As I have pointed out to others, there is no command, policy, or teaching, as Gramps has pointed out, that addresses this directly. Therefore it seems unwritten prayer has become a custom in the Church, not a law. Standard practice does not mean it is obligatory.

If one of these weaker ppl feels strengthened and more confident by initially utilizing written prayer there is no problem.

There will always be Pharisees that will push this agenda and declare it truth just as some declare that God only wants men to wear white long- sleeved shirts, pray with their arms folded, or carry a print copy of Scriptures. And there are ppl I attend with who hold religiously to these beliefs. So we must take these fanatical beliefs with a grain of salt.