Teach Us to Pray with Stephen Castellow
Episode Summary
In this episode of the KC Underground podcast, Brian and Cory are joined by Stephen Castellow, a disciple-making practitioner who lives at the intersection of movement and prayer. Together, they continue the conversation on extraordinary prayer.
We feel the tension that we talk about prayer, we teach it, we even build structures around it, but still wonder if we’re actually becoming people of prayer. Stephen invites us to consider moving beyond tools and strategies into a life of abiding, where prayer is not something we perform, but the place we are formed.
Key Themes & Takeaways
1. Prayer as the Power Before Strategy
KC Underground often names prayer as the power before human strategy.
Even among disciple-makers, prayer can become something we talk about more than something we truly practice.
Stephen challenges leaders to ask: Would I be glad if someone multiplied my actual prayer life?
2. Prayer and Disciple-Making Must Stay Connected
Stephen often finds himself as “the prayer guy” in DMM spaces and “the DMM guy” in prayer spaces.
Prayer movements and disciple-making movements often speak different languages, but they deeply need one another.
Movement strategy must be received from God before it is implemented.
3. Jesus Modeled Prayer Before Ministry
Jesus prayed all night before selecting leaders in Luke 6.
The apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word in Acts 6.
In Acts 13, new missionary work began in worship, fasting, and listening to the Holy Spirit.
True apostolic ministry is marked by prayer, not just activity.
4. Moving From Tools to Embodied Prayer
Tools like Discovery Bible Study are helpful, but the goal is not simply to multiply tools.
The deeper question is whether our lives with God are worth multiplying.
Prayer must become embodied in families, communities, rhythms, and daily life.
5. Learning Desperation Through Dependence
Stephen names desperation as longing for Jesus to do all He has promised.
Desperation grows as we undo control, slow down, worship, fast, and spend time with the poor and overlooked.
Being with refugees and the marginalized has shaped Stephen’s prayer life by bringing him back to need, longing, and dependence.
6. Receiving Instead of Striving
The invitation is not to try harder, but to receive from Jesus.
Prayer forms us into people who are less frantic and more dependent.
When we receive from God, we become better spouses, parents, disciple-makers, and neighbors.
Final Thoughts
This conversation invites disciple-makers to stop treating prayer as a strategy and begin receiving it as a way of life with Jesus. Extraordinary prayer is not about performing, striving, or proving ourselves. It is about becoming people who are rooted in dependence, shaped by worship, and led by the Spirit.
