Note: This article was originally written on February 6, 2011. It has been slightly updated and serves as part 4 of a series of articles on the Prayer Movement
We appreciate all that God is doing in His diverse body, and we want to be able to learn from those have gone before us or do things better than we do. Below are three major 24/7 prayer & worship movements that have influenced us in some way. You will see diversity even among those who are pursuing day and night prayer.
Note: The statements about these ministries are generalities. Please visit these ministries’ web sites or go to one of their events for a clearer picture of their ministries. We want to honor all of these and the way God has used them to impact our ministry.
Comparison Chart
| IHOP-KC | 24-7 Prayer | Burn 24-7 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 1999 | 2006 |
| Founder/Leader | Mike Bickle | Pete Greig | Sean Feucht |
| Slogan | “24/7 worship and prayer, and 24/7 works of justice” | “Prayer, Justice and Mission” | “Contend. Worship. Blaze” |
| Worship Format | Harp & Bowl Intercessory Worship | Individual prayer shifts | 24-100hr Burns of Worship |
| Prayer Room Style | Band on stage and rows of chairs | Creative and interactive. No stage area. | Open space and some creative arts elements |
| Probably Reading | Revelation or Song of Songs | The Gospels | Acts or OT Prophets |
| Emphasis | Intimacy and End-Times | Community, creativity, justice and mission | Prophetic worship and supernatural gifts |
| Key Book | Growing in Prayer | Red Moon Rising | Fire and Fragrance |
- IHOP-KC started 24/7 worship in September 1999. Slogan: “24/7 prayers for justice with 24/7 works of justice”.
- They were founded by Mike Bickle, who has a strong teaching gift. His web site has thousands of free teachings and IHOPU is a full-blown university.
- They have full bands/worship teams that are singing and prayer non-stop. They use an original “harp & bowl” model of worship and prayer that includes antiphonally singing Bible passages as prayers. There are three large harp & bowl manuals.
- They are a very large “missions base” with thousands of people (staff, interns, students, others) who are involved in their community there.
- You would probably hear them reading from Revelation or Song of Songs.
- Their prayer room is plain with a stage and rows of chairs. It looks like a typical evangelical church sanctuary – this is try to focus people on the Scripture and on God Himself. Up until the last few years you would rarely see any expression (dancing, clapping, etc.) when you watched the prayer room web stream. Usually people are sitting in chairs with their eyes closed and a Bible in their lap.
- Their emphasis is on intimacy with Jesus and end-times. They believe 24/7 prayer is hastening Jesus’ return. His return will be the ultimate justice God desires as well as the full manifestation of the intimacy that we (the Bride) desire with Jesus (the Bridegroom).
- 24-7 Prayer also started in 1999. Slogan: “Prayer, Mission and Justice”
- Their launch was accidental as Pete Greig started a 24-7 prayer week with his church in the UK. The idea exploded across Europe and now the world. Pete tells the story in his book Red Moon Rising (and the follow up Dirty Glory).
- They emphasize learning, but you won’t hear much formal teaching. They would prefer you learn in community from shared experiences and storytelling.
- They organize with temporary 24-7 prayer weeks/months where individuals sign up for one-hour shifts to fill the calendar. When these 24-7 prayer rooms begin to develop into ongoing communities, they call them Boiler Rooms (they tell the Boiler Room story in the book Punk Monk).
- You would probably hear them reading from the Gospels
- Their prayer rooms are diverse, creative and artistic. Lots of prayer stations, artwork and interactive elements. There is no space for live worship or bands, usually just a CD player.
- Their emphasis is on prayer, mission and community. They like urban prayer rooms in rough parts of town, homeless people, goths, skater kids and artists.
- Burn 24-7 was launched in 2006 from spontaneous, all-night dorm-room worship gatherings at Oral Roberts University. Slogan: “Contend. Worship. Blaze.”
- They are led by Sean Feucht, a young prophetic worship leader who share a lot of the Burn 24-7 stories in his book Fire and Fragrance.
- They launch prayer rooms starting with monthly Burns that last 24-100 hours, with non-stop live worship. They have a less distinctive style or format, and the Burn atmospheres vary depending on the geographic location and even the particular worship leader that happens to be playing. It would not be unusual to see quite a few different kinds of instruments and musical styles in one Burn.
- They have specialized training such as worship schools, and they take multiple overseas missions trips every year.
- They would probably be reading the Old Testament prophets or the book of Acts.
- They emphasize the power of prophetic worship, supernatural gifts and intercession to transform the spiritual atmosphere of regions and cities. You will hear them discuss the Tent of David a lot. They are known to “burn” in public places or strategic locations as part of their missions strategy for areas.
- Their missions emphasis is international. They plant prayer furnaces of worship. Sean travels all over the world constantly – starting “blazes” on Burn weekends with hopes of seeing 24/7 worship emerge.