Traveling to various churches and events we are often asked the question, “How do you pray with kids at the altar?”
For a lot of people altar working is a confusing time during the service; especially when the altar is filled with kids. I’ve been told more than once by a well meaning adult that they really want to pray with the kids when they go to the front, but they just don’t know how.
When you consider the fact that a lot of Christians are stumped when praying for another adult during an altar call, it is pretty easy to understand why their trepidation increases when a child is the one seeking a spiritual encounter.
When I first started praying with children I know many of the thoughts I had to battle before I was confident in my altar working abilities. “What do you do if the kid won’t talk?” “Do they even understand what is going on?” “Do kids really know how to pray?” “How do I lead them in prayer in a way that they’ll understand?”
In this post I have outlined the process my wife and I use when praying with children. Hopefully the steps posted here will help others learn how to effectively work with children who are praying at the altar.
Before the Altar Call:
Psych yourself up: Before each service – whether I am preaching it or not – I begin by psyching myself up for the altar call. Remind yourself that there will be an altar call. Kids will respond, they will get the Holy Ghost, and you will be there to pray them through.
By psyching yourself up for the altar call you build your expectations of what is going to happen. When you expect the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and when you expect children to pray through, then your mind and heart will be ready when the outpouring starts.
Get into the service: It is easy for an adult to allow themselves to become disconnected in a service geared toward children. Fight that tendency! Just like in any service, if you are disconnected during the service it is extremely difficult to become connected during the altar call.
Get into the service. Sing the songs, do the motions, get into the preaching. If you are connected during the service, you will be connected during the altar call.
Get full of the Holy Ghost yourself: It is hard to transfer water from an empty vessel. It is also difficult to follow the spirit if the spirit is not in you. Season the period before the service with prayer.
Don’t walk into a children’s service dry and expect something to happen. Spend time in prayer before you walk into service and get full of the Holy Ghost yourself. When you are full of the Holy Ghost you will be successful in helping others become full of the Holy Ghost.
During the Altar Call:
Ask the child their name: Kid’s love hearing the sound of their own name. Use it often throughout the time you are praying with them. Using their name also helps focus the child on your voice and lets them know you aren’t just talking, but that you are talking specifically to them and that they should listen.
Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them: It is easy to assume that a child, who is at the altar and seriously praying, is seeking the Holy Ghost. This isn’t necessarily true. Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them and then listen to their answer. It will tell you where they’re at, and give you direction on how to lead them in prayer.
If they want prayer for something other than the Holy Ghost:
Have the child raise their hands: This step isn’t a necessity, but it teaches the child to be comfortable praying with raised hands, and encourages them to open up in prayer.
Ask the child if it is ok to lay your hand on their head: It is very important that we mind where we touch a child during an altar service. Unless you are the parent of the child praying, I would recommend reserving your touching to their elbows – in order to support their arms – and their foreheads.
Always ask them if they mind you laying your hand on their forehead. We are not always privy to the history of each child and can inadvertently create uncomfortable feelings, even when our intentions are pure.
Seriously pray for the request – even if it is funny: It is fine if a child wants Christ to do something for them other than give them the Holy Ghost. I’ve prayed with kids who were sad because their uncle had died. They didn’t want the Holy Ghost specifically, they wanted comfort. I’ve also prayed with kids who requested prayer for their “sick” pets. While it can be hard for an adult to take such a request seriously, we must remember that this need is very serious to the child and by filling their request we teach them that no need is too small for our great God to hear.
There is one thing I want to note about these “Non-Holy Ghost” requests. They often become door openers to kids getting the Holy Ghost. When you start praying for that uncle, or that pet, the kids will feel the moving of the spirit and they will respond.
ALWAYS pray a blessing over the child: After you have prayed for the child’s request, pray a blessing over the child. Ask God to cultivate a love for him in their heart. Plead the blood of Jesus over the child, and ask for God’s divine protection as they walk through this sin filled world. Ask God to plant a love for the word, and a love for prayer in their heart. Ask him to alleviate their fears, and fill them with peace and joy.
Let the Holy Ghost lead you in praying a blessing over a child. There have been many times when God has used this time to minister to a need the child has been dealing with.
For a lot of people altar working is a confusing time during the service; especially when the altar is filled with kids. I’ve been told more than once by a well meaning adult that they really want to pray with the kids when they go to the front, but they just don’t know how.
