Transforming the Tradition of ‘Prayer Meetings’.

For many years, we tried to establish a separate “Prayer Ministry” in our local church, but it never gained substantial traction. As long as I can remember, prayer meetings and ministries lacked enthusiasm, yet we kept pushing them. We realized a prayer ministry transformation was needed.

Perhaps your experience has been different, but we often saw only a few attendees at any prayer group. Even prayer events were poorly attended. We hated to admit it, but the traditional “Prayer Meeting” of days gone by was dead. That is, at least in our context.

A New Focus on Prayer

This issue caused us to rethink our approach to prayer. We soon discovered that Jesus was pushing us to change how we perceived prayer in our church. So, we decided to cancel our prayer ministry. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Instead, we made prayer a standard for all ministries. From that point on, whenever we had a ministry meeting, event, or gathering, we developed a culture of gathering for prayer. In a small group or small groups in larger gatherings, we would pray before or after any ministry function.

Integrating Prayer into Every Ministry

Prayer was no longer a standalone meeting. It doesn’t always take up as much time, with chatting and taking requests, but requests are given if and when needed. It isn’t as structured as a ‘prayer meeting,’ but prayer happens with more involvement.

Instead of gathering for prayer, we’ve discovered that prayer is for the gathered.

The outcome of this decision has been incredible! We actually spend more overall time in prayer. Furthermore, we’ve witnessed significant growth in all our ministries and our church as a whole. It may not have been the traditional solution, but cancelling the prayer ministry was the right solution!