Guidelines are important because others may be watching to see what you do before asking for prayer. 
 
Remember that people may or may not have a faith, and if they do it may not be Christian.

Be normal

• Ask their name
• Share your first name, but don’t give out any personal details  
• Smile and be interested
• Listen (but there won’t be time for every detail!) 
• Talk normally
• Keep your eyes open 
• Don’t embarrass them
• Avoid physical contact / laying on of hands
• Don’t make notes
• Drink your coffee as you talk  
• Honour café staff and their requests

Pray gently and quietly

• Try to pray for them in a way that doesn’t look as though you are praying for them!
• Expect God to be present, wanting to meet them and bringing his power
• Don’t judge
• Pray in pairs
• Be sensitive to time
  

           -  They may not have long
          -   They may only want a short prayer 

Watch what you say

• Don’t get into debates (you are not there to evangelise)
• Avoid using Christian language as it can sound strange eg born again, washed in his blood 
• Be very, very cautious and careful in sharing any words or pictures
• Resist giving advice 
• Don’t promise the outcome
• If you pray in tongues, do so silently as this will sound very odd to many people
• Never guarantee confidentiality (but you can agree not to talk about them outside the Café Prayer setting unless there are concerns for someone’s safety) 

Treat others as you would like to be treated!