In a typical Southern Baptist church – if there is any such animal! – the ministers handle most of the pulpit duties. The times when deacons lead in public prayer are more likely to come prior to the offering and inside the Lord’s Supper.When an inexperienced layman approaches the pulpit to lead in prayer, there is no telling what will happen. If it’s true that most pastors have never had training in public praying, it’s ten times as sure that the laypeople haven’t.What we get when the typical layman leads a prayer in the worship service is often some or all of the following:– trite statements he has heard other people pray again and again– vain repetitions– awkward attempts to be genuine and fresh– uncomfortable attempts to admonish the congregation about some issue, usually their laxity in giving– a complete unawareness of the time element. He/she may be too brief or go on and on and on.The typical layman feels out of place doing this. There are exceptions, thankfully, and some wonderful ones. But in most churches, the deacons and other lay leadership would rather take a beating than to pray in public.When a pastor friend announced to his deacons that they would no longer be leading offertory prayers, he expected resistance and was prepared to respond to it. Instead, without exception, they cheered the news. “They felt like a burden had been lifted off their shoulders,” he told me.I understand that. But I regret it. In truth, this could be a wonderful time for a man or woman of the Lord to render service of an unusual nature to the congregation and indirectly to the Lord.Here are ten suggestions on how any of us–preachers, staffers, deacons, laity–can improve our public praying.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/qingwa
