Is it proper for a church to pray together silently?
Question:
Good day, brother Jeffery,
Thanks for always answering questions. They've been helpful to me and the people around me.
I want to ask you a question about the orderliness of prayer in the church. Can the church pray such that a time is given during worship, such as 10 to 20 minutes where prayers are done such that each member is allowed to make his own personal prayers and there would be a leader who at 3 minutes intervals brings up prayer points and after 20 minutes would conclude all prayers by leading a prayer.
I am worried about this because I've studied this, but I have not seen any command or inference or any example whatsoever that authorizes this kind of prayer. Is this not a window that allows disorderliness?
In Acts 12, the Bible talks about the disciples praying together but it does not say how. I Corinthians 14:16-17 infers that one person prayed in a church gathering and the rest replied amen. 1 Corinthians 14 also talks of orderliness and of one person at a time. In I Timothy 2:8 Paul writes that men should lead prayers everywhere. Also, when one person leads prayers and the rest reply amen, is it not the whole congregation that prays?
Please I want to understand what the Bible says about this issue. I'd appreciate it if you could throw more light on the subject.
Answer:
"He came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying" (Acts 12:12).
This was a gathering of Christians at Mary's house, but it is not worded in a way that indicates it was a gathering of the church. As you noted it says that prayers were being made, but it doesn't indicate how those prayers were organized. Still, this particular passage doesn't address the question of what may be done when the church assembles.
Paul's point in I Corinthians 14, concerning the worship of the church, is that everything done in worship is to be done to edify the congregation (I Corinthians 14:26). The rules that follow show that things were to be done one at a time so that attention can be given to the one speaking. This would forbid multiple prayers being said aloud at the same time. "For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints" (I Corinthians 14:33). Earlier, Paul also argued against someone speaking a prayer of thanksgiving in a language that no one else assembled understands. "Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the 'Amen' at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified" (I Corinthians 14:16-17). In other words, prayer in worship is jointly done by all who are assembled. Private prayers ("praying in the spirit only") doesn't benefit the congregation.
This is not to say that private prayers are wrong, it just doesn't fulfill the purpose of the church gathering together to offer unified prayer and teaching to all who are present. There is a place for private prayers, but not in the worship (Matthew 6:5-6).
I'm also bothered by the idea of placing time limits on the prayers offered and interrupting the ongoing prayers with suggestions about what to pray for next. These are measures taken because no one knows what is being offered in personal, silent prayers.
Response:
Thanks a lot for answering this question. May God bless you and increase your knowledge of the Bible so you will be able to answer more questions of faith and show people the truth.
