Successful prayer meetings are discussion groups where everyone feels important and wants to participate. They are very similar to small group discussions.
Detailed below is one way that works, but it is not the only way to conduct a meeting. Preparing to lead a group discussion for 30 minutes where you originate the material can be a very big task. But there are ways to be very successful without a lot of effort. Lively discussions come from topics that touch people's everyday lives. If you don't make it something that can be used personally, it will most likely be dry and boring.
Using Ellen G. White Devotionals
I am a big fan of collecting and using old devotionals, especially those compiled from the writings of Ellen G. White. They have a beauty and authority about them that make them a natural source of uplifting discussion. As an example I have printed a sample from a 1988 devotional along with my study notes for the discussion. You'll see that Mrs. White's writings lead to an easy to follow, natural flow of topics that make for a spirited and uplifting prayer meeting discussion, all of which is done without endless hours of preparation.
Elements for a one-hour Prayer Meeting:
1. Song service
2. Sharing time
a. Start with positive things
b. Religious and secular
c. Conclude with concerns
3. Prayer Circle
4. Study topic of the evening
5. Closing prayer
The Greatest Object
"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
"Union is strength, and the Lord desires that this truth should be ever revealed in all the members of the body of Christ. All are to be united in love, in meekness, in lowliness of mind.
"The church is a Christian society formed for the members composing it, that each member may enjoy the assistance of all the graces and talents of the other members, and the working of God upon them, according to their several gifts and abilities. The church is united in the holy bonds of fellowship in order that each member may be benefited by the influence of the other. All are to bind themselves to the covenant of love and harmony. The Christian principles and graces of the whole society of believers are to gather strength and force in harmonious action
"The covenant of agreement in church membership is that each member would walk in the footsteps of Christ, that all will take His yoke upon them, and learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart. Doing this, 'Ye shall,' saith the dear Saviour, 'find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and myburden is light (Matt. 11:29,30).
"Those who wear Christ's yoke will draw together. They will cultivate sympathy and forbearance, and in holy emulation will strive to show to others the tender sympathy and love of which they feel such great need themselves. He who is weak and inexperienced, although he is weak, may be strengthened by the more hopeful and by those of mature experience. Although the least of all, he is a stone that must shine in the building. He is a vital member of the organized body, united to Christ, the living head, and through Christ identified with all the excellencies of Christ's character so that the Saviour is not ashamed to call him brother.... A church, separate and distinct from the world, is in the estimation of heaven the greatest object in all the earth.... The church is to be as God designed it should be, a representative of God's family in another world." -Selected Messages, book 3,p.1517.
The Study Outline: Based on the Reading of Lift Him Up by Ellen G. White, Review and Herald,1988, p. 295
Note: I put a number in a circle beside the main points in the text to coordinate with my notes. If you prefer not to write in the devotional book, make an enlarged copy and mark it up. However, I've found it to be helpful to make a permanent note in the book. For future reference I write in the date and place where I presented the material along with notes in the margins.
(Point #1) What is Union?
A. Does this mean we all have to be in lock-step?
1. Is there no room for individuals?
2. What about 1 Corinthians 12:12-27: "For the body is not one member but many"?
(Point #2) United in love?
A. Discuss and try to understand united in love
1. Expand on what meekness may mean
2. Try to define lowliness of mind
a. Is this a term that is out of date?
b. To think in low terms today is not a compliment. When we say that was a low blow we aren't praising the person.
(Point #3) Organized for the Purpose of:
A. Discuss what it means to combine and diffuse influence.
1. Does this mean only going door to door in groups?
2. Are there ways that the elderly and infirm can participate?
3. Does this include prayer, offerings and donations of a person's valuable time?
(Point #4) The Church is a Christian society
A. Begin by defining what a "society" may be in the opinion of those present.
B. Move on and let the following text define what Mrs. White meant.
1. It is something pleasant that a. "each member may-enjoy"
2. It has a useful purpose in sharing:
a. "all graces"
b. "and talents"
(Point #5) "...the holy bonds of fellowship...'
A. Point out that the church is made up of volunteers
B. The volunteers are to be a "spectacle" to the world.
1. What did "spectacle" mean to the writer?
2. What does it mean today ?
3. How would we say it today?
(Point #6) Instructions on how the church is to work together
A. Define the following words and phrases from the final paragraph.
1. Cultivate sympathy
2. Cultivate forbearance
3. He who is weak...
(Point #7) The Conclusion
A. "The Church is to be as God designed it should be, a representative of God's family in another world."
B. Final closing thoughts, rereading of the Scripture text and summation by the presenter.
Devotional Sources
Some of the Ellen G. White devotionals used are: My Life Today, 1952; Sons and Daughters of God, 1955; That l May Know Him, 1964; In Heavenly Places, 1967; This Day With God, 1979; Reflecting Christ, 1985; Lift Him Up, 1988.
Martin Hunt, pastor and writer, lives in Georgia.
