We are all a little too familiar with the long, awkward silence at the end of a small group when we ask, “Any prayer requests?” After the silence, maybe someone will share about a test they have the next week or a family member who has fallen ill. Then, thinking it a great opportunity to get others involved and talking, we ask, “Does any want to pray for that test?” Followed by yet another long, awkward silence. What if prayer in our Youth Groups didn’t have to be that way? What if students were eager to pray for one another and had confidence when asked to pray out loud?
Here are a few tips to take prayer to the next level in your Youth Group:
- Prioritize Prayer
A great place to start is to prioritize prayer in key aspects of your youth service. If prayer feels like an add-on to the end of your programming, we communicate that it is less important than the worship and teaching time. Consider carving out five to ten minutes between the message and worship for prayer. Doing this consistently will communicate to students that prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God, not just an afterthought.
- Lead by Example
Prayer is caught more than it is taught. What examples are we setting for the students when we pray in our services? Allowing mature students to lead their peers in prayer is a great way to increase prayer. Students will see that prayer is not just something adults or pastors do but something that we can all engage in.
- Selfless Prayer
While sharing prayer requests is a great thing we should do in our Youth Groups, if that is the only way we pray, we miss out on teaching our students the power of praying selflessly for others. Claim Your Campus has an amazing resource folder with twenty prayer focuses you can utilize in your Youth Group. If you want that resource, head over to claimyourcampus.com, fill out the info, and we will send you the folder!
- Expect Much
The last thing we need to remember is that students often rise to the level of expectation that we set for them. Expect them to engage powerfully in the place of prayer, they may surprise you!
Kyle Williamson
Director of Student Leadership Development
Photo by adrianna geo on Unsplash