Our culture is one of relentless production. Many of the churches in our culture are fueled by the quest for more. The end result of such a culture is that the church is infected with a restlessness. Another outreach event, another music production and another special service or service project takes the driver’s seat while we kick the prayer meeting out of the car.

At the church I pastor, we have a regular gathering that serves as a monthly prayer meeting on the last Sunday of every month. The other times of prayer in the life of our church occur in our morning worship service and during our weekly/bi-weekly small groups. Most of the time, our monthly prayer meeting is fairly well attended. I suspect that it is, at least in part, due to the fact that we have a meal. However, it is a sad reality of the church in the Western world that the prayer meeting is “the least attended church gathering.” I have experienced this sad reality first hand as a member of a church of 1000+ where 8 to 10 people would show up for the weekly prayer meeting. It didn’t take me long to realize that prayerlessness is one of the foremost sins and symptoms of an anemic church. I fight against this sin in my own heart and life. The end result of a prayerless church is that it inevitably becomes a powerless church. God has ordered things in His church in such a way that prayer is one of the foremost means by which He gives His people spiritual power and vitality for the advancement of His Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel and the carrying out of deeds of love and mercy. So why does the church in the Western world fail so miserably at coming to the throne of grace in order to receive the grace and mercy needed on a daily and weekly basis (Heb. 4:16)? I would offer the following 4 reasons:

The Church in the Western World is Far Too Rich. Just as is true in marriage, money can mask deficiencies and defects in the church. If the money wasn’t there, we would see just what things really look like. Having enough money and resources can keep churches and ministries going for a very long time. Being able to build big enough buildings, staffing well-enough and paying a man who can preach skillfully enough can subtly send the message that everything is healthy.

Read More