When you consider the fact that a lot of Christians are stumped when praying for another adult during an altar call, it is pretty easy to understand why their trepidation increases when a child is the one seeking a spiritual encounter.
When I first started praying with children I know many of the thoughts I had to battle before I was confident in my altar working abilities. “What do you do if the kid won’t talk?” “Do they even understand what is going on?” “Do kids really know how to pray?” “How do I lead them in prayer in a way that they’ll understand?”
In this post I have outlined the process my wife and I use when praying with children. Hopefully the steps posted here will help others learn how to effectively work with children who are praying at the altar.
Before the Altar Call:
Psych yourself up: Before each service – whether I am preaching it or not – I begin by psyching myself up for the altar call. Remind yourself that there will be an altar call. Kids will respond, they will get the Holy Ghost, and you will be there to pray them through.
By psyching yourself up for the altar call you build your expectations of what is going to happen. When you expect the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and when you expect children to pray through, then your mind and heart will be ready when the outpouring starts.
Get into the service: It is easy for an adult to allow themselves to become disconnected in a service geared toward children. Fight that tendency! Just like in any service, if you are disconnected during the service it is extremely difficult to become connected during the altar call.
Get into the service. Sing the songs, do the motions, get into the preaching. If you are connected during the service, you will be connected during the altar call.
Get full of the Holy Ghost yourself: It is hard to transfer water from an empty vessel. It is also difficult to follow the spirit if the spirit is not in you. Season the period before the service with prayer.
Don’t walk into a children’s service dry and expect something to happen. Spend time in prayer before you walk into service and get full of the Holy Ghost yourself. When you are full of the Holy Ghost you will be successful in helping others become full of the Holy Ghost.
During the Altar Call:
Ask the child their name: Kid’s love hearing the sound of their own name. Use it often throughout the time you are praying with them. Using their name also helps focus the child on your voice and lets them know you aren’t just talking, but that you are talking specifically to them and that they should listen.
Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them: It is easy to assume that a child, who is at the altar and seriously praying, is seeking the Holy Ghost. This isn’t necessarily true. Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them and then listen to their answer. It will tell you where they’re at, and give you direction on how to lead them in prayer.
If they want prayer for something other than the Holy Ghost:
Have the child raise their hands: This step isn’t a necessity, but it teaches the child to be comfortable praying with raised hands, and encourages them to open up in prayer.
Ask the child if it is ok to lay your hand on their head: It is very important that we mind where we touch a child during an altar service. Unless you are the parent of the child praying, I would recommend reserving your touching to their elbows – in order to support their arms – and their foreheads.
Always ask them if they mind you laying your hand on their forehead. We are not always privy to the history of each child and can inadvertently create uncomfortable feelings, even when our intentions are pure.
Seriously pray for the request – even if it is funny: It is fine if a child wants Christ to do something for them other than give them the Holy Ghost. I’ve prayed with kids who were sad because their uncle had died. They didn’t want the Holy Ghost specifically, they wanted comfort. I’ve also prayed with kids who requested prayer for their “sick” pets. While it can be hard for an adult to take such a request seriously, we must remember that this need is very serious to the child and by filling their request we teach them that no need is too small for our great God to hear.
There is one thing I want to note about these “Non-Holy Ghost” requests. They often become door openers to kids getting the Holy Ghost. When you start praying for that uncle, or that pet, the kids will feel the moving of the spirit and they will respond.
ALWAYS pray a blessing over the child: After you have prayed for the child’s request, pray a blessing over the child. Ask God to cultivate a love for him in their heart. Plead the blood of Jesus over the child, and ask for God’s divine protection as they walk through this sin filled world. Ask God to plant a love for the word, and a love for prayer in their heart. Ask him to alleviate their fears, and fill them with peace and joy.
Let the Holy Ghost lead you in praying a blessing over a child. There have been many times when God has used this time to minister to a need the child has been dealing with.
Encourage them to keep praying and not stop: They may not have started off by seeking the Holy Ghost, but I have seen the “Non-Holy Ghost” prayers lead there. Once you are done praying a blessing over the child encourage them to continue praying. Ask them if they want Jesus to do something else for them and then start the process over.
The main goal is to bring the child into an encounter with God. Keep them praying at the altar as long as they want, they will stop if they think they’re done. Encourage them to keep praying. The longer they stay in the presence of God, the more likely they are to respond to that presence.
To be continued……….
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