Question #394

What about The Garden of Prayer?

Where I attend, we have a period of time during Sunday Morning Worship called The Garden of Prayer. It normally occurs just prior to communion and is accomplished by Church Elders along with their wives moving from their pew seats to different locations in the aisles to be available for prayer requests. Members/attendees so desiring prayers go to the Elder & wife of their choice and make the request and the Elder leads a prayer for the reason requested. Something that has me puzzled is that a newly appointed Elder has begun having his wife lead the prayer in that small group setting within the Worship Assembly. Since this is Worship Assembly, this seems inappropriate since a private prayer does not seem possible in a public setting. Also, if the requestor of the prayer is asking the prayer be lead by the Elder’s wife, it would seem necessary for the wife and requestor to move to a private area outside the Worship Assembly to accomplish their task. However, on one occasion, I observed the Elder ask his wife if she wanted to lead the prayer - clearly the request for the Elder’s wife to lead the prayer was the Elder and not the requestor. Your comments within this website indicate one cannot pass their own authority on to another if it is prohibited by scripture. Although God does gives us minor room to decide in some areas, I do not believe that would be allowed in this instance.

The Answer:

While this question is not addressed to the practice denominated “The Garden of Prayer,” it should perhaps be the first thing addressed. Elders in the body of Christ should be wise enough and sufficiently grounded in scripture to know that people are not changed, except emotionally, by programs that seek new ways to engage in even scriptural activities. Such practices from swaying with lifted hands to applause, to having people wander around the assembly to pray in small groups cannot change people in any way but emotionally. They are temporary external practices seeking to make permanent internal changes. That is not God’s method. He seeks to permanently change people externally by making permanent internal changes.

The described practice, assuming a scriptural justification for the practice was sought, is probably founded upon James 5:14 (see the discussion of this verse on this website in the Lessons on James). The context of the assembly is not the worship assembly. It is a sickroom from which the one ill or those caring for him call for the elders (not an elder) to come to his bedside, pray for him, and anoint him with oil. In the passage the elders go to the sick, not the sick to the elders in the worship assembly. The elders all pray (“let them”), not just one. The elders’ wives are not mentioned among the called. Clearly the verse does not justify the practice described.

But does that mean that the practice is unscriptural? Not necessarily. Are there other principles that are applicable? First, consider the nature of the public worship. It is called so that the whole church can come together into one place and simultaneously participate in the public acts of worship (for example, “eat the Lord’s supper,” 1 Cor. 11:20). It is to be conducted in a manner that is decent and in order 1 Cor. 14:40), not characterized by all praying or speaking at the same time. God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints (1 Cor. 14:33). One good test is to determine whether the same principle could be applied in other acts of worship. Would it be appropriate to have different groups simultaneously singing different songs? Preaching and hearing different sermons because their needs are different? Clearly not. This alone should answer the question.

There is one other issue, however – at least one wife of an elder has been asked to lead prayer. There is no reasonable argument that this practice can be called private prayer because it is part of the public assembly. Nor is it possible to claim that it is family prayer. It is certainly a spiritual family, but if that justifies a woman’s leading prayer, should it not also justify a woman’s preaching or leading worship in some other capacity? This issue is addressed in a number of the “Questions and Answers” and in “Bible Classes:Questions, Lesson 4.” The described practice violates these principles and is, therefore, wrong.

One last comment – even if it were lawful, it is not expedient (1 Cor.6:12; 10:23)