Skill Practice 3

Teach People How to Pray

Three young sister missionaries in the Philippines. They are shown walking on a dirt road by tin shack homes, teaching a family and praying with them in their home and as passengers on a motorcycle.

Many of the people missionaries teach lack experience with prayer. “Inviting people to pray is one of the most important invitations you can extend as a missionary” (Preach My Gospel [2023], 43).

Discussion leader: Strive to be brief in the “Define” and “Demonstrate” sections so learners have plenty of time for practice.

Define

Discussion leader: Introduce the topic for this skill practice by sharing the following:

Our loving Heavenly Father desires His children to communicate with Him through prayer. Missionaries often teach people who have little or no experience with prayer.

Discussion leader: Invite learners to locate “Lesson 4—Becoming Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ” in chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel. Help them find the heading titled “Pray Often” on page 77. Then share the following instructions:

Read the section titled “Pray Often” (Preach My Gospel, 77). Look for guidelines that can help you teach others why it is important to pray and how to pray.

What did you learn about the importance of prayer?
What did you find that can help others know how to pray?

Discussion leader: Consider displaying the following guidelines from this section so learners can refer to them during the practice activity:

Begin by addressing Heavenly Father.
Express the feelings of our hearts, such as gratitude for the blessings we have received.
Ask questions, seek guidance, and ask for blessings.
End by saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Demonstrate

Discussion leader: Demonstrate what it might look like to teach someone about prayer. As part of your demonstration, describe why prayer is important and how to pray.

You could also use the video “Teaching about the Holy Ghost and Prayer: John” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org; watch from time code 2:46 to 5:00).

Practice

Discussion leader: Assign each class member a partner and share the following instructions:

With your partner, take turns teaching each other about prayer (refer to the guidelines from page 77 of Preach My Gospel as needed). Be sure to explain both why we pray and how to pray. You could also testify that God hears and answers prayers.

Apply

Discussion leader: Share an invitation like the following to help students apply this skill:

During the next week, look for an opportunity to practice teaching someone how to pray. This could be with a family member or friend who already knows how to pray, or if you know someone who is unfamiliar with prayer, you could teach them. Also consider how you might improve your personal prayers.