Praying & Church Planting | National Equipped Conference 2026 | Pastor Josiah Smith

Main message: Prayer is indispensable and non‑negotiable for church planting — you cannot plant in the flesh; you must depend on God by praying so he supplies what only he can provide and protects the work from opponents.

Key points:

• Reasons to pray: church planting faces many adversaries and discouragements, is too big for human effort, and requires divine resources (salvation and sanctification belong to God).
• How to pray: pray shaped by Scripture (open Bible), with humble dependence, expectant faith (ask according to God's will), ambitiously, and with an open hand (willing to accept unexpected answers).
• Corporate, regular prayer on launch teams builds camaraderie and zeal, increases humility, sharpens missional clarity, cultivates compassion, and leads to real transformation.
• Pray specifically and boldly (e.g., for locations, timing, finances) because God can do far more than we ask or think; be ready to receive answers you didn’t expect (illustrated by the Kuna meeting‑site provision).
• If you’re not committed to prayer, you’re not ready to plant — church planters are fundamentally pray-ers.

Scriptures mentioned: Philippians 2, Philippians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 16:9, Romans 1:16, John 15:7, John 14:12–13, 1 John 5:13–14, James 1:6, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 12, Luke 18 (persistent widow), Exodus 3, Numbers 14, Psalm 95, Matthew 28, Acts 1, Titus, (book of) Acts.