Archive for group prayer

The Class Prayer List

For church to really have a vibrant, healthy groups ministry they must first establish and understand the elements of successful groups.  At the top of my list is an emphasis on prayer.  The prayer emphasis for a Sunday School class or small group must be …

… praying for each other,

… praying for those not in the group and

… praying during the group time. 

I’m amazed at the number of classes and groups that don’t spend serious time in prayer when they gather.  Sure they pray but it’s more like a general “God bless everything and fix everybody” prayer.  Maybe instead of taking prayer requests for 10 minutes and praying for 10 seconds we could reverse that.

Our classes and groups need to praying for those not in our group.  We need to be praying for lost family members and friends!  We need to be concerned about people’s spiritual condition more so than their physical condition.

And yes, we must be praying for each other!  Dwayne asks four questions to consider in strengthening our ministry of prayer in our groups.  First, “How do we efficiently gather accurate prayer requests?”  I hope that every time your class or group gathers, you provide an opportunity for the sharing of prayer needs.  Make sure that the requests are written down.  Second, “To whom should we communicate these requests?”  Not everything needs to be known by everyone.  There are some requests that do not need to put on the bulletin board or sent out in an email. Third, “How do we communicate the requests?”  My group sends out an email with the prayer requests before we even leave the group time.  During the week we get another email updating the prayer list.  Finally, “How can we encourage those making a specific request?”  There’s been times when I’ve just stopped right when the request is made and prayed.  I’ve even had the group to gather around the person and pray for them.  People are so very encouraged when they hear their name being called out in prayer.

These four questions will be highlighted in future blogs.  The one thing I would ask every class and group to is to pray for everyone in their group at least every week.  To verbally call out their name and their need(s) to the Lord.  You’ll be amazed what will happening to your group when they start praying for each other.

Dr. Smith serves as the regional discipleship consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.  He is a Sunday School, Small Groups, Discipleship and Faith Development specialist. Dr. Smith can be contacted at tsmith@gabaptist.org.

The Problem with Group Gatherings

Group gatherings. Some groups forego them altogether. A group member in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently approached me at the end of a workshop I led at the state’s annual evangelism conference. She lamented the fact that her teacher does not believe in group gatherings and their class has dwindled because of it. In his opinion, the teaching time should be enough.

Groups do need to be together. We are seeing this during the COVID-19 crisis. Churches and groups have scrambled to find ways to keep people connected online. The church has realized the power of fellowship and gathering as the church, even if it is digitally.

But the author of It Begins with Prayer challenges us to consider the problem with group gatherings in chapter 2. Exactly how could gathering together be a “problem”? Groups organize fellowships, like picnics. People bring food. Games are played. Friendly competition takes place. People enjoy their time together. But the author asks a haunting question: “…But have we done anything that really builds community?”

We might be tempted to say, “Well of course we built community!” But a shared experience doesn’t necessarily build community. Think of it this way. If you attend a sporting event in a stadium of some sort and watch a game with 20,000 others people, did you build community? What about the last airplane flight you took? You flew with 180 people, but did you really build community? Of course you had a shared experience, but did you leave the event knowing people more deeply? Did you really build community?

Do we settle for shared experiences as groups when we really need real community? That’s the question we must answer. Shared experiences are good and needed, for sure. But perhaps what is needed more is a way for people to experience a deeper level of community. In the next blog post, we’ll answer the question, “What is real community?”

Reaching Begins with Prayer

My dad owns a farm in northwest Louisiana. During the season when calves are being born, he will walk onto his porch at night with a rifle and a spotlight to keep coyotes away. He knows that many times the cow will seclude herself and birth the calf. Even though they choose seclusion, they need the group!

Like the farmer, you as a Sunday School leader have the privilege of praying and caring for group members and reaching new ones. Consistent prayer is a powerful tool! Yet, prayer remains the most undervalued treasure in the Christian life.

Wait, what!?

Prayer is NOT reserved for a special few but is to be practiced by all believers. The truth is that a believer learns this best in connection with a group of believers, like a Sunday School class. This vital relationship will provide at least three essentials for the believer:

  • Protection from predators
  • A foundation from which to flourish
  • Relationships that foster revival

A sheep is the most commonly used metaphor to describe a Christian in the New Testament. In Luke 15 we learn three valuable principles when guiding sheep to spiritual maturity.

