june 2012
CityLight.org 41
churches search for a CEO or manager for
the many programs and funding needs of
the church.
Recently, I was in Utah teaching at a state-
wide church leadership conference. After
my session, a man approached me explain-
ing that he was the chairman of the pastoral
search committee for a congregation in that
area. He pulled out a list of over 85 desirable
attributes for their next pastor which had
been compiled through a survey of the con-
gregation. Many of the qualities centered
on communication skills, management abil-
ity, pleasant personality, and strong pastoral
care interests. Nowhere on the list was there
any mention of the priority of prayer as an
essential for the new pastor.
Our American society tends to value strong,
natural leadership, dynamic programming,
entertaining services, and impressive tech-
nology. The idea of a pastor locked away in
extended prayer does not strike the average
churchgoer as a mark of effective leader-
ship. Some church members think it wastes
time if the pastor spends energy attending
prayer meetings. Realizing this, many pas-
tors decide not to go against the grain.
V. Many want to avoid the
embarrassment of a prayerless
church
Pastors often sense a fresh motivation to
call the church to pray collectively in some
fashion. Unfortunately, the participation can
be very low. Concerning prayer meetings,
AW Tozer said, "Don't expect a big crowd
when God is the only attraction." In a day
when most church efforts are evaluated by
the numbers, pastors feel embarrassed by
the poor turnout and decide to abort the ef-
fort rather than face the embarrassment of
a sparse crowd. The hope is that people will
just maintain a dynamic and consistent per-
sonal prayer life. Most often, they don't.
VI. Some battle a prayerless
personal life
It is hard to take the church farther than
you have journeyed in your life. This sense
of failure and guilt immobilizes many pas-
tors in the church prayer ministry. The
"accuser of our brethren" works overtime
to condemn and demoralize. Author and
seminary professor, Bruce Demarest, has
noted that the average Christian spends
barely five minutes a day with God in
prayer; the typical pastor, only seven.
VII. Every pastor is a special
target of the enemy
The enemy does not need to destroy pas-
tors; he simply needs to distract them. He
works overtime to divert, discourage, and
derail well-meaning church leaders at ev-
ery turn. It has been said that if the devil
cannot make us bad, he will just make us
busy. As long as the pastors do not tap into
the supernatural work of prayer, the church
will be content to engage in a nice, socially-
pleasing ministry, but will have little Spirit-
empowered impact.
How Should We Respond?
These seven observations are not intended
as cause for condemnation but reasons for
understanding and support. Rather than
disparage our pastors for their reticence to
lead the church in prayer, we should pray
for fresh understanding and Holy Spirit-
inspired vision for the possibilities of what
could happen. It is hard to be a real inter-
cessor and a critic at the same time.
In the meantime, each of us should find
opportunity to light a candle rather than
curse the darkness. We can all pray more,
receive helpful training, and serve as a vital
impetus to more meaningful prayer in the
church. A primary component of our mis-
sion at Strategic Renewal is to equip and
motivate believers to more effective and
life-giving prayer. We would love to serve
you in this way as you serve your church
and pastor with a goal of greater move-
ments of prayer for Christ's glory.
Copyright © 2012 Daniel Henderson.
All rights reserved.
The ideas in this devotion were adapted from the book
Fresh Encounters Experiencing Transformation
Through United Worship-Based Prayer (NavPress).
The paperback is also available for a discount at:
www.strategicrenewal.com.