Leading a Prayer Meeting

Worship > Listening Prayer > Share What God Spoke > Formulate Prayer Points > Prayer Time > Closing Prayer

Great Structure For How To Lead A Prayer Meeting


  1. Worship - Start out the prayer meeting with worship as a way to help people settle down and begin entering into the presence of God. This could be 10 or more minutes, and can be lead by a worship leader or just by playing a few worship songs with a phone, tablet, or computer.

  2. Listening Prayer - Make time for everyone to quiet their hearts and listen to what God may be speaking. This is just listening to what the Holy Spirit may be emphasizing for this prayer session. Give 3-5 minutes for this.

  3. Share What God Spoke - During the listening prayer people may have gotten impressions, a picture, a verse, a sense, or anything else related to what may be prayed as a group in the meeting. It is therefore important to make room for everyone to get the opportunity to share these. As someone finishes sharing, other members might come alongside and add a verse or something else related what was shared.

  4. Formulate Prayer Points - From what was shared, hone in to allow a prayer focus to form. The prayer leader brings the different ideas shared into a cohesive phrase that captures these in a proper flow, so that the group hears each one and can be guided by it in the prayer time. Allow for about 2-4 prayer points that capture what God spoke in the listening prayer.

  5. Prayer Time - This is a time of praying and not of teaching. It is also important that everyone gets to participate in prayer, with no one member taking over the time. This must be done in a spirit of honor and deference. The prayer leader can guide the prayer time through focusing the group to pray for one prayer point at a time. The prayer leader will track time and give a few minutes for each prayer point. "Let's now pray for God to release His power as we share and pray with people we encounter when we go out to talk and pray for people at the park."

  6. Closing Prayer - End with a closing prayer, either by the prayer leader or by someone chosen by the prayer leader, where you plead the blood of Jesus over everyone in the prayer meeting and where you bless what was prayed for.