In planning a School of Prayer first it must be decided how many meetings should make up the series. Our experience has demonstrated that it takes at least six oneand-a-half hour sessions to present the various aspects of prayer.
It must be kept in mind that the School of Prayer is not a preaching mission but rather a teaching process where time is given for audience and panel participation. The presentation of the main topic takes thirty-five minutes, while forty minutes are devoted either to group discussions, the answering of questions by a panel, or some type of audience participation. Ten minutes are allowed for the opening exercises—the singing of a hymn, public prayer, announcements, and when necessary, the taking of an expense offering.
Ideally, there should be three to five persons who make up the leadership or faculty of the school. In the larger churches it should be rather easy to find capable personnel. Of course, it is understood that the pastor or district leader is the director. He might choose others to help him, such as an intern, an assistant minister, a retired minister, a Bible instructor, a church school or academy teacher, a dedicated doctor, or some talented layman. It is important that the very best help possible be selected.
In isolated areas where there are two leaders in adjoining districts, with the permission of the conference president they might combine their resources and unite in conducting Schools of Prayer in the various churches in both districts. It is apparent that any idea must be adapted to the area in which a School of Prayer is conducted, and to the personnel available.
When the members of the faculty have been selected, it is imperative that they meet together. After an earnest season of prayer petitioning the Lord for His guidance and for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, careful plans must be fot ululated, topics assigned, and material distributed. Also, a plan of advertising and promotion to attract all the members of the church or churches involved must be made.
The faculties of the Schools of Prayer have discovered that one of the choice blessings of the whole project is received from a weekly meeting together for an hour or two when a careful planning of the next meeting is made and a season of prayer is offered. By sharing ideas and materials together, many practical and spiritual insights are found. The weekly meetings of the leaders bring a spirit of unity and preparedness that is a real asset to the total project.
The ideal time to conduct the School of Prayer is once a week. This can be done at the regular midweek service or might even make a profitable Sabbath afternoon project.
Conducting it once a week gives each person days in between sessions to grow in his prayer life. This growth takes place when he daily puts into practice the science of prayer.
The School of Prayer idea has also proved successful in a week of meetings. In Mountain View, California, the school was started on a Sabbath afternoon and continued each evening thereafter, Sunday through Thursday. It also has been found a most spiritual project to be given at a camp meeting where six meetings are scheduled. It is thrilling to see how the people rally to such a presentation, for it is the yearning of everyone to learn to pray more effectually.
The question is often asked our group, "Would you give an outline of each session of the School of Prayer?" Let us remember that we are trying to learn the larger meaning and scope of prayer. A brief outline of our six meetings is as follows:
The first meeting. The subject presented is "The Need of a Spiritual Revival." The speaker emphasizes the dire need of the Holy Spirit in the church and the promises of the latter rain. Also a definition of prayer is given. There is an avalanche of material both in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy writings telling us what the Holy Spirit will do for those who become open channels of His grace. The only way to receive is to ask. Thus prayer is an important link in receiving power. But how can the church have this power when the largest percentage has not a vital and living connection with God? The last forty-five minutes are spent in a discussion of "What I want from the School of Prayer." First the panel discusses this question and then it is given to the congregation for consideration. The meeting is closed with a short season of prayer.
The second meeting. The presentation is entitled, "The Preparation and Discipline for Prayer." In this talk some of the barriers of prayer are enumerated. Then some of the "musts" of prayer are pre.. sented, such as finding a time and place to pray, the necessity of reading the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy for enrichment, and the importance of self-examination and heart searching. The last forty-five minutes of the session are spent in discussion groups. The congregation is divided into several groups and each discusses an important question on prayer. The last fifteen minutes of the evening are given over to the receiving of a two- or three-minute report from each section as to the conclusions each group reached.
The third meeting. The subject is "Types of Prayer." Many prayers are limited to asking for things and favors. But prayer is much larger in scope. All prayer must begin with God—the prayer of reverence and adoration. Then there is the prayer of thanksgiving, confession, intercession, petition, and commitment. The second half of the service is devoted to the answering of questions on prayer. This is done by a panel made up of the faculty of the School of Prayer. These questions come from the Question Box or from a list of questions the faculty feels should be considered. The panel members are given the questions they are to answer beforehand, so they can give thought and preparation to their presentations. The moderator must not allow any panel member to go over five minutes lest the interest lag. There ought to be an exchange in the discussion of the questions by the various members of the panel.
The fourth meeting. The subject is "Conditions of Prayer and Prayer for Healing." This is a most important presentation as it involves the conditions of answered prayer. Some of these conditions are outlined in the book Steps to Christ. There is much valuable material in The Ministry of Healing and Communion With God under Lessons 22 to 27. The last half of the evening is given over to group discussions similar to the second meeting. Reports of the conclusions reached by each group are given during the last fifteen minutes.
The fifth meeting. One session is devoted to a practical presentation of "Public and Family Worship." Instruction is given as to the manner and length of public prayer. This will be a most profitable subject to discuss with our members, for much improvement needs to be made in our churches along these lines. Then, too, family worship is considered. Who should he in charge and how it should be conducted are discussed. During the last forty-five minutes a motion picture film is shown entitled Faith of Our Families, which is one of the most graphic presentations of the various ways family worship may be conducted. You can obtain this either from the Pacific Union Supply Company, P.O. Box 146, Glendale 5, California, or from any other recognized religious film distributor. If a motion picture projector is not available, then the last section could be profitably used in a panel and congregational discussion on "How I Conduct Family Worship." You will be amazed at the valuable suggestions made by the audience.
The sixth meeting. The last subject presented is "Power Through Prayer Groups." By this time everyone who has attended the School of Prayer has received a great spiritual blessing and many express how much they wish that it could continue. The technique and advantage of praying in groups are presented in T estimonies,volume 7, pages 21, 22: "Why do not believers feel a deeper, more earnest concern for those who are out of Christ? Why do not two or three meet together and plead with God for the salvation of some special one, and then for still another? . . . The formation of small companies as a basis of Christian effort has been presented to me by One who cannot err." These groups come together for the purpose of study, sharing, and prayer. The last forty-five minutes is spent in answering questions on prayer by the faculty panel. Usually at the final service a questionnaire is distributed to the congregation asking each person to make a statement on "What the School of Prayer has meant to me, and what impressed me most."
