Pastor Kevin opened a rich time of prayer with the elders the other night by identifying a theme (this one was shepherding) and assigning each person to find their favorite verse dealing with that theme (e.g. Psalm 23, John 10, 1 Peter 5).  Then we prayed, using the words of the passage as a starting point.

This requires some knowledge of the Bible, or at least a good concordance for identifying a passage to use.

The theme can vary – Money for a budget meeting; Service for a Diaconate meeting; Rest or Sabbath for any tired group; the Cross, the Gospel, Trust, and Obedience are good all-purpose themes.

The instructions are simple – everyone quickly find a relevant passage and read it through.  Then start praying.  It is okay to have more than one person choose a given passage; the key words in the verse and the prayer will still vary for each person.

The time spent can be short (5-10 minutes) but can also expand if needed.