Prayer for schools in church services
Even if your church does not have the capacity to get actively involved in the life of a school, you can still pray regularly for it. This is a ministry that many older people love to fulfil and enables them to feel part of the community in a real way. Obviously some school issues may be of a confidential nature, so can't be shared, but it is better to pray a general prayer than not to pray at all. Try asking the headteacher or other staff member for general items for prayer.
Praying for schools can be done in a variety of ways in church:
- General prayer points in the church's weekly bulletin.
- Praying generally or specifically for the school in the regular intercessions.
- Galvanising church members into prayer for schools as they go about their daily routine throughout the week. We are often reminded of schools. School road signs remind us that a school is nearby... simply ask God to bless the school. School crossing patrols... ask God to protect the children on their way to and from school. Remember the start and the finish of the school day... we might notice the school run traffic... ask God to keep them safe while travelling.
- Setting up a prayer rota and taking it in turns to pray for the pupils and staff. Try to ensure that prayer covers the school. Pray for the role of the governing body - often schools find it hard to fill governor vacancies. Pray that the right people step forward and carry out this demanding, accountable and strategic role.
- Work to make Education Sunday a real celebration of schools and an inspiration for ongoing prayer support from the congregation.
- Form a prayer group especially for schools, or join one that already exists.
