Accepting the role of Prayer Director at my church at the end of 2023 was definitely a stepping out of the boat kind of moment. I’d said ‘yes’ to the role due to a love for prayer and a strong belief in its transformative power. Did I have any idea what I was doing or how I was going to ‘direct prayer’ across quite a sizeable and diverse church community? No! Not at all!
I was comforted though by the Lord’s assurance that he would teach me and guide me each step of the way and that prayer was actually something he was quite keen on!
Thankfully I am part of a church that has always championed and believed first and foremost that nothing we put our hand to in the Lord’s service is worthwhile or even achievable without prayer. As prayer was such a priority for our church leadership team, equipping and encouraging our wider church community to go deeper in their own individual prayer lives was one of our main priorities. What I started to notice was that the Lord began to bring people across my path who were passionate about prayer and were very happy to come alongside whatever the Lord might be leading us into.
I have chosen to share three initiatives over the past two years relating to how we have tried to encourage a richer and deeper prayer life within our church community in the hope that our experiences and challenges might be encouraging for those on a similar journey.
1. THE PRAYER ROOM
A prayer room is first and foremost a living room—a place where the Father waits for his children to come and climb into his arms.” Pete Greig - Red Moon Rising
Being a long-time fan of Pete Grieg and all things 24/7 prayer, we really wanted to create a space where people might come intentionally to spend time with God, surrounded by resources to inspire meaningful encounters with Him. Having read a few of Peter Greig’s books, our faith was challenged as to what God might want to do in our church and community once our prayer room was established. Above all else, our intention was to create a space that was as inviting and as hospitable as possible (comfy chair is a must), in order that people might be able to truly exhale in this space, held securely in their Father’s arms as they poured out their hearts to him. I am so grateful for Kate, a member of our church community who was equally as excited about the prayer room. Kate started up a campaign to get the room up and running and her WhatsApp group was truly international, including an ex-church member now cheering us on from NYC!
So, where are we now?
Right now, our prayer room has been in operation for the past 4 months. Those who have spent time in it have testified to being surprised by the difference that intentionally making the decision to travel to a place especially designated for prayer has made in their interactions with God. An immediacy, a stillness, a greater ability to focus on God without distraction are amongst some of the experiences that have been shared with us.
Our challenge has been to create an enthusiasm and interest in our wider church community for the prayer room (not just our passionate pray-ers).
2. HOLINESS CIRCLES
“A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Life Together
In 2025, we encouraged members of our church to form small groups of 3-5 people to meet together regularly in what we called Holiness Circles. We recognised a need for greater intimacy, accountability and connection with one another through prayer in a way that was not necessarily being met in Bible Study/Connect Groups. Some of our most positive feedback has come from those who intentionally chose to be in a group with people who were NOT like them. Feedback has been that the experiences of praying and sharing with those of a different
generation, theological background or socio-economic group, have helped to stretch and challenge certain rigid thought patterns, behaviours or beliefs. Once trust and connection were established in these groups, the relief of finding a safe space to share the deepest concerns, confess sin and bring one another before God in prayer has been transformative.
3. EARLY MORNING PRAYER GROUPS
“The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings.” Charles Spurgeon There are currently two staff-led groups and another run by long-standing members of our church, that meet in the early mornings to pray and intercede for our church, local and global communities. In addition to a long-established all-church Central Prayer meeting once a month, we wanted to create a weekly opportunity (for those who were able) to come to church and start their day in prayer.
This has been an opportunity for those attending to experience how unifying group prayer can be. When we meet to pray and petition God in groups, it is as a family, it is an opportunity to become one voice before the Lord and remember the communal nature of our salvation and the fellowship we share as the church. A month or so ago, on a Thursday morning we were surprised to see Kate (the same lady who had been so much a part of establishing our prayer room) come to our meeting, as she wasn’t usually able to do this. Towards the end of our meeting, she confessed to being in a difficult season, where coming before God on her own in prayer was proving almost impossible. Her experience with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that morning reminded her that there are times when Jesus chooses to carry us via the prayers and intercession of others.
“Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” John Wesley
It is my hope that by sharing these three prayer strategies you may draw encouragement and inspiration for your own church context. God has a plan for your church that may not look like his plan for ours, however, it will always involve collaboration and an identification of those with a burning heart for prayer to share their fire with those who may need their own hearts ignited.
Rowena McNicol is Assistant Pastor and Prayer Ministries Director, Bridge Church in Sydney.