Prayer Ministry
How to pray with your Group
Prayer is a crucial part of what it means to be Christian, both in the private place and with other Christians. Groups are an environment where we pray for each other, calling on God to minister to us.
Here are a few tips on how to pray for others and cultivating the right culture of prayer within your Group:
Listen
We can minister to people by listening carefully to the person being prayed for. This will also help direct our prayers. If you are not clear on what they’re asking for you to pray for, don’t hesitate to ask them.
Pray simple prayers
Our prayers don’t have to be complicated. Jesus criticises the pagans for babbling on with too many words. We can simply petition God and ask for the Holy Spirit to minister.
Give words of knowledge or pictures wisely
The bible teaches that we can hear God’s voice (John 10) and receive pictures. This is a wonderful thing! In Scripture, we’re called to weigh the words and pictures we receive from God. However, we can sometimes get it wrong, by either hearing or sharing in the wrong way. We recommend that, when sharing words or pictures you say, ‘I have a sense that God may be saying… but we leave it to you to weigh and discern this’.
Pray only for people of the same sex, unless paired
Please only pray for a member of the same sex, unless you offer prayer as part of a paired team with a member of the opposite sex. As Group Leaders, please remind people of this when breaking up into groups to pray.
Ask for permission to lay on hands
In the New Testament, praying through the laying on of hands is principally for healing, commissioning, or praying for baptism in the Holy Spirit. You don’t need to lay on hands in every situation. If you want to lay a hand on the shoulder of another, first ask permission and check that they give their consent. Only touch the person on the shoulder, unless you explicitly ask permission and are given it to lay a hand elsewhere – e.g. on a place where there is physical pain or illness when the person has requested healing prayer for that area.
Report anything that concerns you (Safeguarding)
If, as you are praying for someone, they tell you something that suggests they or someone else is at risk of harm, you should tell them that you will not be able to hold this in confidence, and that you will need to notify someone. Any concerns should be reported to the Parish Safeguarding Officers at safeguarding@staldates.org.uk. You can also seek advice from the Pastor supervising your group. You can find out more information and see our Safeguarding Policy here. All our Group Leaders receive safeguarding training – if you need to access this, check out our check-list for New Group Leaders.