Prayer

🕯️ A Prayer Before Evangelism: What to Pray Before You Go Out

The first Christians prayed for boldness before they spoke (Acts 4:29). Pray for open doors, clear words, courage, workers and love for the people you will meet. Here is a prayer you can use, alone or with a team.

3 min read · October 21, 2026 · By Daniel Ziedins

Key takeaways

Prayer is part of evangelism, not a warm-up: only God can open a heart.
Pray for open doors (Colossians 4:3), clear words (Colossians 4:4), courage (Ephesians 6:19), more workers (Matthew 9:38) and love for the people you meet.
Pray together for five minutes before you go, keep praying while you talk, and pray afterward for each person by name.

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

Acts 4:29

Before the first Christians ever went out to share the gospel, they prayed. When they were threatened for speaking about Jesus, their response was not to hide. They prayed for courage:

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. (Acts 4:29)

And God answered:

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

Prayer is not the warm-up before the real work of evangelism. It is part of the work. Here is what to pray before you go out, and a prayer you can use.

Why pray first

Only God can open a heart. We can be clear and kind, but we cannot make anyone see who Jesus is. Prayer reminds us whose work this is, takes the pressure off, and invites the Holy Spirit to lead.

It also changes us. It is hard to be pushy or proud with people you have just prayed for.

What to pray for

The New Testament gives a clear pattern. Paul asked the churches to pray for specific things as he went out.

Open doors.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3)

Clear words. "Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should" (Colossians 4:4).

Courage.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, (Ephesians 6:19)

More workers. Jesus told his disciples to "ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:38).

You can also pray for:

People who are open, sometimes called a person of peace.
Love for the people you will meet, especially the difficult ones.
Wisdom to listen well and know what to say.
Safety for your team.
Healing and help for people who need it.

A prayer before evangelism

You can pray this alone or with your team, in your own words or as written:

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving the people we will meet today. Go ahead of us. Open doors and open hearts. Lead us to people who are ready to hear about you. Give us love for every person, ears to listen, and clear, simple words. Make us bold and kind. Protect our team. Where people are hurting, show them your care through us. Whatever happens, let them see you. In your name, amen.

Pray together as a team

If you go out with a team, take five minutes to pray before you start. A simple pattern works well:

One person reads a short verse.
Each person prays one sentence: for courage, for the people you will meet, for the area you are serving.
One person closes.

That is it. Short and sincere beats long and tired. How to run a weekly street outreach team shows where this fits in the weekly rhythm.

Keep praying while you go

Prayer does not stop when the conversations start. Pray quietly as you walk. Pray for the person in front of you while you listen. If you are the one not talking, pray for the conversation. Paul's instruction was to "devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2).

And offer to pray with people. "Can I pray for you?" is one of the easiest open doors there is. How to offer to pray for a stranger shows how.

Pray afterward, by name

When you finish, pray for the people you met, by name if you know it. Write the names down so you keep praying for them, and follow up within 48 hours. How to prayer walk your neighbourhood is a good way to keep praying for a place over time.

Kingdom Base has a free Prayer Walk mode for praying through the people you have met, one name at a time. Start free.

Questions

What should I pray before evangelism?

Pray for open doors (Colossians 4:3), clear words (Colossians 4:4), courage (Ephesians 6:19), more workers (Matthew 9:38), people who are open, love for everyone you meet, wisdom, safety and help for people who are hurting.

Is there a short prayer for evangelism?

Yes: 'Lord Jesus, thank you for loving the people we will meet today. Go ahead of us. Open doors and open hearts. Give us love for every person, ears to listen, and clear, simple words. Make us bold and kind. Whatever happens, let them see you. In your name, amen.'

How should an outreach team pray before going out?

Take about five minutes: one person reads a short verse, each person prays one sentence for courage, for the people you will meet and for the area, and one person closes.

Nobody forgotten. Kingdom Base is a free command center for the Great Commission — log the people you meet, follow up faithfully, and make disciples. Start free.