Frequently Asked Questions

What is Methodist Prayer?

Methodist Prayer was launched in November 2015, and is based on Daily Prayer, the Church of England’s form of service for morning and evening prayer. Early Christians continued the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at certain hours of the day and night, and this practice became what is known in various Christian traditions as the Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, Daily Office or canonical hours. 

We’ve trimmed down the current Anglican prayer liturgy a little and retained some components that were in John Wesley’s order of prayer for morning and evening in his 1784 prayer book Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America (e.g. the Apostle’s Creed and penitence). We’ve also added some early Methodist hymns and used a modern translation of the Scriptures: the Berean Standard Bible. 

Why is Methodist Prayer based on an order for prayer created by Anglicans?

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in the 18th century, was an Anglican priest who never left the Church of England. Early Methodism was heavily influenced by Anglicanism, which itself was influenced by Roman Catholicism. We’ve found the Church of England’s Daily Prayer liturgy to be rich, biblical and spiritually powerful. 

How can I support Methodist Prayer?

Four ways.

  1. Pray for us. We need massive prayer support to grow our ministry of creating and distributing digital prayer resources globally.

  2. Share us on social media. Post morning and evening prayer links on Facebook and Twitter. The more people that are praying, the better!

  3. Support us financially. We need your financial contributions to grow Methodist Prayer. Sign up to support us for as little as $2 a month on Patreon, or give a one-time gift using a credit card, PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, or cryptocurrency.

  4. Start a prayer group. Use Methodist Prayer with your church small group or Sunday school class!

Who publishes Methodist Prayer?

Methodist Prayer is a not-for-profit publisher founded by Shane Raynor. Shane previously served for 11 years as managing editor of Ministry Matters at the United Methodist Publishing House. He also developed and edited the Converge Bible study series for Abingdon Press. Shane is a member of the Global Methodist Church.

If I miss a prayer time or Bible reading, do I have to make it up?

No, Methodist Prayer (or any order for daily prayer) should be viewed as a tool to help you pray more regularly and more effectively, not as an obligation or an item to check off of a to-do list. If you miss a prayer time, just get back on track with the next one. 

What is the Berean Standard Bible?

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern translation of the Holy Scriptures in the public domain. It is a completely new translation based on the best available manuscripts and sources. The BSB text is the result of a careful translation and styling process to maintain core meanings and produce an English text of high literary quality, effective for public reading, study, memorization, and evangelism.

When we were creating the most recent iteration of Methodist Prayer, we wanted to use as many resources as possible that are freely available digitally, without the barriers and complications of copyrights and royalty payments. The BSB is a solid translation project, and we recommend it highly. You can find it online at Bible Hub, Bible.com (YouVersion), STEP Bible, Study Light and Open Bible.