If I were to attend only your church’s main worship service, would I think that your church is a house of prayer? Jesus strongly reminded us that God’s house is to be a house of prayer (Luke 19:45-46). Getting there means building prayer into the DNA of a congregation, so every church should consider how to build prayer into a worship service.
How to Build Prayer Into a Worship Service
Here are some options for how to build prayer into a worship service:
- Enlist prayer warriors who pray during the entire service—and be certain the church knows they’re praying. Their intercession will only strengthen those who lead the service, and their prayers will encourage the congregation to hear and respond to God’s Word.
- Begin the service with an intentional time of guided prayer to focus on God. Allow music to draw the people together, then guide them through a time of praising God for who He is. Consider concentrating on a different attribute of God each week.
- Build a time of cleansing and confession into the service. Teach folks about the need for confession as part of worship, and call them to an honest, personal response. Invite them, beginning with your church’s leaders, to kneel together at the altar as they pray.
- Read a biblical prayer during the service. Consider, for example, portions of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 or Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:3-11. Include the words on a screen so attenders both see and hear the words. Employ a great reader who reads at the right rate, who knows when to pause, etc.
