Prayer Meeting?

In the past, almost all holiness churches had a mid-week prayer meeting. Many churches have since stopped. Our church didn't, but the attendance got to be something like 8-15 people on most nights. I discovered that those 8-15 were very sad that so few attended this meeting which was open to a congregation of 200.

Would I like to see 200 people in prayer meeting? Of course! But I realize our culture. My concern was to help these 8-15 feel better about their Wednesday night experience. How could I help them not to be sad about the fact that they were such a small group?

I found something that seems to have worked. I simply started calling them a small-group. This subtle change has changed the atmosphere of our Wednesday night get-together. We think of ourselves now as a small-devoted to specifically to prayer. I make mention of the fact that there are multiple other small groups happening in congregational homes. This helps the prayer small-group to realize that just b/c tons of people aren't at the church building on Wednesday night, it doesn't mean a lot of people are engaged in prayer and the Christian life.

Furthermore, changing Wednesday night prayer meeting into a 'prayer small-group' has given our group renewed focus. No longer is it just another bible study and prayer time. Now it is very centered on prayer. When we look at Scripture, we are looking for insights into prayer. When we pray, we are more passionate. It's been a good thing.