Training · Leading Your Group
Prayer Time
How prayer in your group should change as the group gets closer
Make prayer a regular part of your group. What it looks like should change as the group changes.
When a group is brand new, keep it simple. Wait until the end of the night, ask for requests, and pray to close. That is enough.
As the group grows closer, hand it off. Let your apprentice lead the prayer time. Ask different people to pray each week.
Only ask someone to pray out loud if you have talked to them about it ahead of time, or you are confident they are comfortable. Do not put someone on the spot who may not be at a place in their journey where praying out loud feels okay.
Requests mature along with the group. People start asking for prayer about specific, personal things. Some groups split by gender at that point so the men and the women can be more open with each other. Another option is pairing off in twos and threes to pray for each other.
Give someone the job of writing requests down
Pick a person to record the requests each week. Two things come out of that, and both matter for the health of your group.
- They can email the requests out during the week, so people actually pray for each other between meetings.
- They can record the answers and share them later. Few things are as encouraging as looking back and remembering how God showed up.
You are always modeling something
Never underestimate the power of prayer in a group. As the leader you are always showing your people what a life following Jesus looks like. Constant communication with him, turning to him when things are hard, telling him thank you. All of it is vital, and your group learns it by watching you.
Questions to sit with
What are some different ways you have experienced prayer in a group?
What are some potential challenges to praying together in a group?