Prayer for your church

Some time ago George Barna surveyed pastors about the most important emphasis in their church as they began a new year.  Surprisingly, prayer was listed dead last in their plans for church health and growth.  Maybe we shouldn't be surprised because prayer is something many of us talk about a lot more than we practice.  However, although prayer should have been first on the list it ranked last.  Could this explain the absence of spiritual power in so many of our churches?

Many churches today have eliminated their mid-week prayer meetings, and for good reason.  Too often,  very few people show up and, even more often, the prayers that are lifted up are weak and lack faith and focus.  Many prayer meetings have turned into another Bible study with a brief prayer tacked on at the end.  These could hardly be called prayer meetings.  They certainly do not resemble the prayer meetings we read about in the book of Acts when God's power shook the very place where the disciples were meeting.

Ragardless of the size of your church, I am convinced that until we recapture the priority of prayer in our churches we will never be the church God intended.  Planning and programs are all important and have their place in the life of the church, but these must never replace prayer as the primary means of experiencing God's blessings on our work.  For much of my pastoral life I was too focused on planning and programs, and I must confess that I often failed to give prayer the priority it should have had in my life and ministry.  I deeply regret that today and would give anything to relive those early days of ministry.  I can't, but I hope to encourage you to not make the same mistake I did.

As you begin a new year of ministry, make prayer a priority in your life and in the life of your church.  Invite people to become part of a pastor's prayer team and meet with them regularly to bathe everything you are doing in prayer.  Spend sufficient time in personal prayer that you sense God's guidance in your work.  Pray down God's blessing on your family and your ministry.  Refuse to let the challenges of life and ministry detract you from your commitment to pray.  I believe if you will do this one thing you will see a major difference in your own ministry and in your church at the end of 2010.