1. Why do churches struggle to organize times of meaningful prayer? Rainer asserted in his text that Covid-19 had touched off renewal of prayer in churches. Our group had not experienced this in the way Rainer suggests, but we thought that it was worth working through some of the difficulties involved in developing a culture of meaningful prayer in churches. We found that many people struggled to be honest in their praying. Unlike the Psalms where prayers were often excruciatingly forthright, in church prayer felt superficial. Perhaps this represents a fear that transparency in disclosing real issues might not be rewarded with grace or confidentiality.
Some believed their members perhaps struggled to cultivate a spiritual imagination that was equal to the task of prayer. It was granted that often pastors themselves found it difficult to personally prioritize prayer. For pastor or parishioner this is a matter of being dangerously self-reliant. Our group felt that many people had never learned to pray biblically. Others might wonder if prayer is really the most productive thing we can do. We are an action oriented society. Also, developing a culture of real prayer requires depth of fellowship in community.
2. When you have observed a church doing meaningful prayer unusually well, what made the difference? The answers included assigning specific requests--being tactical in organizing the prayer time. One participant discussed attending Capital Hill Baptist where prayer for the service was made while the worship time and preaching were conducted. It was acknowledged that while Baptists tended to practice extemporaneous prayer, planned prayers and liturgical prayers often kept the praying focused. Being made to feel a "healthy uncomfortableness" in times of prayer can be beneficial. Being willing to surrender to a structured approach to group prayer can have unexpected dividends.
3. What pitfalls are involved in neglecting meaningful prayer? Obviously if there is no prayer there is little power. When there is no vital praying we are assuming that we already know God's specific will without having actually sought Him. Consequently we will lack His guidance and wisdom. Prayer opens Scripture. Pastoral work without corresponding prayer results in fleshly outcomes. Without fervent praying we are merely going through the motions. The absence of meaningful prayer is often a contributing factor in the trajectory of decline. Prayerlessness and decline go hand in hand. When churches are unwilling to deepen the experience of congregational prayer, leaders often experience discouragement.
4. Rainer asserted that underlying conditions coupled with the pandemic accelerates the demise of declining churches. Some of those underlying conditions we discussed included financial distress. This is really a symptom more than a condition. Financial distress is an effect of decline more than a cause. The pandemic seems to have severed completely the attachment of some church attenders who had a casual level of commitment. Where there was a lack of prior community engagement and fervor for evangelism, Covid-19 is likely to speed up the process of decline.
The pandemic complicates matters in churches that have an unhealthy resistance to helpful methodological adaptation. Churches that were experiencing underlying tensions and existing conflict may find those issues bubbling to the surface more in this crisis. In congregations where clear and healthy disciple making processes were weak, immaturity may exacerbate the rate of decline.
5. Rainer discusses the use of demographic and psychographic data in leadership exercises as an aid to group collaboration. We concluded that this can be eye opening in the same way that the old "windshield surveys" used to be with the added advantage of providing instantaneous digital ministry blueprints. Pastors can remove obstacles to getting people to engage with meaningful data by being intentional about calendaring these kinds of conversations with key leaders. Listening to each other as we dive into the needs in our communities can energize churches in getting their focus on reaching people.
Conclusion -The book The Post Quarantine Church has a pretty short shelf life. It was beneficial in stoking some needed conversation in this critical juncture. Many of the issues that Covid-19 evokes are really simply ongoing church strengthening concerns. But a crisis is the intersection of danger and opportunity. The encouraging aspect of this is that churches that are deliberate in engaging in thoughtful, prayerful discussion during this unusual historical moment may actually discover a pathway to greater ministry clarity and vitality on the other side. This is my prayer.
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