How to Host a Prayer Party

Ever heard of a prayer party? I threw one once in college. It was one of two parties I threw, and the other involved formal dresses and Twinkies. I'll let you guess which one people hated.

At my school, Thursday through the weekend was pretty much all parties, all the time. I wanted to do something like that: stay up late, be a little ridiculous, have fun with friends. But I wanted our eyes on something a lot more eternal. It wasn't meant as a criticism of the party scene. It was an experiment: what could late-night college fun look like with a twist?

That's a prayer party. It's a long, relaxed evening where the main thing you do together is pray, with all the good parts of a party still in it: friends, snacks, music, and staying up later than you should. Here's how to throw one.

Start with a few people, not a plan

I didn't plan mine alone. I shared the idea with a few Christians I'd met on campus and asked them for ideas. I'm glad I did.

Asking others to help shape it does two things. You get better ideas than you'd have on your own. And the people who helped plan it feel like it's theirs, so they show up, bring friends, and help it feel welcoming.

You don't need a leadership title or a ministry behind you. A few friends and an idea are enough.

Find a space you can stay in late

A prayer party needs room to spread out and permission to run late. I booked a space in our student center. Depending on where you are, that could be:

• a lounge or meeting room at your school
• a room at your church
• someone's living room or basement

Whatever you choose, check how late you can stay and what the rules are about food and noise before you invite anyone.

Make it comfortable (the floor counts)

The first idea anyone gave me was comfy seating. That's when I learned how many people pray sitting on the floor.

Plan for a room people can settle into for hours, not rows of chairs facing the front. Bring blankets, pillows, beanbags and floor cushions, and push the furniture to the edges. If people can lie on the floor, lean against a wall or curl up in a corner, they'll stay longer and pray more honestly.

Give people something to write on

Someone else suggested those giant sticky-note pads you can write on, and a pile of markers. People wrote out things to pray for and stuck them on the walls.

It's simple, and it works. Writing a request down is easier for many people than saying it out loud. As the night goes on, the walls fill up, and anyone can walk over, read what's there, and pray for it. By the end, you can see how much the room carried.

A few things to have on hand:

• giant sticky-note pads or butcher paper
• lots of markers, in more than one color
• small sticky notes or index cards for anything someone wants to write but keep private
• tape, in case the walls don't cooperate

Set up prayer stations

We had stations with different topics. A station is a corner or a table with a topic, a sheet to write on, and sometimes a Bible verse or a few questions to get people started. People drift from one to the next at their own pace, alone or in small groups.

Pick topics that fit your people. A few ideas:

• Our campus, school or town: the people in charge, the people who are struggling, the people nobody notices.
• Friends and family: the people we love who need help, healing or hope.
• The world: a country or a people group in the news, or one you've never prayed for before.
• Thanks: things we're grateful for and prayers that have already been answered.
• Ourselves: what we're carrying, what we're afraid of, where we need God to meet us.

Stations keep the night from turning into one long meeting, and they give quieter people a way to take part without being put on the spot.

Music and snacks

I'm pretty sure we had music and snacks, because what kind of party doesn't?

Music helps fill the silence that can make praying in a group feel awkward. A worship playlist at a low volume works well. If someone in your group plays guitar, a few songs together can mark the start or the end of the night.

Snacks matter more than they should. People relax when there's something to eat, and a late night needs fuel. Keep it easy: chips, cookies, fruit, coffee and something with caffeine for the last few hours.

Keep the schedule loose

We had a loose schedule for the evening, and it went until about 1am.

You don't need a minute-by-minute plan. A rough shape is enough, for example:

1. Arrive and settle in. Snacks, music, catching up. Let people get comfortable.
2. Start together. A short welcome, a song or two, and a quick explanation of the stations and the walls.
3. Free time at the stations. The longest part of the night. People move around, write, pray, take breaks.
4. Come back together a time or two. Pray as a group for some of what's on the walls.
5. End when it ends. Some people will leave early, and some will still be on the floor praying at 1am. Both are fine.

Tell people up front they can come late, leave early, and step out for a break. Nobody should feel stuck.

Make it easy for everyone

Some guests will pray out loud without a second thought. Others have never prayed in front of anyone. A prayer party works best when both feel at home.

• Say it plainly at the start: praying silently is fine, writing instead of speaking is fine, and just being there counts.
• Don't put anyone on the spot. No going around the circle.
• Invite people personally. A text or a face-to-face "I'd love for you to come" beats any poster.

After the party

The walls will be covered by the end of the night. Before you take them down, take photos so the requests don't disappear with the paper. You can keep praying for them through the week, follow up with the people who shared, and share good news when prayers are answered.

You might find, as I did, that a night of praying with friends was a lot more fun than the party with the Twinkies.