Prayer Circles - 7 Church Services That Make First-Time Guests Return
I was recently in Abu Dhabi at one of Mosaic’s services where everyone around me was crying. It was an emotional experience. Two women had just found out that their mothers had been diagnosed with cancer. They shared the anxiety they were feeling, uncertain whether they should move back home to care for their mothers or stay. They didn't know how serious the situations were; there were so many unknowns, and they needed prayer.
How did I know what was happening in these women's lives? They were not on stage, and they didn't give their testimonies. There wasn't an altar call after the sermon. I found out because we broke into groups after the sermon for a time of sharing and prayer. We call this “prayer circles,” and I believe it’s the easiest way to deepen community and show our love and care for our congregation.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing the innovative ways we have been rethinking church services. In an age where many aspects of life have moved online, we are committed to creating unique, interactive experiences that can only be fully appreciated in person. Each part of this series will explore a different element of our services designed to engage and enrich our community.
Number 2 – Prayer Circles
Break out prayer groups
20-minute sermon followed by 20 minutes of breakout prayer
How we do it:
We ask people to divide into groups of 6
People move their chairs themselves to create a circle
Each person in the group shares their prayer request
One person prays for all the prayer request
It’s best to have one person assigned to pray, but if no one is assigned to pray in the group it does allow the opportunity for someone to step up and pray.
Benefit / What it does for people:
It makes people feel loved and cared for.
It allows people to share what is going on in their lives and brings people closer together.
For people going through challenging times, it shows them that they are not alone.
It provides opportunities for people to show talents you might not know they had.
What was challenging:
Some people are not comfortable sharing