Although you want to encourage the members of your group to pray for one another, you are leading a Bible study group, not a prayer group. Your members may represent a variety of religious backgrounds or may be un-churched. We find it is better not to openly share prayer requests or have members pray out loud in order to avoid intimidation, gossip, and/or any unintended offense. We recommend one or more of the following options:

1. Leader begins and closes in prayer.

2. Members record personal prayer requests on a 3x5 card.

a. Leader collects cards and prays at the end.
b. Members exchange cards and pray for one another throughout the week.

3. Circulate a “prayer journal” for members to record their personal requests.

a. Leader prays over those requests at the end of the study.
b. Enlist a volunteer to distribute prayer journal entries via email.

We have found that a great benefit of keeping a prayer journal is the ability to look back and reflect on God’s faithfulness in answering prayer over time.