Prayer time in a Growth Group or Bible Study can be a great time of connecting to God and one another. Prayer time can also become a source of frustration. These are a few ideas we’ve seen to help your prayer time move from frustration to meaningful connection. Enjoy!
Conversational Prayer
Instead of sharing requests ahead of time, the group agrees it is time to pray and then each person takes a turn praying their request(s). As people are praying out loud, group members are agreeing in prayer quietly or verbally.
Popcorn Prayer
Just like popcorn pops randomly the idea here is for the leader or someone to designate who will start and who will close the time of prayer. After the first person prays, group members “popcorn” and pray as they feel led. The time is brought to a close by the designated person.
ACTS Prayer
This model has been used for years to help believers jump start their prayer life or provide structure. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication provide a guide for what to pray for next.
Sentence Prayers
Similar to popcorn prayer, the leader starts off and directs the group by saying a word and then group members respond by praying for requests that come to mind related to the shared word. Prayer requests are brief and usually only a sentence long. A good model to start is to pray from the distant to the near such as: world, nation, state, city, home.
Simultaneous Prayer
Praying out loud all at the same time is a rare occurrence in many American churches. In many parts of Asia this is a common practice. The goal is for each person to pray out loud at the same time knowing that God hears all of your requests.
For more resources and ideas for praying together visit these pages:
- Facilitate Meaningful Group Prayer by Bill Donahue from Leading Life-Changing Small Groups
- Learning How to Pray Together by Mark Howell