3 Min Read
Learn to pray by praying!
Pray for prayer to increase in your church.
Pray for a greater desire to encounter God.
Pray for God’s voice to be heard and His presence to be tangible.
Pray persistently for your community and create spaces to seek God together.
“None but praying leaders can have praying followers”
E. M. Bounds
Others can’t catch what you’re not infectious with. Community leaders must be the forerunners in prayer; present and engaged at prayer gatherings and, even more importantly, investing in their own personal time with God.
Explore the Help me pray section for resources to encourage, inspire and equip leaders in prayer.
Many people find prayer difficult, and they could be struggling to overcome apathy, fear, disappointment, guilt or questions about how prayer works.
So, teach on prayer. Share practical resources to help people try new ways of talking with God. Get creative, model praying in a variety of ways in your Sunday gatherings, prayer meetings, small groups and private contexts.
Build faith by telling stories of God’s presence; of how God has spoken; and of answered prayer.
Draw on your own experience, the experiences of other Christians and the stories captured in the Bible. Whenever you pray as a community and God responds; make a point of celebrating and thanking God together.
Plan times of focused corporate prayer and invite everyone to get involved.
You could organise a 24-7 Prayer Room and pray night and day, as a community, in one-hour shifts for a week or more. Extreme challenges can galvanise and inspire people to get involved.
Gradually build rhythms of corporate prayer.
Let one new rhythm (like monthly prayer meetings, or Monday morning prayer) become normal and sustainable before adding more. Repeatedly share the vision – why you’re praying – and invite people to get involved. Continue to tell stories of the impact of prayer and plan for one or two seasons each year when you focus again on the importance of prayer.
