By Marcy Lytle
To have friends, a man must show himself friendly. We all know this wise saying, and pastors in Austin now know it even better. If Austin is going to be changed through acts of kindness, this has to start among our leaders and then trickle down to those they serve. And when our pastors pray, worship, and truly experience friendship with one another, congregations will follow suit.
Just this week, 120 pastors and ministry leaders from churches all over our city gathered together in one place to pray together, worship together, and get to know each other better. Pastors from different denominations, big and small congregations, young and old, and varied ethnicities came to Camp Buckner for 24 hours of prayer.
Bob Bakke, Pastor and Global Day of Prayer leader, spoke about how revival spreads through friendships and how revival has been stopped because pastors and key leaders were friendly, but
weren’t friends. Trey Kent, Pastor of Northwest Fellowship and champion of Unceasing Prayer, says, “I was encouraged and challenged that the simple task of building friendships with area pastors is a vitally important next step for us all!” Gaylon Clark, Lead Pastor at Greater Mount Zion, recalls Bob Bakke’s words, “History is transformed among friends.” Both Kent and Clark were encouraged to deepen relationships with other pastors through these connections. Will Davis, Senior Pastor at Austin Christian Fellowship, says of the Gathering, “Pastors, who because of race or theology might not relate well in other settings or cities, openly embrace, love and affirm each other. It’s like a family reunion.”
Worship was a major part of connecting and refreshing at the Gathering. Led by Austin’s own One 
Chapel Pastor, Ross Parsley, it was an “amazing encouragement to us all,” shares Kent. Barbara Bucklin, key leader of Intercession in the City and Luke 4:18 Ministries, saw a fresh passion in worship and prayer, and was challenged to “pour out everything for Jesus!” Davis says it was so “healing just being there.” He added, “God obviously loves our unity.”
Prayer was the reason for the gathering. Pastors prayed for personal return to their “first love,” church-wide removal of barriers, and city-wide transformation. Davis said that the pastors are asking big things of God for each other, the churches, and the city…and God is answering.
The Pastor’s Prayer Gathering hasn’t really ended…it just changed venues….from the Camp to the region. Pastors decided to gather again often, to reach various sections of Austin. Many agreed to pray at noon on Thursdays with believers throughout our city for revival in the greater Austin area. And as Will Davis shared, “Since this prayer gathering began several years ago, people all over the country have started using the words Movement and Austin in the same sentence. Yay God.”
As Bakke stated, it was friendships between three to five praying men that sparked revivals which changed the direction of our nation. Imagine what impact 120 friends can make!
