About Partners for Transformation

Partners for Transformation exists to reveal the heart of God through the unity of the Church by sacrificially praying and serving, so that our region may be healed, reconciled, and transformed.

Unity of the Church: “Foundational to living for Christ is living in unity. It is not negotiable; it is not optional; it is not voluntary.” We must ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3). Paul expands on the theme of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that the church would be one so the world might believe that the Son (Jesus) was sent by the Father (God).

“Unity is central to the gospel. Unity breeds belief, and disunity breeds atheism. Unity can only happen when we are reconciled to each other. Disunity proclaims that God is not big enough or powerful enough or real enough to cause people to truly love one another. Either unity is our top priority or it is not even on our list. Unity takes effort, and it requires perseverance. Unity is not easy, and it is often not pretty. Unity can be uncomfortable, and it involves taking risks. But the benefits far outweigh the trials.

Paul lays out prerequisites for Christian unity: we must be humble, gentle, forbearing, and patient. Paul tells the church that believers can be in unity because God is a triunity. He urges Ephesians to grow up into unity.” (Pier, Mac & Sweeting, Katie. “The Power of a City at Prayer”. InterVarsity, 2002. pp. 127-128.)

Unity is not uniformity nor is it institutional.

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Transformation

Transformation is where a person, place, concept, circumstance or object shifts from one form or condition to another. It is a condition of dramatic sweeping renewal (socio-political, environmental, economic, spiritual) that results from God’s people entering into corporate prayer, repentance, vision and action.

Casting Vision for Prayer for Revival and Transformation

Defining of community transformation is a formative process. As we pray about transformation, we need a common and expansive definition of what a truly transformed community might look like. Here are some possible characteristics:

A Transformed Community Is:

  • A neighborhood, city, or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God.
  • A place where the divine fire of God’s Holy Spirit is not merely been sought, but has fallen.
  • A society in which natural change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power.
  • A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God.
  • A location where Kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations.

For the term transformation to be properly applied to a community, change must be evident not only in the lives of its inhabitants, but also in the fabric of its institutions. In the end, it is dramatic spiritual, social, political, and even ecological renewal that sets these cases apart from common experience.

Indicators of Transformation:

  • Political leaders publicly acknowledge their sin and dependence on God (2 Kings 11:17-18; 23:1-3; Jonah 3:6-9).
  • New laws, curricula, and business practices are put into effect (2 Chronicles 19:4-10; Nehemiah 10:31).
  • The natural environment is restored to its original life-nurturing state (Leviticus 26:4-5; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Ezekiel 34:27-31).
  • Economic conditions improve and lead to a discernible lessening of poverty (2 Chronicles 17:3-5; Psalm 144:13-14; Isaiah 60:5-7; Amos 9:13).
  • There is a marked change in social entertainment and vices as Kingdom values are integrated into the rhythm of daily life (Ezra 10:1-4; Nehemiah 8:10, 16-17; Acts 19:17-20).
  • Crime and corruption diminish throughout the community (2 Kings 12:13-15; Nehemiah 5:6-12; Isaiah 60:17-18).
  • Volunteerism increases as Christians recognize their responsibility to heal and undergird the community (Isaiah 58:10-12; 61:1-4).
  • Restored hope and joy leads to a decline in divorce, bankruptcy, and suicide (Nehemiah 12:27-28, 43; Isaiah 54:11-14; 61:3-7; Jeremiah 30:17-19; 31:11-13; Hosea 2:15).
  • The spiritual nature of the growing socio-political renewal becomes a hot topic in secular media (2 Chronicles 20:29; Nehemiah 6:16; Isaiah 55:5; Ezekiel 36:36; Acts 19:17).
  • Overwhelmed by the goodness of God, grateful Christians take the embers of revival into surrounding communities and nations (2 Chronicles 17:9; Isaiah 61:6; Acts 11:20-26).

Although the word “transformation” is being used by many ministries and city-reaching initiatives to describe many different conditions, PFT is committed to “presence-based transformation” vs. “program-oriented ministry”. Presence-based transformation is the condition where the presence of Jesus Christ is so manifest that clearly He is bringing about transformation in hearts and in society. Our role is not to program transformation by man-made efforts, rather, it is to invite Jesus’ presence into our communities to transform them.

Core Principles of Transformation:

  • God wants to be invited into our communities.
  • God is drawn to holiness and humility.
  • Corporate revival begins with individual obedience.
  • Biblical unity is a majority with God.
  • Breakthrough prayer releases destiny.
  • God’s work will always be sovereign and unique.
  • God uses persevering servant leaders.

Obstacles to Transformation:

  • Theological misperceptions
  • Reliance on programs
  • Lowered expectation
  • Misplaced motives
  • Ignorance of the past
  • No sense of ownership
  • Lack of hunger

These principles are contained in the “Quickening” DVD produced by The Sentinel Group, and the “Quickening Study Guide” produced by Prayer Transformation Ministries.

“It is not enough to simply wish for change, or to hope that God will include our community on His revival itinerary. If spiritual transformation is to become a reality in our lives, then hope must give way to faith and commitment. Our solitary goal must be to prepare the way of the Lord, to ensure that He feels welcome and comfortable in our midst.” — George Otis, Jr

“This is a matter of faith, not triumphalism. There is, and will likely continue to be, gross spiritual darkness in the world. Our goal is not to make a new heaven and a new earth, but rather to create salty spots on the earth that stimulate a thirst for God. Like many salty appetizers, these temporal transformations point the way to a larger, more satisfying meal to come.” - Taken from International Fellowship of Transformation Partners, Transform World Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia, May 2005
Copyright 2007 Prayer Transformation Ministries

Transformation is not the result of a formula of doing ministry. Many of the communities that have experienced transformation share these commonalities:

  • Persevering Leadership
  • Sustained Prayer
  • Social Action and Reconciliation
  • Public Power Encounters
  • Diagnostic and informed intercession

Report by Pastor Don Campbell of Moravia Assembly of God.
On March 3-7, we gathered together as the regional church of Baltimore to hear what God desired to say to us through the ministry of Pastor John Mulinde, Pastor Mark Daniel, and Dr. Doug Stringer. This gathering was the culmination of a series of sovereign “God-arranged” events that began in April of 2007 when God, independent of human planning, introduced Baltimore to the ministry of these three men. The theme for our gathering was “Preparing the Ground for Transforming Revival.” God’s presence was powerfully manifested in our gatherings; the trans-denominational spirit of unity was nothing less than the prayer of Jesus in John 17 becoming reality among us. During this time, the Holy Spirit imparted a clear word of direction for us that resonated across cultural, geographic, worship, and denominational distinctive. We knew that we had heard from God!

As an eclectic group of pastors, ministry leaders, and lay people, we are moving forward in the vision God has given us for the coming year. There is a sense of unity that many of us have never experienced in all our years of ministry. It crosses denominational lines and is characterized by humility and deference to one another. We gather week after week for prayer with one another with a clear sense of vision and commitment for present and future times of prayer. Our resources are being shared in significant proportion as the regional Church of Baltimore for the accomplishment of this vision God has given us. Very distinctly, this is beginning to feel like the ministry of the New Testament Church with the Holy Spirit leading and directing and uniting.