First, sheep need one another to survive. I learned decades ago on my dad’s farm that predators rarely go after the herd, they prey on the isolated farm animal. Sunday school leaders must guide their members to regularly seek how to minister to participants within their group, welcome the wanderers looking for a new flock, AND provide an open door for the isolated individuals who may have never been born into a flock.

Second, sheep need the flock in order to thrive. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that He offers abundant life to all who follow Him. You see, the Christian life is not just about surviving. Jesus tells us that His goal is that we flourish from the foundation that He has provided in the local church. So what’s the deal with believers who lack peace and power? Either they are not accessing the power available to them or they have never genuinely been born into “the flock.”

Third, sheep need deep relationships that lead to revival. The natural tendency of most sheep is to wander and push boundaries. Many wake up one day separated from the flock and lacking the energy to find their way back. Leaders, we must consistently provide a place for wandering sheep to return. To be like Christ, we must be willing to leave the 99.

Friends, if we fail at anything, may it not be in our efforts to reach wandering sheep or those who have never been born into the flock! And a key ingredient for ministering within the flock and reaching those outside the flock can be found in a group of believers who fervently pray.

Written by Dr. Scott Sullivan, Discipleship Catalyst with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board

Group Prayer for Lost Friends and Neighbors

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10, ESV)

How can we as groups (Adult/Student/Kids classes or Bible Study groups) be more strategic in praying for our lost friends and neighbors?

  • Pray Intentionally – Have a specific time during the group prayer time to pray for the lost.
  • Pray Specifically – Pray for lost friends and neighbors by name
  • Pray scripture during your prayer time for the lost.
  • Pray for God to open your eyes to see the lost around you/opportunities for conversation.
  • Pray for other Christians to cross the paths of friends who can have conversations that point/lead them to Christ.

Incorporate Prayer actions as part of your group prayer time. This works great for all ages groups, but specifically for kids and students with shorter attention spans:

Prayer box or journal – Have each person in your class write down on a card or in a journal the names of lost friends. (Kids may even want to add a picture of their friend.) Record dates and prayer requests for the lost friend.  Remember to record how God is answering prayers.

Group Prayer Walk –For kids or students, you might want to prayer walk their school praying for their lost friends. Adult groups can prayer walk a subdivision of a class member.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)

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Maria Brannen is a State Missionary at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

 

Leading Group Prayers for the Lost

Our enemy is Satan and lost people are under his control (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Through prayer, we will weaken Satan’s influence on their hearts and open doors for our group members to share the good news (Colossians 4:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:25b-26). Here is a list of ways your group can engage praying for the lost as a group.

Prayer Methods:

  • Assign the role of “Prayer Coordinator” to a group member currently not serving in a leadership role. Provide training, like The Battle Plan for Prayer*.
  • Post the names of lost friends, family, and associates of group members in the room where you meet and refer to this list regularly. Have time within the group gathering to pray over this list.
  • Utilize a closed group on Social Media to encourage group members to share prayer requests and celebrations of group interactions with lost family, friends, and social associates.

Prayer Targets:

  • Pray for your group to be READY and SEEKING opportunities to share (1 Peter 3:15-16)
  • Pray for your group to have BOLDNESS when the opportunity comes (Ephesians 6:19)
  • Pray that the Holy Spirit SOFTENS hearts of the lost and prepare them to hear the truth
  • Pray for opportunities to CELEBRATE spiritual victories through their obedience
  • Pray for lost family, neighbors, and social associates of your group members
  • Pray for unreached people groups, as well as, missionaries serving in lands your group members will likely never visit
  • Pray for government leaders to experience salvation so that they can effectively guide others
  • Pray for those in the spotlight that they may lead the masses by their influence

* The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen and Alex Kendrick © 2015, B&H Publishing http://www.lifeway.com/Product/the-battle-plan-for-prayer-p005765904

Jason McNair is the Strengthening Churches Missionary for the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention. He also teaches an adult Sunday School group at First Baptist Church in West Valley City. You can reach him @jason_mcnair and at http://fb.com/jason.mcnair