Is Corporate Prayer Biblical?

Question

In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus tells believers to not pray "to be seen by man" but rather go into our room and pray to our Father in secret. So why do most churches have corporate prayer where leaders and others pray out loud so everyone can hear? Where is the biblical precedent for corporate prayer? I know that Matthew 18:19-20 says "...if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for...", but I don't see how that has anything to do with large corporate praying.

Can someone please enlighten me? Is there other scripture that supports corporate prayer? Seems to me that many times we pray in group settings only so other people will hear us...not to communicate with God. If I want to communicate with someone I usually do it one-on-one. Why is it different with prayer?

I think you are referring to Matthew 18:20 where scripture tells us "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with you." It doesn't say anything about prayer or answering prayer. I think this is a common misunderstanding or maybe just poor memory.

Also, in Acts 2:42 we see where believers met in homes and devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship and prayer. It doesn't say how they prayed. Were they praying silently or out loud? We simply don't know.

Almost everytime Jesus prayed he went out alone. That's why his disciples asked Jesus how to pray in Luke 11:1. Jesus modeled prayer for us.

If you could please respond with specific scripture references. I'm really searching for some answers to questions I have been having recently. I believe that those answers must come from the bible.

I thank all who took the time to answer this question. I think the question becomes...what is our motivation for praying...whether it is privately or in a large group setting? I think we can have purer motives when we pray in private...so God is our only audience. Bring in other earthly beings and our motivation begins to come in question. So is corporate prayer biblical? Yes, it probably is. There are a few instances in scripture where people prayed together, but even fewer where we know that the group prayers were audibly spoken. Jesus himself usually went up on the mountain or in the wilderness to pray alone. He modeled it for us. Even he seldom prayed aloud so others could hear. I know His motives were always pure.

Please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss further.

Answer 1

Ok... if the question is about corporate prayer as in should we share our prayers, I would have to say yes...and I'd point to the story of Esther, how she told her uncle to go back and tell the rest of the Jewish people to fast for three days. Now remember, fasting isn't a diet...it's a form of prayer. So, yes..we can be in agreement and in corporate body when praying.

Now...if the question is "should we let the words come out of our mouth for others to hear?" I'd say it depends on what's motivating a person to have their prayers heard.

Example...when I first started my walk, I was always amazed at how prayer requests were really more of a way to share gossip. "pray for my sister's husband's brother who just lost his business because he's been drinking and gambled away all the store profits at Las Vegas."

As for scripture that says our motivation is in question, I'd go to the answer Jesus gave in Mark 12 38 -40.

However, I don't believe this means we're not supposed to let others hear our prayers, I'd point to Silas and Paul in 16:25.

but for the best example of actually hearing prayer, I would go to Luke 18 9-14. This is a parable from Jesus Himself, in which we see the Pharisee stand up and pray about himself. Jesus doesn't condemn him for praying aloud, but for the motivation in the Pharisee's prayer.

Answer 2

In Matthew 6, Jesus is speaking of one type of prayer, personal prayer.

There are examples of public prayer:

in the upper room (Acts 1:13,14)
in a house (Acts 12:5-17)
by a river (Acts 13:16)
on a beach (Acts 21:5)
Paul and Silas publicly prayed together in prison (Acts 16:25)

no there is nothing wrong or unbiblical when Christians pray together.

Answer 3

Let's say that I am CEO of Widgets Inc.
I hold a board meeting and after business is sorted I say. Now let's end this meeting on a prayer.
I pray for the well being of souls and world peace and salvation for the world. Then start in on and Lord help us to make the best Widget possible . So the consumer gets what he expects and our product is always safe and up to the highest standards.
You can betcha anyone not listening respectfully would be looking for work.
Even to an atheist there is a message. Do a good job for everyone concerned.
Would that bother you?

Answer 4

Well they were praying in one accord in the upper room (book of acts) they all prayed to have peter delivered from Prison and he was......This passage like many is about the heart of the matter which is
Don't pray to show off!!!!
If you don't like to pray in front of people and do it because God led you to then you have an obedient heart. If God is telling YOU to be quiet and go to the prayer closet and not make a show of your prayers then, you should obey him. The bible is multi-faceted-that is why we must walk with Jesus Personally and walk by the spirit and not try to turn it into a book of recipe's. That's not what it is meant to be.

Answer 5

Scripture also tells us that any time 2 or 3 are gathered together in His name......so shall it be done.

Corporate worship & prayer are biblical.
But we should also pray alone as well.....as is stated in the Scripture that you referenced above.

The biblical model for the church in the book of Acts also calls for prayer & Scripture reading....and the singing of a hymn.

Answer 6

Most churches disregard the teachings of Jesus and just do whatever they want. They want to fill the church with bodies so that they will fill the collection plate.

Answer 7

C-corporation is Biblical; S-Corp is not!