Organising a Prayer Meeting

Every year churches come together on or around the same day to pray for communities
and the impact of Autumn Alpha launch events and courses. In 2006 33,100 people from
1,166 churches joined together to pray and tens of thousands of non-churchgoers
attended Alpha suppers and courses, bringing the total Alpha course attendance in the
UK to over 2 million.

One prayer meeting organiser commented

‘The Alpha prayer initiative in South Wales last year was so important to us because it
brought people together from all denominations and from across the country - and as a
result, new Alpha courses started.’
‘The purpose of our prayer meeting was to pray for Alpha and also to encourage those
who are running the course that when they go back to their villages and towns, they are
not alone in running Alpha and it is really an encouragement to them.’

These guidelines are designed to help you plan an Alpha Invitation prayer meeting. They
are based on the experience of prayer meeting organisers around the UK.

When you set a date for your prayer meeting, please let us know by filling in the Alpha
Event Advertising Form and returning it to Alpha UK. The form is available on the
website uk.alpha.org/runningacourse or from Alpha UK.
We can then advertise your meeting on the website, and send you a sample pack of free
posters and flyers and a suggested programme with ideas for prayer and worship.

Suggested programme

Here is an outline of how Alpha Invitation prayer meetings might be structured:

Opening worship 10 mins

Welcome 4 mins
Testimonies 6 mins
Dynamic prayer with worship 40 mins
Total 1 hour

Testimonies from people whose lives have been transformed by Jesus Christ through
Alpha can be a great encouragement. There may also be other things to give thanks for,
such as a recent mission or outreach activity. This encourages people to see that the
prayers have been answered and spurs people on to continue to pray throughout the
year.

On page 4 there is a description of different prayer models.

 Joint prayer meetings
‘May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have
loved them even as you have loved me.’ John 17:23

You may like to contact other people running Alpha in your area and invite them to join
with you in prayer. A joint meeting sends a powerful message of unity and provides a
chance to meet other Christians who are involved in evangelism. Please contact Alpha
UK if you would like a list of other churches registered as running Alpha in your area.

For help in planning a larger prayer event, there are guidelines on ‘How to plan a Beacon
Alpha Prayer Meeting’ available on uk.alpha.org/runningacourse or from Alpha UK.

Publicity
There are two important steps to consider in order to promote your prayer meeting:

1. Ensure the prayer meeting is appealing

2. Spread the vision as widely as possible.

Organising an appealing prayer meeting

When planning an Alpha Invitation prayer meeting some of the following factors may
help make it attractive and eagerly anticipated.

Prayer for…

People want the opportunity to pray with others for local communities and initiatives to
see communities transformed. Alpha Invitation prayer meetings are about praying for
communities and the impact of Alpha, so advertise the meeting as ‘Prayer for (insert the
name of your town)’ – such as Prayer for London or Prayer for York. This makes it clear
why you are holding the meeting and positions Alpha as part of a larger vision to re-
evangelise and transform the UK.

Multi-initiative

A prayer meeting that covers more than one issue will have a wider appeal, although it is
not desirable to include so many topics that no area is covered properly. However, it is
good to choose one or two other initiatives that are going on in the area to be prayed for
along with Alpha. If the initiatives you choose have already taken place then the meeting
could also be an opportunity to give thanks to God.

You may also like to consider who will lead the worship. Is there a well-known local band
or worship leader that could get involved? Alternatively why not put together a special
worship band involving musicians from different churches.

Casting the vision

There are two golden rules for casting the vision.

1. The more personal the contact, the more likely someone will attend the meeting.
2. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org
 Envisioning the whole church

The following suggestions are the steps that you or the church leader could take to make
sure that everyone in the church is aware of the prayer meeting and its importance.

