Word Count: 320 – Est Read Time: <2 Minutes
What’s Up:
Your members didn’t learn to pray from books; they learned by listening to you (and others) praying upfront in worship.
So What:
If the prayers from the platform sound rehearsed, unnatural, and full of “church-speak,” don’t expect your congregation to pray authentically.
The Point Is:
Stop Writing Prayers
Ditch scripted prayers immediately. Pray spontaneously, even if it feels awkward. Authentic beats polished and “professional” every single time.Talk Like Normal People
Drop the religious jargon and churchy words. God knows English (or whatever language you speak daily). Use everyday language in prayer, just like you do in real conversations … because isn’t that what prayer really is?Quit the “Just” and “Lord” Habit
If you’re constantly dropping “just” and “Lord” into prayers like verbal punctuation, stop. It’s distracting and signals that prayer is a performance rather than a conversation.Use Your Real Voice
Pray using your normal speaking voice. God recognizes you without the preacher-voice act. Congregations will learn more genuine prayer habits if they hear genuine voices.
And … ?:
Here’s the painful truth: many people are terrified to pray publicly because the only model they’ve experienced is the stiff, written prayers delivered from pulpits. Think about how people learned to pray historically … around dinner tables, beside beds at night, simple, real conversations with God. Those natural moments have largely disappeared, replaced by screens and solitude. Now the church bears the responsibility of teaching prayer by modeling it authentically.
Pastors, elders, and lay leaders: if you don’t pray genuinely from the front, you’re setting your congregation up to fail in their personal prayer lives. Authentic prayer isn’t fancy: it’s real. If your people never hear you wrestling with God openly and honestly, they’ll never do it themselves. Teach authenticity by modeling it weekly, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Action!:
Ready to change your congregation’s prayer life for good? Start modeling authentic prayer this Sunday.
