Articles on Corporate Prayer

9Marks Journal on Corporate Prayer

Principles to Remember

  • Use “we” language instead of “I” language. You are coming before the Lord as a representative of the congregation that is coming with you.

  • Pray Scripture or use the language of Scripture when writing your prayers.

  • “Words `few,’ `well considered,’ and `well ordered,’ are the inspired characteristics of a good prayer.” – Samuel Miller

  • If you write out a script for your prayer ahead of time (which is good), when the prayer is delivered, remember to try to deliver it as a prayer (conversationally) and not as though you were reading an essay.

  • Please take care to dress modestly and not in a way that would draw attention away from the prayer that you’ve come to lead. Ladies, please remember that when you are on stage, you are elevated above the congregation and that skirts or dresses should be below the knee.

Framework for Corporate Prayers

 As you pray, lead the congregation to pray for:

  • Our Church – member needs that we are aware of, homebound, new babies/adoptions, griefs, etc. This is also an opportunity for you to you should keep it at intercession and not confession in this prayer.

  • Local Church – I will supply you with the name of the church and the name of the preaching pastor. This is an opportunity to pray for the kingdom to grow in Birmingham and through these churches around the world. The churches on this list will represent a wide variety.

  • National (or Local) – This is a broad category where you may be asked to pray for elected officials, national tragedies, first responders, church planting in other areas of the country, military personnel, the court system, pregnancy resource centers, etc.

  • Global – This is where you will pray for our mission partners, international crises, persecuted church, etc. There are several resources that will be helpful to you as you prepare this section, such as:

Prayer Details

To help us have variety as we pray for these categories, I will make a schedule of the specifics for each week. I will include each week’s details in the Order of Worship in Planning Center so that you will have that information handy as you prepare your prayer. Circumstances will arise from time to time that cannot be foreseen or included in the Planning Center notes (i.e., a new baby or adoption, some world tragedy or event, etc.). Please pay attention to those things and feel free to include them in your prayers as they come along. When you open that week’s order of worship in the Planning Center app, scroll down to the Prayer and tap it, then tap “Item Details.” If you view the service from a computer, find the Prayer in the order of worship and click the green “d” that is circled next to the word “Prayer.” This is where you will find the details for that week’s prayer.