2 Indispensable Factors for Developing a Culture of Prayer in the Local Church

By Kie Bowman

How can you change the culture of a church? And what is required to develop a culture of prayer?

Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17). There are two distinct parts to the Lord’s statement, each based upon an Old Testament reference (Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11).

In Jesus’ original context, the possibility of Gentiles having a place for prayer was made virtually impossible by the marketplace atmosphere in the Court of the Gentiles where Jesus chased out the money changers. The question is: How is our Lord’s rebuke applicable today?

Actually, it’s a culture issue.

The sin of Jesus’ day was prioritizing a culture of secondary issues that superseded people’s need for prayer. The antagonists in the story were blindly operating within their accepted culture. The dangerous thing for any of us is that we allow the pervasive culture we operate in to justify our actions without thinking. On the other hand, healthy culture helps us move toward our objectives with less friction. What is, therefore, the force called culture?

For the purposes of this discussion, we simply define culture as the personality of the organization. These unique organizational personalities represent the values we hold, the unchecked biases we accept, and the manner in which we often unconsciously operate. Peter Drucker once observed, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

So, in Jesus’ famous statement, He was arguing for one culture over another. Jesus insisted that the house of God must exist in a culture of prayer.

Do you want to develop a culture of prayer in your church? If so, there are at least two indispensable factors necessary to create a culture of prayer.

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Cast the Vision

Like the disciples of Jesus who asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), Americans are desperate to connect with God. In fact, 81% of Americans listed “to become closer to God” as the number one reason to attend church1. In order to help people in their desire to “become closer to God,” pastors should communicate their vision about prayer.

There are at least 4 ways any pastor can cast the vision of prayer.

1. Preach about Prayer.

Preachers hope their sermons make a difference, and research indicates that among church attenders “the sermon is the component of the church service most likely to impact their spiritual growth.”2           

Every pastor, therefore, who wants to develop a culture of prayer should frequently preach from the hundreds of references available on what the Bible says about prayer.

2. Equip the People.

Preaching is essential, but it is not exclusive in developing a culture of prayer. Any culture thrives in a context of consistent teaching, so after visionary preaching comes practical teaching. What’s the difference?

In Acts 2:14-40, on the Day of Pentecost, we find the first sermon of the church.

Immediately after the message 3,000 new converts were baptized, and the discipleship strategy is summarized: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .” (Acts 2:42).

The word “teaching” is a word used about 30 times in the New Testament to describe the process of instruction from a Greek root word meaning “to learn.” Luke distinguishes the ministry of teaching from the ministry of preaching a sermon.

Remember, the disciples once said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Our people are still making the same request. People will embrace the vision of prayer if we teach them to pray. 

3. Resource the Ministry.

If you plan to develop a culture of prayer, invest in your people by exposing them to great books on prayer.3 Information and input are fuel for vision, so flood your church with resources on prayer.

One great resource you should consider is an annual membership to Church Prayer Leaders Network. Their website prayerleader.com and online store prayershop.org have hundreds of articles, downloads, and printed books that all are designed to help a congregation learn to pray.  

4. Pray.

Everyone in your church can learn to pray, from the oldest saint to the youngest child. As we know, the secret of prayer is praying. Work, therefore, to create more meaningful time for prayer in all existing services, and schedule more dynamic prayer meetings.4

Nothing casts the vision of prayer better than praying!

Cast the vision and the culture will start to change.

Leadership

Trey Kent arrived in Austin, Texas, in 1993 with a calling to plant a church. Before long he had what he calls a “normal church” with a worship service and small groups, but little prayer. In those days, prayer was “on the sideline,” not a main focus. The church went 15 years “without much prayer.” All that changed one night.

Before Easter in 2008, Trey and his wife Mary Anne joined other churches in a day of prayer. They were prayerwalking in their neighborhood that night, when God led Trey to organize a city-wide 24/7 prayer ministry for Austin.

Today, the Unceasing Prayer Movement in Austin, Texas leads about 100 churches who cover the city in non-stop prayer. The UPM also leads city-wide prayer meetings attended by as many as 2,000 people.

For two years Trey’s church, Northwest Fellowship, has sustained the rigorous schedule of its own 24/7 prayer ministry. Nearly 170 prayer volunteers combine to pray 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The church also conducts five prayer meetings a week. In addition, Trey has co-written two books on prayer which have impacted thousands of people around the world.

Trey describes what happened in simple terms, “We had 15 years without much prayer and 15 years with prayer at the center of church life—our church has been transformed!”  (You can read about the Austin prayer story, and how to make this happen in your city, in City of Prayer: Transform Your Community through Praying Churches by Trey Kent and myself.)

What changed the trajectory of Trey’s church? Obviously, it was a sovereign work of God; but just as obviously, God raised up a leader. The second indispensable factor, therefore, for developing a culture of prayer in the local church is pastoral leadership.

Similar stories occurred at Brooklyn Tabernacle led by Jim Cymbala and in the UK where Pete Greig started small and now leads an international prayer ministry. The human key in birthing a culture of prayer is the pastoral leader.

Casting the vision and leading the way will help develop the culture of prayer you desire. What are you waiting for?

1 Why Americans Go (and Don’t Go) to Religious Services, Pew Research Center, August 1, 2018, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2018/08/01/why-americans-go-to-religious-services/

2 Carrell, Lori, “Sermons Most Likely to Succeed,” Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership, PDF download, https://cecl.glcc.org/PDF/Lori_Carrell/sermons%20likley%20to%20succeed.pdf

3 Bowman, Kie, “Books Every Prayer Leader Should Read,” Bible & Theology, The Baptist Courier, April 6, 2024, https://baptistcourier.com/2024/books-every-prayer-leader-should-read/

4 Bowman, Kie, “How to Raise the Prayer Meeting Back to Life, BP Toolbox, May 12, 2023, https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/bptoolbox/how-to-raise-the-prayer-meeting-back-to-life

Resource:

We encourage you to check out Kie Bowman's most recent book on prayer: Evangelistic Prayer: Engaging the Power of God for the Lost (PrayerShop Publishing 2024).