How to lead your church to pray

A July 2023 Pew Research study showed among evangelical Protestants, 79 percent claim to pray at least daily, 14 percent weekly, and seven percent only monthly, seldom, or never. Let’s do better! How can you lead your church to prioritize prayer, making it a first step rather than a last resort?

Start with Prayer
Ask God to lead your church to become a praying church. Pray for each member by name monthly. If the church is large, have the church staff help.

Model a Life of Prayer
Demonstrate an example in prayer. As the pastor and staff lead, the people usually follow. They typically do not progress beyond the spiritual level of their leaders, including in their prayer lives. Notice Jesus’s habit of prayer in Mark 1:35; 6:41, 46; and 14:34-39. Paul practiced prayer in Romans 1:8-10; 2 Corinthians 13:7, 9; Ephesians 1:16-18; Philippians 1:3-5; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; and Philemon 1:4-6.

How to lead your church to pray
The pastor can share in his sermons about his commitment to prayer, recent answers to prayer, methods of organizing prayer (such as a prayer journal), and desire for the church to become a praying church. Also, rather than just a once-a-year emphasis, prayer should be a recurring topic in sermons and a regular occurrence in worship services. Church staff members can do the same in their teaching.

Equip for Prayer
Have a Bible study series on prayer along with practical guidelines in your Sunday School or small groups. Encourage specificity in prayer. Our church started an annual six-week Spring Training course with a daily devotional guide. Prayer is an integral part of that course.

Organize Prayer Groups
Give organized opportunities for prayer. Robert Jeffress (’83), pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, attributes prayer to God’s blessing the church during his tenure. A group of men and a separate group of women pray weekly in designated prayer rooms during the worship services. They are divided into four teams who pray together once a month, and all are committed to individually praying daily.

Share Answers to Prayer
Communicate God’s answers to prayer with each other on a weekly basis. This can occur corporately in Sunday School, small groups, and prayer meetings. It can happen individually by telephone, text, e-mail, and social media. As you inspire, train, and organize your church to pray and encourage them to share answers to prayer, your church can become a praying church.

James R. Wicker (’80, ’85) is professor of New Testament at Southwestern Seminary.