Foundations of Prayer Leadership

Cheryl Sacks is the best-selling author of The Prayer Saturated Church (NavPress), a widely respected handbook for pastors and ministry leaders seeking to cultivate sustainable, church-wide cultures of prayer. The book has equipped thousands of churches nationally and internationally with theological foundations, leadership structures, and practical frameworks for building enduring prayer movements. Its emphasis on corporate prayer leadership, strategic mobilization, and spiritually aligned teams forms the backbone of Cheryl’s teaching and serves as the foundational text for this course.

Cheryl has extended these principles into next-generation and family discipleship through Prayer Saturated Kids: Equipping and Empowering Children in Prayer (NavPress) and Fire on the Family Altar: Experience the Holy Spirit in Your Home (Destiny Image). These works apply prayer leadership beyond the church setting, equipping families and emerging generations to cultivate spiritually formative environments rooted in biblical prayer.

In 2022, Cheryl launched a nationwide back-to-school prayer initiative accompanied by her book, Reclaim a Generation: 21 Days of Prayer for Schools (Prayershop.org). The book mobilizes churches and individuals across all 50 U.S. states to pray strategically for students (K–University), educators, and schools.

Prior to full-time ministry leadership, Cheryl built an extensive career in communications and education, serving as a public relations director, feature writer for the Associated Press, high school and community college instructor, and school administrator. She has also served as a guest lecturer at Southern Methodist University. This blend of marketplace leadership, academic instruction, and ministry mobilization informs her integrative approach to prayer leadership—combining theological depth, organizational structure, and practical implementation. Cheryl holds a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.