How to Pray for Your Small Group

Articles

Home > Articles > 2008 > How to Pray for Your Small Group

Here are 10 tips to increase the frequency and effectiveness of your supplications.

Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey | posted 4/23/2008

Topics:	Intercession, Prayer, Preparation, Spiritual warfare
Filters:	Group Leader, Host, Train
Purpose:	Discipleship
References:	Matthew 6:5-7 , Matthew 6:9-13 , Ephesians 1:17-19 , Philippians 1:9-11
Date Added:	April 23, 2008

2 of 2

Ask God to direct you to appropriate Scriptures. Sometimes we are not sure what we should be praying into a person's life. When in doubt, Scripture is the best thing we can pray. Paul left some great examples of prayers he prayed for those under his care (Ephesians 1:17–19, 3:16–19; Philippians 1:9–11; Colossians 1:9–12; 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3). I have special verses God has directed me to pray regularly for my children, my wife, and my key leaders.
Season your intercession with thanksgiving for each member. It is easy to get frustrated with the people we are called to lead. They sometimes act like sheep, wandering off in all the wrong directions. The apostle Paul seemed to keep amazingly free from the frustrations of spiritual shepherding. I think one of the reasons for this was that he persistently thanked God for those sheep. Notice that Paul consistently begins his letters and prayers with words of gratitude to God for his people (Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:3–4; Colossians 1:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2).
Mix fasting with prayer for greater effectiveness. Many prayer warriors have discovered a "secret" of prayer: fasting. Fasting is voluntary abstinence. It generally involves abstaining from food for a period of time in order to focus on God and give ourselves more wholly to prayer. Typically, fasting lasts for one complete 24-hour period—usually from sundown to sundown. The early church fasted two days every week, Wednesday and Friday. Pharisees fasted Tuesday and Thursday. Other biblical fasts ranged from 3 to 40 days. Both individual and corporate fasts are seen in the Scriptures.

I generally fast for about 20 hours before my small-group meets on Wednesday evenings. This means I eat dinner on Tuesday evening and then don't eat solid food until late afternoon on Wednesday. When I fast, the group seems to flow better, and I seem to do a more effective job as the leader.
Pray through all possible elements of the group meeting before hand. It is better to pray before trouble comes. Think of all the possible elements of your small-group meeting and bathe them in prayer. From the attendance to the worship, from the prayers to the discussion of the Word, cover each section with prayer. This will give you peace and confidence that God will be able to do all he wants to do in your gathering.
Pray for your apprentice(s), and for the birth of future groups. A key here is to remember that your group cannot multiply unless you find and develop apprentices to lead future groups. Jesus told his disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers (Matthew 9:38). Good apprentices are harvest laborers in the highest sense. They help you reap and maintain your harvest, and will one day multiply it as they lead their own groups.

When leaders ask me where to find apprentices, my answer is always the same: On your knees. God is the one who can send you an apprentice. God is the one who can help you find untapped potential in the people of your group. God is the one who can guide you in bringing out the best in them. You just need to ask him.
Pray for God's grace to help you. Don't hesitate to pray about your prayer life! Ask God to help you build it into your schedule and your daily priorities. With prayer, all the other things you do will be better. Without it, all the other things you do won't amount to much.

Excerpted from chapter 2 of 8 Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders. Used with permission. Published by TOUCH Publications, Houston, Texas. 1-800-735-5865.

first page |

2 of 2