By Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —Lifeway Christian Resources has partnered with filmmakers Stephen and Alex Kendrick to provide churches with a suite of resources to accompany their latest film, “War Room,” which spotlights prayer, its power and purpose.
The movie, releasing in theaters Aug. 28, tells the story of a prayer warrior grandmother (played by Karen Abercrombie) who mentors a young mom (Priscilla Shirer) facing a troubled relationship with her husband (T.C. Stallings).
The impetus for the movie goes back to 2012, when Alex Kendrick, director and co-writer, said he and his brother felt led by God to “make a movie where we call the body of believers to pray” and to “fight in prayer.”
“If there ever was a time God’s people needed to plead with God for direction and intervention, it’s now,” Alex said. “We must make sure are right with Him and seeking His involvement in our culture, government, churches and families. We’re eroding to fast on too many levels.”
The film is accompanied by several resources from B&H Publishing Group and Lifeway including a book by the Kendrick brothers titled “The Battle Plan for Prayer,” and a book titled “Fervent” by Shirer, a New York Times best-selling author who plays the lead character in the film. “Prayer Works: Prayer Training and Strategy for Kids” and “Peter’s Perfect Prayer Place” are two children’s books written by the Kendricks.
For churches that want to go deeper in their understanding of prayer, Lifeway is releasing a “War Room Bible Study” and Church Campaign Kit, which includes the 5-week small group study, sermon outlines and promotional items.
“When I talk to other believers, almost all of them have something of a strategy for their finances, for their health, for their children’s education, for their retirement,” Alex said. “But if you ask them ‘What’s your strategy for prayer?’ they look at you funny. What’s your strategy for praying for your spouse, for your children, for your children’s future spouse, for your church, for the leaders of our country? The Lord, in Scripture, tells us to pray for these things.”
“The Battle Plan for Prayer” will give readers “applications of biblical prayer with a focus on praying strategically in various areas of life,” Alex said.
“You can’t hit what you’re not aiming at,” Stephen, producer and co-writer, added. “When we pray biblically, strategically and specifically, we position ourselves to maximize the impact of our praying and to more readily see God glorified through the answers. Writing “The Battle Plan for Prayer” has caused me to pray with greater freedom and confidence in the Lord.”
For the Kendricks, nothing is more important or dramatic than prayer, calling it a lifeline to the Father in their spiritual lives.
“Both Stephen and myself have increased our time with the Lord in prayer,” Alex said. “We’re also helping our families to do the same thing. We want to be warriors ready for His orders, not lukewarm believers that spend most of our time on the bench.”
“War Room” is the fifth film for the brother team, who have released a string of box office hits beginning with “Facing the Giants” in 2006. Their last two movies opened in the Top 5, with their most recent (“Courageous”) hitting No. 1 on the first weekend in per-theater average.
While the Kendricks would love for “War Room” to be successful at the box office like their other films, that’s not their most important goal.
“Our hope and desire,” said Stephen, “is God will call our generation back to prayer for our marriages, families, nation, and our world.”
The praying doesn’t stop now that the film is headed to theaters. Alex said next up for him and his brother are “a little rest and a lot of prayer. God has another tour of duty for us soon, so we want to be ready.”
For more information about “War Room” resources, visit Lifeway.com/WarRoom.
