Prayer for Unity in the Church
To pray for unity in the church, ask God to give believers humility, patience, and love for one another, to heal the particular divisions in your congregation, and to keep the church's attention on Christ. Then pray for the people involved by name, and pray for your own part in keeping the peace. Scripture invites believers to pray for one another, and a prayer does not guarantee that a particular conflict will be resolved or on what timeline.
Jesus prayed for unity among his followers. In John 17:21 (KJV) he says, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." The verse ties that unity to the world believing that the Father sent him. At Find A Prayer, we write prayers for the moments readers bring us, and this one is for the believer who is grieved by division in a congregation or between Christians.
You can pray for unity without asking that every question be settled the same way, and without asking that real wrongs be ignored. Ephesians 4:3 (KJV) speaks of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If someone in a church has hurt or abused you, a trusted pastor, counselor, or other safe person can help you, and prayer does not replace that help.
A Short Prayer for Church Unity
Lord, bind your church together in peace. Give me humility, patience, and love for my brothers and sisters, and give them the same toward me. Heal what divides us, and keep my eyes on you. Amen.
A Longer Prayer for a Divided Congregation
Father, you see the congregation I belong to and the division that has grown among us. I ask for unity kept in the bond of peace. Psalm 133:1 says how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, and I want my church to know that goodness again. Soften the hard places in my heart and in the hearts of the people I sit beside on Sunday. Where people have been wronged, give them courage to speak plainly about it, and give wisdom to those who must hear it. Where pride has taken root, pull it up, including mine. Bring the people I name to mind now, and bless each of them with the nearness of your presence. Give my church patience with one another while the hard conversations continue. Let our words to each other sound like people who belong to the same family. Keep our eyes fixed on Christ and off our own sides. I leave the timing to you, Lord. Keep me faithful in prayer, and keep me from adding to the wound. Amen.
A Prayer for Humility and Peace Among Believers
Lord, you have given your people a bond of peace. Take the pride out of my heart so I can listen before I answer. Keep me from gossip and from picking sides before I know the facts. Help the believers I disagree with to see me as a brother or sister, and help me see them the same way. Where I am the one who needs to change, show me the beam in my own eye before I point at anyone else's. Amen.
A Prayer for Church Leaders
Father, I lift up the pastors and leaders of my church. Give them wisdom in hard decisions and the courage to say what must be said. Protect them from the weight of every complaint. Give them a listening ear, a steady temper, and a clear view of Christ. Where they have made mistakes, give them the humility to own them and the grace to keep going. Bless their families, and guide their steps. Amen.
A Prayer When I Have Been Hurt in the Church
Lord, I have been hurt by people in your church, and it aches. I bring the pain to you without pretending it is small. Hold me in your care, and give me rest where I have been wounded. Keep bitterness from taking root in my heart, and help me forgive as far as I am able today. If I need to step back from a person or a place, give me wisdom about how to do it. Put safe people around me, and help me find the support I need. I trust you with what I cannot fix. Amen.
A One-Line Prayer for Unity
Lord, make your church one in peace, and keep me humble within it. Amen.
A Prayer for Unity Across Christian Traditions
Father, you know every believer who calls on your name, in every tradition and every place of worship. I ask you to give them humility toward one another. I ask that they keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Where Christians have been divided for a long time, give humility to those who speak first and patience to those who have waited. Let my words about other believers be words of respect. Help me pray for people whose worship looks different from mine, and help me love them as members of your family. Let the world see Christ in how we treat one another. Amen.
Scripture to pray
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.— John 17:21 (KJV)
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.— Ephesians 4:3 (KJV)
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.— Colossians 3:14 (KJV)
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?— Matthew 7:3 (KJV)
Frequently asked questions
What is a good prayer for unity in the church?
The short prayer above is one way to begin. Ask God to give believers humility, patience, and love, and to keep the church in the bond of peace, as Ephesians 4:3 (KJV) describes it.
Why does Jesus pray for his followers to be one?
In John 17:21 (KJV), Jesus asks that they all may be one. Praying for unity keeps that request in front of God for your own church.
Does unity mean everyone has to agree?
Colossians 3:14 (KJV) calls charity the bond of perfectness, and Ephesians 4:3 (KJV) speaks of keeping unity in the bond of peace. Real wrongs can still be named, and the longer prayer above asks God for courage to speak plainly about them.
How do I pray when my church is divided?
Start by naming the people involved and asking God to bless each one by name. Then ask for humility in yourself, because Matthew 7:3 (KJV) asks why you look at the mote in your brother's eye and not the beam in your own. Pray for the pastors and leaders who carry the decisions, and ask for patience while the church works through the division.
How can I pray for unity if I have been hurt by people in the church?
You can bring the hurt to God without pretending it is small, and the prayer for when you have been hurt in the church above was written for that moment. Pray for rest, and ask God to keep bitterness from taking root in your heart. If someone in a church has hurt or abused you, a trusted pastor, counselor, or other safe person can help you, and prayer does not replace that help.
Can prayer fix a divided church?
A prayer does not guarantee that a particular conflict will be resolved, and it does not come with a timeline. Scripture invites believers to pray for one another.
What Bible verses can I pray for unity?
John 17:21 (KJV) records Jesus praying that believers may be one. Psalm 133:1 (KJV) says how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Ephesians 4:3 (KJV) speaks of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and Colossians 3:14 (KJV) calls charity the bond of perfectness.