11 Opening and Closing Prayers for Annual Church Meetings

Starting your meeting off on the right foot starts with a leading prayer, and summing up the meeting requires a strong closing prayer. Here are 11 opening and closing prayers for annual church meetings.

Opening Prayers

Opening Prayer of Praise
Precious Savior, we gather together in holy fellowship to conduct the business of the church, Your body. We thank You that You are always with us and that it is Your own doing to build and lead the church. We praise You for Your eternal love for us, Your sacrifice on the cross, Your forgiveness for sinners, and Your glorious gospel of peace. We thank You that by Your mediation, we have access to God the Father. We worship You and pray that You would be honored by this meeting. We pray in Your sacred name, Amen.

Opening Prayer to Request Wisdom
Lord, as we open this meeting, we recognize that we can do nothing apart from You. Please grant us wisdom to rightly represent You and to faithfully interpret Your Word. Let the Spirit of Wisdom dwell within us and may He provide us with knowledge, conviction, Christlike love, and unity. We pray that this time would be fruitful to those in attendance, and may righteousness and peace be ours through Christ. We pray in His name. Amen.

Opening Prayer to Request Safety
God of Hope, together we meet to faithfully carry out the exercises of the church. We ask that while we gather in Your name, that You would protect us both physically and spiritually. Please grant that no enemy of Yours disrupts this meeting and that Your Spirit is our protector. May all those who practice evil be thwarted and may the testimony of Your truth be preached freely. We ask this, Father, that we may honor You in loving fellowship. Amen.

Opening Prayer of Salvation
Merciful One, we unite as a congregation because You have made us into one spiritual body through Your saving gospel. We praise You for descending to the earth, taking on the form of a human, willingly enduring the cross, bearing the punishment of our sins, sacrificing Your life in place of ours, and granting us salvation. Thank You that You have mercifully called us out of the world, anointed us by Your Spirit, granted us faith, and blessed us with eternal life. Jesus, we will praise You for all eternity. Thank You for Your mercy. Amen.

Opening Prayer of Sanctification
Great King, our time of fellowship is for the purpose of honoring You. We know that You are honored by faithful obedience, and so we pray that You would lead our hearts to full the conviction of sin and the boldness to practice the truth. Help us each to be an example of holiness in this dark world. Guide us to be faithful to Your sacred commands. May we live to serve You, to seek Your will, and may we never stop battling against our own flesh. We pray in Your name. Amen.

Closing Prayers

Closing Prayer of Thankfulness
Sovereign Lord, You have granted us a great privilege in gathering us together. We thank You that You are with us and that You guide our steps. Thank You for leading us not into temptation, but rather leading us into the truth of Your Word. We are thankful for the indwelling Holy Spirit, who lives within us and seals us with a guarantee of final redemption. We praise You endlessly for Your sacrifice and for Your glorious gospel. Please grant that we may now each walk in a manner that is in step with what we know to be true. Amen.

Closing Prayer of Remembrance
Holy One, it has been our great to gather among the saints and speak about the orders of business of this congregation and the truths of Your Word. May each one of us depart from this gathering in peace, encouragement, and with a sharp remembrance of the things we have learned. Let our minds be sponges for the teachings of Scripture and let us each remain in constant meditation on the truths You have revealed. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Closing Prayer of Joy
Ruler of All Things, You have been with us during our meeting, and we know that You will be with us as we go our separate ways. May we take great joy and comfort in knowing that the God of the Universe actually knows us and loves us, and all because of the mystery of the cross. Thank You for giving us so much to celebrate—forgiveness, fellowship with Christ, eternal life. May we never stop expressing our abundant joy that is our gift from the Spirit. Amen.

Closing Prayer of Fortitude
Worthy One, we are refreshed from this time of fellowship and encouraged by Your Word. May we end this meeting with Your blessing as we depart. Please grant that we would have the strength to carry on, faithfully, despite any troubles that we may face. Help us to have the fortitude to live Godly in this evil age. Let us be bold to stand for the truth, and to oppose what is false. We ask this in Jesus’s blessed name. Amen.

Closing Prayer of Protection
Jesus, my Redeemer, we praise Your holy name for this time of gathering together. Thank You for blessing the church with profound resources through the Holy Spirit and the Word. We thank You for all that You have done for us. We ask You to bless us as we dismiss. May Your hand of protection be upon each of us, and may we each live boldly for You, regardless of what it might cost us. We trust that You will sustain us, guide us, and protect us. We pray in Your name. Amen.

Closing Prayer of Evangelism
Most High God, as we close in prayer, we proclaim Your greatness and celebrate Your gospel. Let us each go forth with an attitude of evangelism. Help us each to participate in the great commission and to be a faithful witness of the transforming power of Your Word. Let us speak the truth in love and point the world to Your Son as the only hope for condemned sinners. Let us know how to speak words of grace, seasoned with salt, and help us to be ready with an answer for those who would question us. May Your name be forever lifted up. Amen.

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