A prayer meeting is a meeting of lay people for the purpose of prayer as a group.[1] Prayer meetings are normally conducted outside regular services by one or more members of the clergy or other forms of church leadership, but they may also be initiated by decision of non-leadership members as well.[2]
Location
Prayer meetings may be held in public places, private homes, or small or large agreed-upon meeting places.[3] Public prayer meetings may sometimes represent more than one religious faith, especially where the purpose for the prayer meeting involves a city or larger social unit.[4]
The choice of venue depends on the intended participants, the purpose of the prayer meeting, and the size of the prayer meeting.[5] Prayer meetings can consist of fewer than a dozen people.[6] At the other end of the scale, the largest prayer meetings may involve several thousand people.[7]
Prayer meetings are most commonly held at churches or mosques on days other than the normal day of worship. This is most common where only regular church or mosque members are expected to attend, although the public is usually welcome to attend a prayer meeting.[8] The smallest prayer meetings can be held at any agreed-upon place which is accessible to the group for religious purposes. Very large prayer meetings may be held in convention centers or arenas.[9]
Purpose
Prayer meetings provide social support to those who attend. The prayers during the prayer meeting sometimes ask their deity for a positive outcome in times of uncertainty. The prayer meeting, in a Christian's perspective, is the driving force of the church.[10] It is where the church comes together to find comfort, learn how to be devoted, and seek answers.[9]
Some prayer meetings are targeted at repentance, either of those attending or of another person or organization which is not in attendance. The latter type of prayer meetings is also a form of protest against the sinful behavior of the targeted person or organization.[2]
In the years before widespread news media, prayer meetings were also a primary source of news and information (including firsthand accounts) about the events leading to the meeting being called.[9] At the same time as the news was received, the prayer meeting offered ways to deal with changing circumstances.[8] This still continues in modern times. However, the impact of such a prayer meeting is now much stronger among the worshipers than among the general public.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Restored Power". www.prayershop.org. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b Humfrey, Clint. "Your Prayer Meeting Is More Important Than You Think". The Gospel Coalition | Canada. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ Redpath, Alan. "Secret of Power: Revive the Prayer Meeting". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ admin (2014-04-20). "Muslim-Christian Joint Prayer on Good Friday". Karimia Institute. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
- ^ "Prayer-Meetings -- C. H. Spurgeon". www.biblebb.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ "The Prayer Meeting". Tabletalk. 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b "Bible Study and Prayer Meetings". www.mainstreetbaptistchurchlexky.org. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b "Global Trends on Family Worship and Prayer Meeting Attendance | Adventist Research". www.adventistresearch.org. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b c "Prayer Meeting Talks, The Gospel Awakening, Dwight Lyman Moody, Christian Classics books at BibleStudyTools.com". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ Spurgeon, Charles H. “Prayer Meetings.” Spurgeon Gems, 27 Aug. 1914, www.spurgeongems.org/prayer/chs3421.pdf.
Suggested reading
- Cowan, John Franklin (1906) New life in the old prayer-meeting.
- Fleming H. Revell. (1870). The Prayer-Meeting, and Its History, as Identified with the Life and Power of Godliness, and the Revival of Religion. United Presbyterian Board of Publication. OCLC: 5004714
- Spurgeon, Charles H. “Prayer Meetings.” Spurgeon Gems, 27 Aug. 1914