Leading Prayer - Ascension Health

In a Pinch
When you are asked to lead a prayer with very little
time to prepare, here’s a simple process to help
you formulate your thoughts.
Resources
• www.ascensionhealthexchange.org/
spiritualitysymposium
• www.bhshealth.org/prayers
• www.chausa.org/resources/prayer
Remember: ACOC
A: Address
(e.g. Creator God, Healing Spirit, etc.)
C: Context
(e.g. We are gathered here to develop next
year’s budget)
O: Opening to God’s involvement
(e.g. Be with us today as we…)
C: Closing
(e.g. We ask this in confidence of your
never-ending love, Amen)
Books
Prayers for Caregivers
Patti Normile
Making All Things New
Henri Nouwen
Leadership Prayers
Richard Kriegbaum
Workday Prayers
Timothy Jones
Leadership Promises for Everyday
John C. Maxwell
Inviting God In
Joyce Rupp
Prayer
January 2006
T I P S F O R L E A D I N G
G R O U P P R A Y E R

T I P S F O R L E A D I N G G R O U P P R A Y E R
Group Prayer and
Reflection
Reflection is an opportunity to pause,
quiet ourselves and review our lives.
When reflecting, we often use a stimulus
such as a poem, song or incident from
our lives to help us consider a situation
or issue. Reflection can be a powerful
prelude to prayer.
Prayer is an intentional address to, or
listening to, God. In prayer we become
more aware of God’s presence in our
lives, we seek deeper understanding, we
give praise and we ask for help. Praying
as a group also unites us, opens us to a
greater appreciation of God’s presence in
our ministry, and inspires us to take action
as a community. Prayer can be an integral
component of our daily work lives, our
planning and our provision of care.
Preparing for Prayer
We can begin our preparation for leading group
prayer with a personal prayer, asking to be God’s
instrument.
Then we consider the nature of the group. What
has their journey been as a group What faith
traditions and cultures are represented What is
the group’s purpose; it’s immediate needs What
is the purpose of the meeting at which we are
leading prayer
Review available resources of existing prayers,
including those listed on the back of this pamphlet.
The Mission and Pastoral Care department may
have resources as well, which are appropriate to
the group and to the purpose of the meeting. Most
importantly, you, as leader of the prayer, must be
comfortable with the material.
Or, you may choose to develop a prayer yourself
to meet your group’s specific needs. Using our own
words is often the most powerful form of prayer.
How you address God can be guided by the
composition and purpose of your group (e.g.
“Provider God” for the opening of a new facility,
“Divine Healer” for a healing service or “Inspiring
Spirit” for a brain-storming session).
Avoid overly theological language, or terms which
are specific only to one faith tradition, unless the
entire group is of that tradition.
Leading Prayer
Create a welcoming environment for all
members of the group – be inclusive.
In your own words, ask the group to quiet itself
and be aware of God’s presence.
Music can often be used to create a mood
conducive to prayer.
Symbols, such as candles, wreaths or water can
be used to focus the group. Your sense of how
the group will respond to symbols should be
your guide.
Speak slowly and distinctly – prayer is more of
a proclamation than a reading. This is a very
important aspect of leading prayer. Speaking
slowly and with inflection will allow the group
to absorb the content of the prayer.
Be open to the Spirit. Someone may want to
add to the prayer or the group may go in an
unexpected direction.