The prophet's handbook

Once budding prophets have been spotted, as with their ancient predecessors, church prophets should be set to responsibly equip newcomers to the office, and later qualify their readiness to serve. Church prophets’ superintending and training goals, considering this requirement, should be positioned to educate and supply prophets-in-training (PITs for short) to answer God’s call. More than the ability to see something spiritually with their mind’s eye and utter it should be required as mandatory training should prove. The ideal superintendent of the church’s prophetics is interested in what smoothly integrates the new prophet into the cultural life of the church. Master or chief prophets should then gear their PITs to serve competently when the time comes for them to be inducted into God’s service. Their learning programs should implement every pedagogical method available to ensure their success. Structural schooling then figures prominently in the constant ministry of the church prophet, or at least it should. The work of a prophet in the local church, as you can see, is infinitely more involved than standing up in church and yelling, “Thus says the Lord” or “I see a car, money, or home for you.” Any psychic can do that. It is these other powers and functions, which many prophets know little about, that distinguish the two. They must be tried, purged, proven, and then authenticated to separate the prophesier from the official prophet, or even the intercessor. Resident or staff prophets identify the lively stones, that is, potential workers, leaders, and ministers in the work, and collaborate with the pastor on their development and installation. Staff prophets participate in the church’s government as subordinates or compeers, ideally helping to shepherd, order, structure, and maintain the house of God. Church prophets are key to their churches’ overall training aims and activities and are instrumental in the success of their holistic spiritual stature in Christ. Staff prophets are also to be the sage counsel and the divine flow of wisdom pastors can look to for assistance in every godly way. They each serve as one of their church’s significant visionary pillars to validate and expedite the pastor’s vision and the church’s mission. This is important when the membership falls into skepticism or cynicism over a proposed venture or project the Lord wants the church to undertake. Old Testament prophets Zechariah and Haggai were prophets of old who performed this function. (See Haggai 1 and Zechariah 1.) Here is how they relate. When the word came down from God to start rebuilding the temple and the wall of Jerusalem, the people were not at all motivated to do so. These two prophets stepped up and called on the people to obey God’s decree. They confirmed the word was of the Lord and supported the leaders practically,