Building a Culture of Prayer in Your Church

Paul closes his letter to the church at Philippi with these meaningful instructions. While we can apply them to ourselves as individuals, they are directives to the Philippian community. As a body of believers, Paul wanted the Philippians to:

• Maintain a spirit of joy.
• Create a reputation for sensibility.
• Shun worry.
• Be grateful.
• Bring their concerns, desires, and plans before God in prayer.

This kind of church culture doesn’t happen by accident. It is created and nurtured.

Here are ten suggestions you can consider to help establish a culture of joyful prayer in your church.

1. Set goals for prayer.

Having a season of focused emphasis on prayer is fantastic, but if you really want it to have an impact, you need to set goals. It is not enough to say, “We need to pray more.” You need to set a vision for what that is and how it will be measured.

A couple of examples might be:

• Seeing a percentage of your church make a written commitment to an additional fifteen minutes of prayer a day.
• Doubling attendance at your prayer meetings in the next year.

If you want to see concrete improvements, set explicit goals.

2. Focus on baby steps.

When it comes to prayer, we have a tendency to set lofty goals and then lose steam when we don’t meet them. If you want to create lasting change, start with baby steps. Small, incremental steps forward will help you build a habit and create momentum.

For example, instead of starting by inviting the congregation to an hour-long prayer meeting, you could invite people to gather for fifteen minutes before the service. Ask people to commit to adding a few minutes of prayer into their daily schedule by tying it to something else they do every day, like during their commute or while they brush their teeth. If someone is not praying at all, five minutes a day is a huge step and can whet their appetite for more.

3. Showcase answered prayers and testimonies.

Other people’s stories of faith encourage and strengthen us. The more your congregation is exposed to stories about the impact of prayer, the more they will see that prayer is important.

You can solicit stories about people’s answered prayers or how practicing a prayer habit has changed their lives by asking from the pulpit, through email, and through your social media accounts. Once you have a handful of stories, you can sprinkle these testimonies throughout your church services.

4. Use others’ words to help guide prayer time.

Encourage your congregation to use the words of Scripture or of faith leaders when they themselves don’t know what to pray. Praying through the Psalms, praying the promises of God, or praying through written liturgies can draw us near to the Lord when we are feeling unmoored.

Set an example by praying directly from Scripture—and tell the congregation what passage you are praying from. In addition, share resources for the congregation to access the prayers of faith leaders throughout history who have blessed the Church with their meditative words.

5. Invite church members to open or close gatherings in prayer.

Many people are uncomfortable with praying out loud in front of others. Some people are afraid that they are going to say something silly, while others have to overcome a fear of public speaking. It can be helpful for them to see their peers doing it (especially when they’re nervous too).

Obviously, it’s never helpful to push someone to pray if they do not want to. But by having conversations ahead of time, giving space for people to prepare, and sharing encouragement, many people will take that step of faith.

6. Make prayer a significant part of membership.

Does your church membership process include a required class? Why not devote some of that class time to helping people understand what prayer is, the role it plays in the Kingdom, and how their prayer life can contribute to creating a more vibrant Christian community?

Sermons about prayer are wonderful, but a session like this encourages engagement and allows for more questions.

7. Keep a church prayer list.

Prayer lists let everyone know what needs your community can pray about, and they have been around for centuries because they are so effective. You can keep your prayer list on your website, your church app, an email list, or start a text group that receives updates.

Talk about the prayer list regularly on Sundays, and encourage the congregation to use it as a prayer tool during the week.

8. Invite people to pray after the service.

Just because the service is over does not mean that everyone needs to leave. You can start an after-service prayer time where people can lift each other up to the Lord.

Start by identifying a prayer team who will be available in a specific location each week at the end of the service. This team can pray with church members who choose to gather and share about their needs or the reasons they are giving thanks. With some nurturing, this can grow into a dynamic post-service prayer time.

9. Form prayer groups around specific interests.

People are eager to pray about their passions and about the needs of those whom they love. Whether it is struggling families, the needs of local ministries and organizations, or the community outreach efforts of your church, many people in your church are impacted by these issues or know someone who is. That’s why it is helpful to build teams around specific concerns. These groups can pray separately or meet regularly to pray together. You can build designated prayer teams around areas like:

• Children and youth ministries
• Growth and community outreach
• Leadership development
• Discipleship and missions
• Worship services

10. Train people to pray for each other immediately.

In the course of regular church interactions, we are exposed to each other’s needs. Typically we express concern and promise to pray for each other. One of the most critical changes you can encourage in your church is for people to pray for each other immediately and then follow it up with more prayer later. This makes the act of praying a natural part of our lives together and not something we only do at designated times or in the comfort of our own homes.

You can facilitate this change by modeling it. When someone is sharing a concern with you, pray with them right there—it does not have to be long. By immediately going to the Lord with the need, you demonstrate a commitment to prayer and trust in His care. Ask your leadership team, staff, and volunteers to begin doing this as well. It will make a huge difference!

Let’s journey together.

You don’t need to do ministry alone. You can find opportunities to connect, plus more content and conversations about church administration, at XP Summit: xpsummit.org.