The next step is to find a place conducive to prayer and where you can invite people to come and pray. You create a set time that`s convenient for, say, an hour or two. If it`s a long prayer meeting, let people know they can come and go as they please as long as they are not disruptive and don`t interrupt the flow of the prayer meeting.

It`s very important to establish guidelines for an effective, orderly prayer meeting. Sometimes there are people who like to pray long prayers. They don`t allow others the chance to pray. Or there are those who like to speak in tongues or interrupt with some kind of word or song that`s not relevant to the moving of the Spirit of God. Let people know ahead of time what is expected. For example, here are some rules that can be established to keep order in the meeting:

*Keep prayers short. Don`t dominate the time with long prayers or by praying too frequently. (Some people are very shy about praying aloud and won`t pray if they sense others are more eloquent and pray often; it`s important to be sensitive.)

*I recommend having a specific theme for the prayer meeting.

*If your prayer meeting has a specific them (i.e. praying for the orphans of the world); then remind people to keep to the theme.

*Whether there`s a specific theme or not, again remind people that the prayer meeting is not about them, it`s not about how eloquently they can pray, but it`s about honoring Jesus and interceding for others.

*If you allow the reading of Scripture, again make sure that the reading is not too long and that no one person dominates. Or elect one or two people to read.

These are just some suggested guidelines that make for an effective and fruitful prayer meeting.