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Group prayer can be an encouraging, growth producing, bonding experience! But it can also be seen as threatening to the person who is not ready to participate.
After your group gets off the ground, people will begin sharing more about their lives. Difficult circumstances they face will surface. This is a natural time to ask, "Would you mind if we pray about that?" While a Neighborhood Bible Study is not a prayer group, 10-15 minutes of prayer at the end of a study will help your group blossom.
But how do you help the group get comfortable praying together? How do you get beyond the fears people have and experience real prayer? And how do you include sharing and prayer in only 10-15 minutes?
Ice breakers about prayer
Try one or both of these when introducing prayer to your group.
- What was prayer like for you as a child?
- Few of us are comfortable praying aloud. What, if anything, has helped you overcome the discomfort of praying aloud?
Prayer Starters
- To overcome the fear of hearing your voice in prayer, ask each person to think of some aspect of today's study and finish the sentence, "Thank you God for ____________" or "Help me to _________________." Remember to avoid going around in a circle.
- If your study guide ends each discussion with a prayer, pray it aloud together.
- Pair off and share one thing to pray for each other during the next week. Optional: pray together before they leave.
- Have each person write 1-2 requests on a 3x5 card with their name and phone number on it. Have each person pick a card and pray for the requests during the next week, agreeing to follow up on them by phone or in person.
Successful group prayers are…
…Short
One or two sentences from each person allow time for all to pray, if they wish.
…Simple
Those who have never prayed aloud can offer one simple sentence from the heart. Avoid complicated phrases and a special prayer vocabulary or voice.
…Specific
Written requests and answers noted and dated encourage prayer. Be specific - then we can tell when it is answered!
…Suitable
- Requests should be about you! How can we pray for you? What do you need mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically? You are the person we know and want to support. When a person asks for prayer for someone outside the group, it is fine to pray for that person, but make it a habit to respond: "How can we pray for you in this situation?"
- This is not a time for advice or comments or suggestions, but for prayer!
- Tie the request into the lesson as much as possible.
…Safe
Keep confidentiality! This will build trust, openness and security.
Inarticulate prayer, the impulsive prayer that looks so futile, is the thing God
always heeds!
Oswald Chambers
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The Initiator's Scoop
- As a leader, model simple, short prayers.
- If the question-asker for the day is uncomfortable with spontaneous prayer, encourage him or her to write it out beforehand.
- Do not insist every aspect of each prayer request be covered, but DO pray for at least one aspect of each request.
- Do not pray around the circle and do not put anyone "on the spot". However, it is your goal that each person learns to pray out loud at some point during the life of the small group.
- Keep monitoring the time and wrap up the prayer time by covering any request not prayed for that day, then close.
- Follow up on prayer requests, perhaps over the phone.
- Do not allow one person to monopolize prayer time. Gently move people along.
- Suggest low-key requests for the person who can't think of anything to pray for, such as "Pray that I can be supportive (or kind, helpful, encouraging…) with my children (or husband…) this week."
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