The Prayers of God's People

Scriptures are full of injunctions to pray. In Anglican services, we pray as a congregation during the “Prayers of God’s People” (other churches may call this "The Prayers of the People"). We do this in different ways, but usually with a topical list (based on the Bible’s commands to pray for the church, the government, our own needs, etc.), with each petition followed by a congregational response. For people used to free-form prayers improvised on the spot by a pastor, this may feel stiff or rote. We find, however, that having a list reminds us to pray for things we might overlook. And having the congregation participate shows us that we all are praying together, not just the people up front. As we get used to praying this way, our hearts and minds make these prayers truly “from the heart.” (Also, here's a little bit of bonus online content that didn't fit in the hard copy version of this Service Note. One unique thing about St. Stephen's tradition of the Prayers is that we finish with a "Prayer for Ministry," where we focus on a ministry or situation specific to St. Stephen's. Other Anglican churches typically use a general "Concluding Collect.")