The Power and Importance of a Prayer Meeting

By Joseph Mattera
Published 07/27/2010

Joseph Mattera

Joseph Mattera has been in full-time ministry since 1980 and is currently the overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York.

Known as “a leader’s leader,” Joseph is also a virtuoso on the guitar. He has received formal education in Kingsborough Community College, Elohim Bible Institute, received ministerial training from The International Christian Center, and has received an honorary diploma from Zion Bible Institute. Joseph earned a Doctor of Divinity from the Christian Leadership Seminary, participated in BILD (Biblical Institute for Leadership Development), successfully completed a one-year certificate program with the Wilberforce Forum, and has earned a Doctor of Ministry from Bakke Graduate University, with a concentration in Biblical Worldview and Urban Ministry.

Joseph and his wife Joyce founded Resurrection Church in 1984. A multi ethnic congregation of 40 nationalities, Resurrection Church has developed and sent out high-impact leadership and numerous non-profit corporations that have greatly impacted nations and the New York region, such as Children of the City (COC regularly ministers to more than 2,000 at-risk children with counseling, after school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and other holistic ministries) and The Ekklesia Leadership Institute (which held intensive monthly seminars and week-long summits with a focus of raising up the next generation of leadership with a Christian world and life view).Joseph also has hosted his own radio show “Light Your City” and a weekly cable television programs “The Ekklesia.” He is a regular contributor to Christian newspapers, and through the years has given numerous radio and television interviews and press conferences, including guest appearances on TBN. His first published book Ruling in the Gates was released in April 2003 and has already had international acclaim.

In recognition of his years of faithful service and significant influence, numerous local and national bishops and apostolic leaders consecrated Joseph to the Office of Bishop on April 29, 2006.

Joseph, his wife, Joyce and their five children live in Brooklyn, New York.

Nowadays, pastors emphasize church growth by focusing on successful strategies for understanding their surrounding culture and target audience, and examining their congregations to determine their strengths and weaknesses. What follows is an arduous process of changing the culture of a church to reflect the new methodologies in order to fulfill its mission. The process of changing a church’s culture involves giving people a heart for evangelism, being sensitive to new people so their target audience can be reached, and empowering the congregation to have ownership of the new vision.

However, there is a fool-proof way of accomplishing all of the above so that all the strategy and hard work is not in vain. This is illustrated in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:1-4; 4:24-31). When the people of God come together and engage in prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit the following takes place: They receive God's heart for the lost, for the church's vision and mission, and they receive the strategies from God that will work to reach their communities.

If churches would allow God to download His heart, burden, and vision for their communities, we would experience the kind of impact we read about in the Book of Acts.

Dr. Joseph Mattera