Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Planning a Prayer Meeting
• Part 2 of 3: Conducting a Prayer Meeting
• Part 3 of 3: More Tips
• Tips

Want to have a prayer meeting but don't know how to organize it? Prayer meetings allow people to come together and pray collectively. To properly organize a prayer meeting, you only need a little preparation and follow the steps outlined in the article.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Planning a Prayer Meeting

1. 1 Choose the right time. Remember that people are usually busy and may not always be able to attend a prayer meeting. For example, it will be very difficult for you to gather people for prayer in the early morning or Friday night. Try to choose times that are convenient for people, such as Sunday afternoons or weekday evenings.
   • You can choose the time at which Mass is usually held. As a rule, it will be convenient for everyone.
   • Usually a prayer meeting lasts about an hour, but you can adjust the time yourself.
2. 2 Engage Church leadership in the congregation. If you would like to have a prayer meeting outside the church, arrange for a pastor to attend. Other people may conduct the meeting, but the presence of a priest is desirable to make it legitimate.
3. 3 Choose a location. Prayer meetings are usually held in a prayer room or other church building. If desired, small prayer meetings can be held in other places, such as at home. Whichever place you choose, it should be well-cleaned and ready to receive worshipers.
4. 4 Share the meeting with all ward members. This can be done during Mass or by sending out invitation letters. Try to attract as many people as possible.
5. 5 Individuals should be talked to in private. Some may hesitate to come to a meeting or try something new. Talk to these people individually. Sometimes a person needs a little nudge.
6. 6 Decide on the format. You can pray with the whole group. If the group is large enough, you can divide into smaller groups for prayer.You can also ask specific persons to pray about specific things, ask a couple of people to pray about one thing, and a couple of other people about another.
   • You can also combine different formats, such as starting with a group prayer and then empowering people to pray for personal things in smaller groups.
7. 7 Plan your prayers ahead of time. It is planning that allows you to turn a sluggish and ineffective meeting into a lively and effective event. People need to be guided, given categories, models, and prayer frames. Plan ahead so that you can accommodate the interests of everyone present.
8. 8 Choose topics for prayer. The prayer meeting should be dedicated to specific topics. They should touch the worshipers and have a clear purpose. This will motivate people to attend prayer together.

Part 2 of 3: Conducting a Prayer Meeting

1. 1 You can start a meeting with 1-5 minutes of silence. Starting with short periods of silence will help people connect with God. Encourage people to focus fully on God at this moment.
   • You can also sing some religious songs at the beginning.
2. 2 Provide brief directions on prayer. It is better to do this before starting prayers. Tips and guidelines can help people relax and not feel constrained. They will become more open and participate more actively in prayer.
3. 3 Briefly discuss prayers and requests. It is sometimes very tactful to give people the opportunity to ask for a specific prayer or topic of prayer. But such discussions should not take more than five minutes. A prayer meeting can easily turn into a prayer discussion, which takes up time for the actual prayer.
4. 4 Read a short passage from the Bible. This is not necessary, but it will definitely help set people up spiritually. Keep the passage short; it should be given from five to ten minutes.
5. 5 Pray. Prayer is the main purpose of a prayer meeting. Allowing people to talk about personal prayers or read poetry for a long time will make your event stop being a prayer meeting. The main emphasis should be on prayer.
6. 6 Add variety. Prayer meetings should be different from each other, and also involve different prayers during the same event. Offer different forms of prayer, such as chanting, praying in large and small groups, and praying by confession and making requests.
7. 7 Allow people to pray briefly. Allow people to pray when they have a heart for it, you do not need to walk in circles and force everyone to pray. The latter is time-consuming, and people often only join in prayer when you get close to them.
8. 8 Choose topics for prayer. Choose a specific topic and stick to it in prayer for a specific time. Move on to the second only after you are finished with the first. Prayers should be focused on a specific topic so that the people themselves focus and the prayer message is stronger.
9. 9 Don't get hung up. It may seem like an hour of prayer is a very long time, but by breaking this period into short prayers, including silent prayer, praying aloud, reciting prayer, praying in large and small groups, you will divide it into shorter intervals. Add variety and over time the hour of prayer will begin to fly by.
   • On the other hand, there is no need to be afraid of silence. Give people time to soak up prayers and let them flow through their hearts.
10. 10 The ending of a prayer meeting should combine meaning and completeness. It is a good idea to end the meeting by reading an appropriate Bible passage.

Part 3 of 3: More Tips

1. 1 Be patient. Some people find it difficult to pray out loud, so at first praying for 30-60 minutes can make them feel uncomfortable. Everything takes time. Keep praying together and soon your group will grow closer and stronger.
2. 2 Don't get in the way of spontaneity. During prayer, people should not feel awkward, then the meeting will be more universal and meaningful. Try to create comfort for the attendees so that they can open their hearts and minds during prayer. It will also help to engage everyone involved.
3. 3 Invite children if appropriate. Although children may not be able to focus on one topic for long, they can also be used in prayer meetings. It is often the children who find it easier to pray out loud and give themselves completely to the meeting, filling the prayers with their own energy.
4. 4 Be grateful. Always express gratitude when God answers your prayers. Remember to collectively thank God in your prayer meetings.
5. 5 Celebrate prayer meetings. After the meeting, you don't have to leave right away and spend some more time together. You can prepare a snack or a small dinner of pizza and ice cream. This will help bring the group together and bring joy to the children.

Tips

• If someone has a tragedy, then you can start the meeting with a request for prayer. In other cases, it is better to leave requests for last, otherwise people may stretch their requests for the entire prayer meeting.
• If you want to include a specific program of assistance in your prayer meeting, it is best done after the meeting itself. It should not be forgotten that prayer is the main purpose of prayer meetings.