• Let Alpha UK know about the prayer meeting by filling in an Alpha Event Advertising
Form available on the website uk.alpha.org/runningacourse or contact Alpha UK.
We can then advertise your meeting on the website, and send you a sample pack of
free posters and flyers and a suggested programme with a song list and overheads
for prayer and worship. (Further posters and flyers are available from the Alpha
Publications Hotline, tel 0845 644 7544 or email alpha@stl.org.)
• Personally contact all home/cell group leaders to talk about the vision for a large
prayer meeting and to encourage them to attend as a group to pray together.
• Follow up personal contact with a letter from the church leader (sample letters that
you can adapt are below in the appendix), enclosing flyers for the members of the
group.
• Give a sermon on corporate prayer at a Sunday service.
• At this service, give out flyers for the prayer meeting as people leave church.
• Repeat church leader endorsement of the meeting in church notices, at committee
meetings and the annual meeting and in any references to church activities.
• Place colourful, attractive adverts in the church newsletter/magazine.
• Put up posters near the entrance of the church in a prominent position.
• Put an advert on your church website.
• Contact your Alpha Adviser and ask them to promote your meeting whenever they
can. A list of Alpha Advisers is available on uk.alpha.org/runningacourse.

Involving other churches

Speak to as many key local church leaders as possible. Talk to them about the prayer
meeting and the initiatives that are involved. Find out how they would like to get involved.
Make it clear that it is a joint prayer meeting with other churches and that your hope is to
see other denominations represented.

If it is appropriate encourage them to follow the steps outlined above in their own church.
You may also like to follow up with the letter (see the appendix below for a sample letter
that you can adapt). Keep in touch with them, asking if there is anything further you can
do to help them promote the meeting in their church. As with Alpha, building
relationships is vital to encouraging people to come.

Using publicity materials

To reinforce public announcements made about the prayer meeting it helps to have
posters around the church and flyers that people can take home – particularly if they are
handed out to people as they leave church. Every year posters and flyers are designed
to help publicise prayer meetings. They have lots of white space so you can overprint
them with details of your meeting.

To receive a sample pack of posters and flyers, fill in the Alpha Event Advertising Form
and return it to Alpha UK. If you need them, additional posters and flyers are available
from the Alpha Publications Hotline (tel 0845 758 1278 or e-mail alpha@stl.org).

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org
 Prayer models
A variety of ways of praying together helps maintain the enthusiasm of those who are
participating. There are four models of prayer which you might like to introduce to your
meeting:

1. Small Groups
The leader of the meeting announces the topic for prayer and says something like:
‘Could you please get into groups of three or four to pray?’ In each group individuals pray
aloud one at a time. After a suitable period has passed, the leader can move the meeting
on to the next phase. If a person has never prayed aloud before, this is the easiest
setting in which to make a start.

2. Acts 4
This involves everyone praying aloud at the same time. There is a description of such
prayer given in Acts 4:24. The leader, having introduced the topic to be prayed for, will
direct those present to pray in this way. Some people may feel inhibited by praying aloud
with others, and so it may be worth saying that they are free to pray silently.

3. Half and half

A variation on the model above is for the meeting to be divided in half. The leader of the
meeting needs to make it clear what will be prayed for next, explaining that the worship
leader will lead one side in singing while the others pray out loud together. After a short
period the roles are reversed and it may help to have identified a suitable person to lead
each group. We tend to let each side pray and worship for quite short periods before
combining both in worship at the end of the section.

4. Silent prayer
As a contrast to the above models, silence can be very effective at a prayer meeting.
The leader simply announces what is to be prayed for before a time of silent prayer. The
leader should judge how long the silence should continue – a period of sixty seconds can
be very effective.

Generally, clear and confident leadership is important. Most people feel reassured, relax
and pray more effectively in that context. It may help to have more than one leader
involved under the direction of one overall leader.

If you want to provide pens and pads for people to write down any prophetic words,
impressions or Bible verses, it is a good idea to announce their availability and identify a
leader to receive and process such material at the meeting.

For more ideas

Have you or your team ever attended a Dynamic Prayer in the Local Church
Conference? It is a one day conference designed to equip churches to run effective and
enjoyable prayer meetings. For details of future conferences, see the website
dynamicprayer.org.

Alternatively you may like to read The Church on its Knees by Jeremy Jennings, director
of prayer at Holy Trinity Brompton, which is available for £3.50 from the Alpha
Publications Hotline (tel: 0845 758 1278 or e-mail: alpha@stl.org).

