By Kaye Johns
The first time I faced praying out loud in a corporate setting, I was caught in a small group in the back of the room. A young minister instructed everyone to “circle up” for prayer, and I sat there with two other people, face-to-face with my fears. Two people prayed out loud in our group—but I was not one of them!
For more than 20 years now I’ve been leading prayer groups, but I still understand what it feels like to fear praying aloud. Through trial and error, I’ve learned some tips that might help you with the groups you lead. You will often encounter fearful people, so here are some suggestions to help them overcome their reluctance.
It’s important to help people pray out loud if they’ve never done it before. If you have a personal story you can tell about yourself when you were first learning to pray out loud, share it. If you talk about your own fears and intimidations, fearful people will see you as an ally. Then ask them to pick a number from one to five to describe their comfort level in praying out loud (one lowest, five highest). Give them a few seconds to think, and then organize them into groups of two or three to talk about what number on that scale best describes their comfort level in praying aloud. You’ll hear friendly chatter and laughter as they learn they are not the only ones who might be uncomfortable or inexperienced.
Give them some rules of thumb to help the prayer time go well. Emphasize the value of one-sentence prayers. I add humor by telling participants that “some people just don’t know where to put the period!” I also like to tell people to pray long prayers at home, short prayers in public. Instruct people to speak up so others can hear them. “If you bow your head,” I tell them, “your voice goes into your lap.” Then I demonstrate, drawing a few chuckles and making my point.
To alleviate people’s worries about what they will pray when it’s their turn, I help them understand the importance of praying softly or silently along with the person who is praying. Again, I add a touch of humor by getting people to admit that we all have tried planning our prayers in advance.
Plan ahead and rehearse exactly how you will lead people in prayer. This is very important, both for those who are nervous about praying out loud and for those who will likely take over because they are too comfortable praying aloud. Many acronyms work in leading a prayer group into God’s presence, but I often choose something simple, such as PTA—Praise, Thanksgiving, Ask.
Praise—Beginning with praise and worship helps people learn to verbalize prayers of worship. Many understand the concept of worshiping with the choir or worship team, but they have not learned to add times of worship to their prayers at home. To prompt their prayers of worship I often use a set of cards with names of Jesus. (Free downloadable masters on our website can be printed on cardstock or regular paper: prayerpowerministries.com).
Pass out the prayer cards with Jesus’ names, and make sure everyone has one or more. Explain that you will introduce a time of praise and worship first, and they can praise God by His names on their cards. Ask them to complete this sentence, “Father, we praise You as _______.” Or “Father, we love You because You are_______.”
Thanksgiving—Prayers of thanksgiving are especially easy for people who may be uncomfortable praying aloud. Introduce a time of thanksgiving and ask each of them to thank God for one specific thing by completing the sentence, “Father, I thank You for_______.” Most people can come up with a few things—their families, friends, jobs, evidence of God’s blessing, His Word, salvation—whatever comes to mind.
Ask—Finally, ask God for what is needed. Let them know what your focus for prayer will be for this session (e.g., the church, the Sunday service, the mission team that’s leaving soon, pastoral staff) and go over the topics. Make it clear that you will introduce each topic, and you would like them to pray only about that one topic until you introduce the next one. This again gives parameters, helping those uncomfortable with praying aloud.
Among the many ways to lead corporate prayer, this one will work for those new to the experience. Whatever format you use, stay with it so people will know what to expect. Each time you pray, go over the ground rules and rehearse what you will do. Repetition is important to help people grow comfortable. Don’t rush the process, and count on God to bless it.
KAYE JOHNS founded Prayer Power Ministries with her husband Jim in 1994. Their ministry website offers practical prayer materials, many as free downloads.
