The pastor prays a “benediction prayer” upon the church congregation every time a church service ends. It is more of a priestly blessing than a closing prayer. In the Scriptures, a benediction is always given when a worship service ends. A benediction stirs up faith and joy among the congregation and encourages them. Benediction has been present not just in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, it is given by a priest. In our context, our pastor gives it as the church service ends.
Numbers 6:24–26
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Ephesians 6:23–24
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
A Closing prayer for church
While we have a benediction at the end of a church service instead of a closing prayer, closing prayers are still prayed in church. There are a lot of activities in the church for which it is best to close with a prayer. For example, if you have a Bible class at church where you teach some fellow believers about Biblical teachings and doctrines, it is best to end the class with a prayer. Another example is that if you just finished serving or volunteering, you can also close or end your service with a prayer. There are so many activities in the church for which closing with prayer is the best thing to do, not just in church services. As Christians, we are commanded to pray to God and pray always without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Matthew 6:7
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Praying to God is something that is always expected of Christians. It is a spiritual discipline that every Christian should keep. It is one of the means of grace that God has instituted. But why do we have to pray always? Why pray as you finish serving in church or end any church activity? We have to remember that prayer is our way of talking to God. If God communicates to us through His Word, the Bible, we communicate to God through praying. If we rarely pray even about church matters, that means we rarely talk to God regarding these matters and what we have been doing. We know things shouldn’t be like that. If prayer is our way of talking to God, then surely we are to always pray and talk to God as we close or end whatever church activity we have. We are to surrender everything to Him, come before Him in humility, and thank Him for the things for which we are thankful.
You can pray this prayer to remind yourself never to forget God but to always end the things you do in church with prayer:
Father in heaven, give me the grace to never forget You whenever I finish doing things in the church. But instead, help me to always remember You and humble myself before You as I come before You in prayer—thanking You for the things I was able to do and relying on You for the things that I am hoping for. Whatever church activity I was able to do, I was only able to do it because of Your grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Closing prayer for church
How do you pray a closing prayer in church?
As mentioned above, a closing prayer is not something you pray for only at the end of a church service. Depending on the activity in church that is about to end, there are many different closing prayers that you can pray. For example, suppose you are a volunteer Bible teacher or a full-time minister who teaches Biblical doctrines and teachings to the church community. In that case, you can end your Bible class and close it with a prayer in which you thank God for all the things that you have learned today as you discussed the doctrines and teachings you have taught. You can also add into your prayer that your students will not just keep the things they have learned as head knowledge but that they shall apply it to their lives. You can also thank God for giving you the graces you needed as you taught the class. Here is how you can turn it into a prayer:
Father in heaven, we thank You today for all the things we have learned about You and Your Word. Thank You, Father, for giving us the understanding and knowledge of the things You want to teach us. As we end our class, we pray that the things that we have learned will not just remain as head knowledge, but that we will apply it in our lives when we leave. May our knowledge drive us even more to live an obedient life toward You. Thank You, Father, for giving me the grace to teach my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Also, as mentioned before, you can pray a closing prayer as you finish serving in the church. You can pray this prayer regardless of what manner you are serving in—worship leader, usher, technical operator, etc. You want to thank God for the opportunity and privilege to serve and also for the grace that you needed to serve excellently. You can pray this prayer as you finish serving in the church:
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the opportunity and the privilege to serve today through [the area you are serving]. Thank You, Father, for the grace that You have given me to handle the tasks I need to handle and serve and perform my responsibilities well. I pray that I will have a nice, refreshing rest as I return home from serving. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Closing prayer for church
Another thing that you can pray for is when you are preaching the Gospel to someone. There are some activities in the church where you are reaching out to people who haven’t surrendered their lives to Christ yet. For example, you may be having an outreach activity as a church, and then, during that activity, you preached the Gospel; afterward, some people did repent and believe in the Gospel of Christ. There is no better way to end that moment than praying to God. Here is how you can pray to God as you finish an event where you reached out and preached the Gospel to others:
Father in heaven, we thank You today, for heaven is celebrating more souls that have been saved and restored to You through Christ. Thank You, Father, for working in their hearts and opening their spiritual eyes, through which they have seen the truth of the Gospel and their need for a Savior. We pray, Father, that their desire to know You and seek You will not just end here but will continue for the rest of their lives. We pray that they shall continue to grow more in their relationship with You. Thank You, Father, because they will get to see and know more about Who You are and what You are like. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A closing prayer is also the best way to end a church meeting. Whether you are a full-time staff member in the church or a volunteer. If you just had a meeting regarding some matters in the church or some ministry work, it is only fitting to commit your plans and work to the LORD and thank Him for the productive meeting you had. You can pray this closing prayer as you end your meeting in the church:
Father in heaven, we commit to You our work and the plans that we have discussed regarding things that we plan to do as we reach out and minister to other people. Only You can establish our plans. Guide us, Lord, in the ministry endeavors that we have, and we pray, Father, that You would bring our plans to fruition. Thank You, Father, for the productive meeting we have and the wisdom and knowledge You have given us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
A Closing prayer for church
The overall pattern of the closing prayers we wrote above is that, first, we thank God. When you close something, that means you were able to do something to achieve something. Therefore, we should thank God because it is only because of His grace that we can do or finish what we were able to. Even if there were rough things that have happened, there are still many things that we can thank God for.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Another part of the pattern is that when we close something with a prayer, we say we rely on and trust in God. For example, if you are ending a ministry meeting, you want to pray and depend on God for your plans to be fruitful because, in the end, we are all dependent on God’s grace and power.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
When we close something in the church, we pray to God because everything is not about us but all about Him. The church/ministry meeting that we are ending is about Him and expanding His kingdom. When we pray as we finish serving in the ministry, we serve God. When we are concluding an outreach or a Bible class, it is about Christ and the things of God. That is why it is only fitting to pray to God and talk to Him as we end our activities in the church. We wouldn’t be doing the activities we have been doing if not for Christ, who saved us from sin and restored our standing before God. Christ is the one who acts as our mediator toward God as we have this access to His throne of grace to freely talk to Him, knowing with confidence that our prayers reach Him.