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org
 Worship
These tips come from Holy Trinity Brompton’s worship department. Your worship leader
might find them useful as s/he leads at the Alpha Invitation prayer meeting.

• Make sure you are confident with the PA (public address system). Some of the prayer
models need a very confident lead and adequate volume level.
• Prepare well. This is probably not the best place to use many new or more obscure
songs!
• Keep it simple. It might be less challenging for you, but the worship leader’s job is to
release worship and aid intercession.
• Choose up-tempo songs with a strong and consistent rhythm. They should also be well
known and simple.
• Avoid verbal introductions – these drag the pace of the meeting and distract people.
• Check the instruments are tuned and sound checked.
• Smile – body language is important!

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org
 Organiser’s checklist
1. Before the day

Venue
• Book a suitable venue well in advance.
• Reserve a projector or over-head projector (OHP) and screen for the venue and
ensure that you have a projectionist/overhead operator.
• Appoint a technical coordinator who will plan and oversee the lighting, sound,
projection and music for the evening.

Worship
• Invite a worship leader/worship band to join you (if you do not already have one) and
give them a copy of the programme for the prayer meeting and suggested songs.
• Check that the venue has microphones, extension leads and enough electrical
sockets.
• Make sure that OHP acetates/projection slides are available for the songs that are to
be used or that you have enough song books.

2. On the day

This is all common sense, but we hope you might find the following list helpful when you
are very busy just before the meeting starts!

• Put up signs directing people to the venue.

• Open the doors 30 minutes before the meeting is due to start in case people arrive
early.
• Check that the projector / OHP and screen are in place and ready to go.
• Check that the prayer points are ready (if required).
• Check that pens and paper are available.

You might like to think about having a relaxed ending so that people can have a chance
to meet others from different churches or to discuss ideas that they have.

What next?
• Let us know about your prayer meeting by returning the Alpha Event Advertising
Form to Alpha UK. The form is available on the website
uk.alpha.org/runningacourse or from Alpha UK. We can then advertise your
meeting on the website, and send you a sample pack of free posters and flyers and a
suggested programme with a song list and overheads for prayer and worship

We very much look forward to hearing from you!

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org
Appendix - Suggested letters
Letter to local church leaders

[date]

Dear [church leader]

Re: Prayer for [your area]

We would love to invite you and members of your church to the Prayer for [insert your
area] event taking place at [insert venue] on [xx] September from [start time] to [finish
time]. This involves prayer for [insert your area], [insert other initiatives to be prayed for if
applicable] and the impact of Autumn Alpha launch events and courses, and it promises
to be an effective time of prayer and worship for the area and Alpha.

This is a wonderful opportunity for [insert your area] churches to come together to pray
for the re-evangelisation of [insert your area] and the transformation of our community.
May I encourage you to hand out the enclosed flyers to your congregation?

We understand that there will be hundreds of similar prayer meetings taking place up
and down the country on the same day. It is exciting to be part of a nationwide prayer
initiative and I hope that you will be able to join us.

With love

Letter to home/cell group leaders

[date]

Dear home/cell group leader

Re: Prayer for [your area]

We would love to invite you and members of your [home/cell] group to the Prayer for
[insert your area] event taking place at [insert venue] on [xx] September from [start time]
to [finish time]. This involves prayer for [insert your area], [insert other initiatives to be
prayed for if applicable] and the impact of Autumn Alpha launch events and courses, and
it promises to be an effective time of prayer and worship for the area and Alpha.

This is a wonderful opportunity for [insert your area] churches to come together to pray
for the re-evangelisation of [insert your area] and the transformation of our community.
May I encourage you to hand out the enclosed flyers to your [home/cell] group?

We understand that there will be hundreds of similar prayer meetings taking place up
and down the country on the same day. It is exciting to be part of a nationwide prayer
initiative and I hope that you will be able to join us.

With love

Alpha UK uk.alpha.org/runningacourse Tel 0845 644 7544 Email ukalpha@alpha.org

Alpha Publications Hotline alphashop.org Tel 0845 758 1278 Email alpha@stl.org