Intercessor

To lead God’s gathered people
to thank him and ask his help

At home prepare public prayers using an outline from ‘A Prayer Book for Australia’ (APBA) or similar
On your rostered days, lead public prayers on behalf of the congregation during the ‘Prayers of the People’
Conclude by leading everyone in the Lord’s Prayer

Because you are the leader of the prayers, you have a great opportunity to inspire us in our own praying to the Father, to model how to pray, and to express your faith in God on behalf of the congregation.
A simple outline of the prayers can be found on page 172-173 of APBA. Alternatives are available on pages 183-187.
A good structure is to pray in three sections- for the world, the church, and those in need. Aim for 2 - 5 minutes.
Use the familiar response: ‘Lord in your mercy ... Hear our prayer’. People get confused by other ones.
Keep the individual prayers short, intelligible, and prayerful- asking what we would most want God to do, rather than only listing the person/topic. Our prayers need to be specific enough that we could recognise the answer.
As for the content, there are many wonderful prayers from our forebears in the faith (including those in APBA), but if you can make time, you’re encouraged to prepare your own. Include some of the prayer points from the roster, especially the monthly mission partner. There are matters in the news that may be on people’s hearts, as well as things on yours. Remember that these are “common” prayers.
Avoid summarising (or correcting!) the sermon, providing narratives, editorialising, sermonising, or politicising.

Let me know if you have any questions, or would like to discuss any of this.

Thanks again for your ministry!

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