need and is at the altar alone, you can pray for them, but when you finish talking to God about them, stay nearby and just keep praying so they don’t feel like the center of attention.  If a sinner comes to the altar for the first time, don’t tell them how to repent or how to pray – get close enough for them to hear you and start repenting and surrendering your life to God.  No, I’m not suggesting you fake it – there is never a time we can’t all use a time of fresh repentance and consecration.

4.       Pray – don’t stare.  Altar working is not about staring at someone while they pray.  You are there to help usher them into the presence of God and to bind together with them in unity.  The best thing you can possibly do to help someone is to pray.  Pray for them, keep a hand on their shoulder while you pray for your Great-Aunt Bertha, repent out loud, worship…do whatever is appropriate for the circumstances, but remember that staring at them is NEVER the right choice.

5.       Be aware of kids and direct them constructively.  We all want our kids to be involved and learn to live for God from a young age, but that doesn’t change the fact that an unsupervised child can hinder an altar call.  Just because we are excited that Little Suzie wants to pray for people doesn’t mean Little Suzie putting her hand on the person’s derriere (because that’s all short Little Suzie can reach) isn’t distracting.  If a child wants to be involved, pull them over to you and help them put a hand on the person’s arm or have them hold your hand while you pray for the person.  Also note that if the person praying is suffering from demonic oppression or possession, children should be removed from the altar area.  There is no reason to subject innocent children to that situation.

6.       Make it easy to go to the altar.  I recently heard a Pastor instructing his saints to go to the altar in waves and it made a lot of sense.  A few saints need to open the altar – the altar isn’t a place that only horrible, dirty, rotten sinners go and when some saints make the first move to the altar they communicate that concept.  But in many cases a sinner will hesitate before moving forward and if everyone has already gone up front they feel like they have missed their chance.  If others have “opened” the altar, wait a few minutes and then move forward.  Those extra few moments are also a great opportunity to notice anyone who might be praying at their seat and need encouragement.

7.       Let yourself be heard!  Nobody wants to feel like the whole church is waiting for them to stop praying, even if that is indeed the case.  So pray and do it out loud.  Even if the musicians are helping by playing and singing, the sound of another person seeking God is encouraging and helpful.  Please note that praying out loud does not mean praying loudly – you don’t need to scream in their ear, but make sure you can be heard enough for them to know they are not alone.

8.       Be logical.  Yes, prayer is a spiritual experience, but it happens in our very human bodies.  And what happens to and around someone praying DOES have an impact.  Toward that end, consider what will make them the most comfortable physically, especially if they are praying for a prolonged period.  I have already addressed not being distracting with unnecessary touch, but let me offer a few other thoughts on how to help reduce distractions.  Again, please remember that I speak from experience…and with a dry sense of humor.
- If they are crying, get them a few tissues and press it into their hand.  DO NOT wipe their nose for them.  They are probably not so lost in the Spirit as to be unaware of things such as snot, tears, and tissues.  Trust me when I tell you they DO know that someone is swiping at their bodily fluids and it IS distracting and embarrassing. 
- If they are hot, find a fan.
- Let them put their arms down.  I can remember nights when my shoulders screamed in pain after an hour of prayer because some well-meaning soul would repeatedly grab the hands I tried to lower and force them back into the air, and then leave me to try to keep them up.  God is not limited by whether or not someone has their hands raised, so let them do as they wish with their hands.
- If someone is determined to keep their hands up for a prolonged period of time, grab an arm and support it.  And if you are going to hold an arm up, do it firmly.  DON’T put a couple limp fingers under their elbow – that provides no support and therefore no physical relief. 
- Let them know they are free to do whatever makes them comfortable and to change position at any time.  They can receive what they need from God sitting, standing, kneeling, laying on the floor, or running laps around the building.  But odds are good that they won’t receive what they need if they are focused on excruciating pain from being in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
- If they do choose to stand when they have been sitting or kneeling, there is no reason whatsoever to insist that they continue to pray and keep their hands in the air while they awkwardly try to get on their feet with the assistance of well-meaning altar workers tugging and pulling on them.  If they want to change position, turn them loose and let them readjust.  They can go back to praying and raise their hands again when they are more comfortable.

9.       Don’t touch their head.  Unless your pastor has specifically freed you to do so, don’t touch their head.  As a general rule this should be reserved for the ministry.  There are a variety of reasons for this, but from a purely practical standpoint, it is uncomfortable for most to have a lot of people in their personal space and touching their face.

10.   DO IT!  We all have various gifts and talents, but there is not a single person who cannot be an effective altar worker, because in reality, all it takes is being willing to stand or kneel near someone and talk to God.  That’s it.  There is a powerful move of God available when saints of the Most High bind together with one another and talk to Him with and for each other, but we have to make the effort to see it happen.  So do it – make a habit of praying with others and see what God will do.