- Make time for a “missionary moment” each service to pray for missionaries and missions needs. You can find needs at the International Mission Board (www.imb.org) and the Joshua Project (http://www.joshuaproject.net). Think about combining this “moment” with the time for taking the offering.
- Begin a weekly “Focus on the Family” prayer time. That is, focus on one family in the church each week, and pray for them. Intercede for them during the service, and invite others to greet them personally after the service.
- Regularly pray for sister congregations and ministries in your area. How many church buildings do you and your members drive by each week without praying for them? Intentionally and strategically praying for churches during your service will encourage your members to notice those churches.
- Make time in services to talk about God’s answers to prayers. I suspect that God has answered many of our prayers, but we’ve told very few people about it—and we’ve missed an opportunity to glorify Him. Our churches will pray more if their faith is increased by hearing about God’s response to us.
- End the service with a prayer to commission the congregation and to pray for more laborers. That’s how Jesus taught laborers to pray (Luke 10:1-2), and it’s always wise to do what He taught us.
What other ideas would you add on how to build prayer into a worship service? Let’s help each other.
This article on how to build prayer into a worship service originally appeared here.
