Ten Ways to Lead the Pastoral Prayer

1. Have people's names roll up on the screen like credits at the movies. Have people stand and pray as they're led. It could be quietly or out loud, one at a time, or all at once. You can have music or complete silence.
2. Have written prayers that we recite together. We may not pray for every name, but all the names are on the prayer card anyway, so we can be praying for them throughout the week.
3. Have the Prayer Team lead it. There are usually people available for prayer during the service or that are praying for the service. Have them join the service and lead this moment.
4. Do it just the same way we've always done it. (this is a good practice whenever you're doing something new...stretch and recover...do something new, followed by something familiar. It'll make even the familiar feel new again.)
5. Have everyone take out the prayer card from the bulletin and ask the Lord to highlight someone's name. Pray quietly for that person for one minute. (this helps people practice being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prompting)
6. Have a prayer focus. Pick one to three things to prayer each person and as you pray through the list, pray the same thing for each person. (I've been doing this in my own prayer times. One day it'll be that "God would come in abide with us...it's our greatest joy, our highest desire, our deepest need" or that we'd have "an awareness of beauty, fresh perspective, and breakthrough" or "for God's provision, protection, and presence" or that they'd experience the "empowering presence of the Holy Spirit."
7. Set the prayer time up with something that builds our faith. Sometimes we ask "what would you ask God for right now if you knew He was going to give it to you?" Sometimes we read a scripture from Hebrews 11 or some other faith passage. The idea is to have us praying from the place of faith rather that from passivity or habit/tradition.
8. Change where in the service the prayer fits. Pray as a response to the message. Put into action what you just learned by praying it for each other. You can pray by writing it, speaking out loud, praying silently, or agreeing as the pastor prays.
9. Rather than praying for the list, pray for your neighbor - some simple blessing, whatever is in your heart, or whatever the Spirit leads you to pray. And the rule is, if you're a guest or a new attender, you always receive prayer...no pressure.
10. Have people write a prayer of blessing on the prayer card for someone in the congregation and then either drop it in the offering for it to be put in their mailbox, or have them put it there themselves. Guests could be encouraged to fill out the guest info card during that time so they have something to do as well if they don't feel comfortable writing a prayer.

I think number ten is my favorite. So perhaps we'll try some of these out in the next several months. How does my list inspire you to think differently?