帶領會眾禱告的十三個訣竅13TIPS FOR LEADING THE CONGREGATION IN PRAYER
作者：Kevin DeYoung 譯者：駱鴻銘
1. 作好準備。有些傳統使用古代的禱告詞。其他則依賴即席的禱告。兩者各領風騷。但是我相信我們的會眾最需要的是深思熟慮的禱告詞。這些禱告詞也許不是用來唸的，但是必須在事前仔細斟酌。公眾禱告之所以常常令人感到無趣，是因為沒有用心思考。禱告者沒有經過訓練，也沒有下過功夫。花一兩個小時準備一篇長的教牧禱告並不算太長。
2. 自由地使用固定的格式。學習清教徒的《異象之谷》（The Valley of
Vision ）或老奧利芬（Hughes Oliphant Old）的《帶領禱告》（Leading in Prayer）或聖公會的公禱書（Book of Common Prayer），但是用他們的禱告詞來配合你自己的目的。《十二使徒遺訓》（Didache）在為聖餐定下固定的禱告詞後，也允許「牧師隨己意獻上感恩」。
3. 用聖經禱告。不要只是求上帝我們所要的。讓祂教導我們什麼是我們應該要的。
4. 不要加註腳。司布真說：「在禱告裡沒有必要用『你古時的僕人』這個標題，把經過選擇的聖經經文串在一起，然後說，這是引用自大衛，但以理，約伯，保羅，彼得，以及等等。」主已經知道誰說過什麼，因此不必在你的禱告詞裡再跟祂說一次。
5. 把講道留給講章。不要在禱告裡勸勉。不要解釋經文。不要解釋複雜的神學。司布真說：「長禱既不是由重覆、也不是由不必要的解釋所組成的，上帝不需要這些解釋；否則禱告就會淪為十足的講道，以至於禱告和講道就沒有分別了，只除了在禱告裡，牧師是閉著眼，而在講道裡，牧師是睜著眼而已。在禱告裡沒有必要朗誦威敏思特會議的要理問答。」
6. 分享會眾生活的部分細節，但不是全部。對需要特別關心的羊，好牧人經常會提到他們的名字。但是不要試著涵蓋過去三個月所有的衝突，或者在你的禱告中偷偷地宣布青少年退修會（「主啊，請與我們的青少年朋友同在，他們要在本週五下午五點，帶著他們的聖經和睡袋……」）。再一次引用司布真：「如同我先前說過的，沒有必要把公眾禱告變成本週大事的公佈欄，或者是會眾出生、死亡、結婚的花名冊，而是牧師的愛心應該提到的，發生在會眾生活當中的一般活動*。」
7. 讓你的禱告使人很容易效法。禱告的目標是造就人（林前十四17）。所以不要造太長的句子，不要太花俏，太華麗。如果你把禱告詞寫出來，要寫給耳朵聽，而不是寫給眼睛看。另一方面，也不要用容易使人分心的口語，例如，「主啊，你很可愛（you’re so sweet）。」
8. 盡可能簡短。寧可過短，也不要過長。在多數北美的教會裡，五分鐘就足夠了。如果你很有經驗，把你的會眾訓練得很好，七到十分鐘也是可能的。
9. 請記得你是和其他人一起，也是代表其他人禱告。使用「我們」和「我們的」（和主禱文一樣）。這不是承認你個人的罪或講述你個人經歷的時候。
10. 組織好你的禱告。確定好思路和方向。不要囉嗦。把握好速度。比較合理的是從內到外，首先為會眾所關心的禱告，然後到這個群體以外，到普世教會，到全世界。
11. 留意一些不自覺的口語動作。例如：過度加重嘴唇的發音（如p），舔嘴唇，嘆氣，嗯，不動腦地重覆上帝的尊名，沒必要地使用「只是」，「像這樣」，或過度依賴「我們禱告」，或「我們會禱告」這類的詞語，而不是單純地禱告。
12. 表達適當的敬畏、自信和情感。禱告要當真，把上帝當上帝，當作祂真的在聆聽。
13. 禱告前先禱告。當你作準備時要祈求上帝的幫助。當你上前禱告時，求祂賜你謙卑和恩典。
* 譯按：原作者抄錯了一個字，把movements抄成moments。
13 TIPS FOR LEADING THE
CONGREGATION IN PRAYER
By
Kevin DeYoung
1.
Prepare. Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous
prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most
are studied prayers. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought
through ahead of time. Public prayer is often boring because little thought is
put into it. There’s no training for it, no effort put it into it. An hour or
two is not too long to spend in preparing a long, pastoral prayer.
2.
Use forms with freedom. Learn from The Valley of Vision or Hughes Oliphant Old
or the Book of Common Prayer. But suit their prayers to your own purposes. The
Didache, after laying down set prayers for Communion, also allows “the prophets
to give thanks however they wish.”
3.
Pray Scripture. Don’t just ask God for what we want. Let him teach us what we
should want.
4.
Don’t footnote. Spurgeon: “It is not necessary in prayer to string a selection
of texts of Scripture together, and quote David, and Daniel, and Job, and Paul,
and Peter, and every other body, under the title of ‘thy servant of old.'” The
Lord already knows who said everything so don’t tell him again in your prayers.
5.
Leave the preaching for the sermon. Don’t exhort. Don’t explain texts. Don’t
unpack complex theology. Spurgeon again: “Long prayers either consist of
repetitions, or else of unnecessary explanations which God does not require; or
else they degenerate into downright preachings, so that there is no difference
between the praying and the preaching, except that in the one the minister has
his eyes shut, and in the other he keeps them open. It is not necessary in
prayer to rehearse the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism.”
6.
Share some details of congregational life, but not all. A good shepherd will
often mention by name various sheep that need special care. But don’t try to
cover every engagement in the last three months or surreptitiously announce the
youth retreat in your prayer (“Lord, be with our young people gathering this
Friday at 5:00pm with their Bibles and a sleeping bag…”). Spurgeon one more
time: “As I have said before, there is no need to make the public prayer a
gazette of the week’s events, or a register of the births, deaths, and
marriages of your people, but the general moments that have taken place in the
congregation should be noted by the minister’s careful heart.”
7.
Pray so that others can follow you easily. The goal is edification (1 Cor.
14:17). So don’t let your sentences get too long, too flowery, too ornate. If
you write out your prayers, write for the ear not for the eye. On the other
hand, don’t use distracting colloquialisms like, “Lord, you’re so sweet.”
8.
Keep it relatively brief. Better to be too short than too long. Five minutes is
plenty in most North American churches. Seven to ten minutes is possible if you
are experienced and have trained your people well.
9.
Remember you are praying with and on behalf of others. Use “we” and “our” (like
in the Lord’s Prayer). This is not the time to confess your personal sins or
recount your personal experiences.
10.
Order your prayer. Make sure there is a flow and direction. Don’t get too
wordy. Keep a good pace. It often makes sense to work from the inside out,
praying first for concerns of the congregation and then moving out to the
community, the global church, and the world.
11.
Beware of verbal ticks. For example: popping your p’s, smacking your lips,
sighing, ums, mindless repetition of the divine name, unnecessary use of the
word “just” and “like,” an over-reliance on the phrase “we pray” or “we would
pray” instead of simply praying.
12.
Show proper reverence, confidence, and emotion. Pray like you mean it, like God
is God, and as if he really hears us.
13.
Pray before you pray. Ask God for help as you prepare. Ask him for humility and
grace as you go up to pray.
