In a group setting, you will have people with different comfort levels regarding public prayer. I usually open and close our time in prayer for the first couple of months, unless I know someone is okay with it. I slowly begin to involve everyone in the group. I start slow at first, but by the end, most everyone feels comfortable praying.
Teach / Model How to Pray
When you pray, be mindful that you have beginners in the room. Make your prayers simple and concise. Take opportunities when you can to discuss how to pray. Address the following concerns:
- You don't have to have a special vocabulary. God wants us to use our everyday language. No one says "thee" and "thou" anymore.
- You don't have to pray for every topic discussed.
- A one-sentence prayer is okay.
- It is okay to jump back into prayer and pray again.
- It is okay not to pray, but leaders lead.
How to Pray as a Group
Here are some ideas to add some variety to the group prayer format. Remember, we are doing more than praying; we are teaching them to pray.
- Pick someone to start and finish – anyone who wants to can pray in the middle.
- Popcorn Prayer – limit everyone to one sentence on a topic. They can pray multiple times, but keep it very short. This is a good entry-level prayer.
- Pray one at a time – go in a circle. It lets them know they are going to pray and when to pray.
- Assign a topic to each person to pray.
- Lead the group through multiple topics – announce the topic and then let the group pray. When it is time, announce the next topic and keep going. This method works well with the A.C.T.S. method.
- Break into groups of 2-3. Share prayer requests and pray.
- Have everyone get on their knees – this can be very powerful.
- Pray through a scripture passage together.
- Have everyone go off by themselves and write a letter from God.
- Have each person bring a scripture passage to read during prayer time.
Prayer Request
I usually limit prayer requests to personal and immediate family. There are exceptions, but my focus in this group is narrower. I am trying to create a safe place where my group can be transparent in their prayer request. Most will not be transparent when the others ask for us to pray for the cat of a coworker's high school friend's parents. They are usually hiding behind a vague request instead of opening up to the group. Sometimes you will have to prompt them to share by asking how their marriage is or about some struggle they have. It is easier to teach people to pray when praying for a friend's needs.
