A Pastor to Politicians Who Stand in the Need of Prayer
Date Published
Greetings! We hope you enjoy this ministry update about what God is doing with Public Servants' Prayer. We had a banner start to the year! The events we held had record attendance. The 14th Annual Statehouse Prayer Service had between 800-1000 people, the Women's Statehouse Day more than doubled in attendance, and our Bagels and Books events every other week were simply incredible. Here is an article that appeared in the Christian Renewal Magazine, March 23, 2018 regarding our ministry. Thank you for your prayers and support!
Can a chaplain really be the most powerful man in the Indiana General Assembly?
Republican State Rep. Randy Frye introduced Matt Barnes that way at a dinner supporting his Public Servants' Prayer ministry. As a kind of informal pastor to the state legislature, Barnes doesn't exercise political power in the usual sense. He doesn't stop legislation, endorse candidates, raise campaign funds or swing voters in elections. He just works on the Bible command to pray for government officials. He gets Republicans and Democrats together for Bible study and prayer. He makes pastoral calls on state officials. He stays out of partisan debates, and he creates times of peace and quiet when legislators can set aside their political differences to pray.
State Sen. Jean Breaux, an Indianapolis Democrat, paid tribute to those times in recalling how she has come to know Republicans from other parts of the state. They have some heated arguments about abortion, gun control or crime. Praying together takes off some o f the sting. "For me it has humanized individuals who are all to often politicized," she said. "If I hold hands with Sen. (Travis) Holdman (a Republican) in the morning in prayer, then I don't want to hit him over the head in the afternoon. It helps me respect the differences with my brothers and sisters across the aisle."
Barnes never planned to be a pastor to politicians or a powerful man in state government. Growing up in a homeschooling family, he was humbly loading boxes at Home Depot in southern Indiana at age 19. His father was a pastor so he knew something about prayer. He was trying to discern Christ's calling for his life.
At Home Depot he and some co-workers didn't like the boss. He was ornery. So Barnes enlisted co-workers for five minutes o f prayer to start their 4 a.m. shift. The boss became a nicer guy. Employees also got kinder hearts.
Later Barnes went to a local council meeting and took prayer requests from council members. They were surprised but appreciated someone who didn't come to complain about sewers or zoning regulations.
Barnes was thinking of the apostle Paul's admonition to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2: 1) as he approached the General Assembly the same way 15 years ago. A few members would pray together informally. They were led by former Secretary of State Ed Simcox and state Sen. Dennis Kruse, and the small prayer group extended back 30 years to the late 1970s. Gradually Barnes became the informal and full-time chaplain for state government.
"He's not there to judge or advance an agenda," says state Rep. Terri Austin, an Anderson Democrat who appreciated Barnes' pastoral concern when she lost a family member. "He's there to offer prayer and an ever-present listening ear."
Barnes came to this calling at an opportune time. The political environment has grown more toxic. Some people won't talk to political adversaries. Social media seems to drive people farther apart.
Matt Barnes is onto something about prayer. Prayer meetings, launched by a Manhattan businessman, sparked a spiritual revival in New York City in 1859 just before the Civil War.
Barnes would renounce any claim to being the most powerful man in the Indiana legislature. Yet he has renewed an old truth about the real power of prayer.
(Christian Renewal Magazine, March 23, 2018 I Russell Pulliam)