There are a number of ways to incorporate Companioned Prayer into your ministry. One way is to offer four learning sessions and follow-on prayer sessions as provided in chapters 4 and 9 of the book, Companioned Prayer (see the “Supplemental Resources” page of this website). This program can be offered to the people active in the ministry, to the people they serve, or both. If you think your ministry group or group of people that it serves are not ready for this type of program, you might try a very personal approach. This is where you simply ask one other person (or better still, three or four) to help you pray together.

For example, you might explain that you have been introduced to a new form of prayer that takes two people, and you would be honored if they help you to learn to share the prayer as your prayer partner. You can explain that the prayer has a number of steps or movements that we follow, and to help them understand these steps, you will first companion them, so that they have a feel for how the prayer works. Instead of starting with the full standard Companioned Prayer form, you may wish to begin with the simpler "Introduction to the Loving Heart of Jesus" form before moving on to the longer form. This introductory form is also available on the CPCF's Supplemental Resources page. And when they are ready, they can companion you, also with the simpler form before using the longer form. During these prayer sessions you can also share your prayer experiences with each other. This helps form a very intimate relationship in faith, and also facilitates discussion of some of the basic tenants of the prayer, such as Jesus’ loving heart, humility, trust and surrender, etc.

This approach can be done with another member of your ministry group, or with someone the ministry serves. As you do so with someone your ministry serves, this must really be an equal relationship in prayer; not simply you ministering to someone. This is how God changes us in community: when we become one with those we serve, in the grace of His love.

Sometime after we have begun to pray with another person, either during the course of prayer or near its completion, you or your prayer partner can invite someone else to be a prayer partner, learning the prayer and supporting each other, creating a one-on-one prayer time with them in the same manner. After some time and when this person feels ready, you can ask them to join with you and the first person, creating or enlarging a Companioned Prayer group. This is a very effective way to bring prayer into a personal service ministry.

For more information about how to incorporate Companioned Prayer into your service ministry, see chapter 6 of the book, Companioned Prayer.