Recently at a YOU Lead women’s leadership training, we had a panel answering questions submitted by attendees. Several past and upcoming posts address those and try to help answer them. This is the first in a series of 5 posts on this subject. Be sure to scroll down below this post to scroll down and read parts 1-4 first!
Today’s question is: What does the “prayer group” look like in your church? How many are in the group. How often do they meet? What is the structure of a prayer meeting?
To include a short 10 minute prayer time in any group of women try these things:
· 10 words or less-each person must only use this many words to share the request. Remember, we want to spend more time PRAYING than TALKING ABOUT PRAYING!
· Immediate family and friends only-have them focus on just a few rather than a great uncle three times removed. Not that he doesn’t need prayer, but just to keep this time short!
· Physical and spiritual needs-either personal or immediate family
· Ask specific ones to pray for each need-when time is short ask specific ones to pray for one of the requests.
You might also try using prayer forms so they fill it in (or they can come with prayer request already written when they arrive) and then either each person can draw one out to pray for till you meet again, or one person can email the list out. This is what my Sunday morning women’s small group does. We are there primarily for Bible study, but because prayer and fellowship is also important, we do try to incorporate those elements as well. Each week one person takes the list home and emails it to all our members. We also have a facebook page where we can update during the week and only our class has access to that page and those requests to keep it confidential to our group.
Other Ideas:
· Open with a devotional on prayer
· Claim promises of God
· Sing prayer songs
· Read current community papers (or national) and pray for needs you see
· Use sentence prayers as you focus on specific topics
I do hope this series has been helpful as you encourage women to pray and as you establish prayer groups to fall before His throne! Please share your insights and ideas about prayer groups in the comments box. We’d love to hear from you.
Some great prayer resources:
Transformed Lives: Taking women’s Ministry to the Next Level, compiled by Chris Adams (Some of the information above was taken from this resource)
He Speaks to Me, Priscilla Shirer
Discerning God’s Voice, Priscilla Shirer
Oh, God, Please, Leighann McCoy
Whispers of Hope, Beth Moore
Lord, Teach Me to Pray, Kay Arthur
Disciples PrayerLife, Hunt & Walker
Various Studies on Prayer by Jennifer Kennedy Dean
In God’s Presence, T. W. Hunt
The Prayer of Jesus, Ken Hemphill
Follow Me: Lessons for Becoming a Prayerwalker, Randy Sprinkle
