6. Enlist others to lead.
There is usually at least one person in every small group who is more comfortable and proactive in prayer or they’re good about summarizing multiple prayer needs. At the beginning of your next meeting, ask them how they’d feel about facilitating the prayer time. This can be an effective way of grooming somebody to serve as your co-leader.
7. Don’t force it.
Not everyone will have a prayer need every week so avoid calling on people or going in a certain order where somebody might feel like that have to share something. If you’re sensing somebody needs prayer or you want to follow-up on something they shared with you at another time, do it in private.
8. Write down prayer requests.
You can ask somebody to capture prayer needs so that you can follow-up on them at your next gathering. This cultivates a warm and caring environment that will help people feel safer about personally engaging in group prayer.
9. Change it up.
Find ways to engage in your group prayer at different times during your meetings and be creative in how you do it. Read biblical passages aloud then pray immediately and incorporate key words into your prayers. If you sense a personal need, pray for it right then. Prayer needs can be shared in different ways like having people write theirs down on an index card at the beginning of your time together and then each person takes one to pray over later. Diversify when and how you pray together so this critical aspect of biblical community doesn’t become rote.
10. Integration
Revisit prayer needs outside of your regular meeting times or when you’re socializing together so prayer isn’t compartmentalized in your small group life. Celebrate answers to prayer and be spontaneous about lifting up needs that arise so that prayer is naturally woven throughout the community God is growing in your group!
praying in a small group is a vital aspect of biblical community and the early believers devoted themselves to it (Acts 2:42). What flowed from it changed countless lives for eternity and literally changed the world. The Lord can use YOU to ignite passionate prayer as you engage in these practices and it will inspire greater participation among your group members. praying in a small group deepens our relationship with God and one another and we can confidently expect spiritual transformation because He is faithful.
This article about praying in a small group originally appeared here.
