In every institution and work place, there are some unwritten cultures been practiced. Some has good work cultures, others depressing. Since the church is a gathering of God’s people, our culture should be one that reflects our position as children of God. It is heartening to note that in our last Leaders’ Conference, there is a consensus among the participants of the kind of church we want to be. Let us start with the overwhelming one—a Prayer Culture.

It is easy to just talk about the importance and the need of prayer, but to be people of prayer where prayer is so ingrained in the life of the church is yet another story. When we talk about building a prayer culture, we are not referring to organizing more prayer events or activities; rather we are referring to prayer becoming so natural that it pervades every aspect of the church life. It does not mean we must spend hours in the prayer room interceding intensely for needs but it does mean we are becoming more intentional in our praying. Yes, there will be more emphasis to encourage individual Christian to grow in their prayer life, and there will be suggested ideas of how we can be more engaging in praying for one another.

Since it is the people that make up the culture, let us first be praying Christians. To start off, here are some suggestions:

1. To spend at least 15 minutes in prayer each day, preferably start off the day with prayer.
2. To come 15 minutes early on Sunday and join in the pre-service prayer. When we do that, we are going to see a change in our attitudes and in our ―absorbing‖ of God’s Word.
3. Make a point to come for the Wednesday Prayer Meeting as often as you can; this will definitely help you to learn how to pray for others.
4. To participate and respond to the call to pray each time when an emphasis is made.
5. Be open to share your prayer needs to the pastors or ministry leaders so that we can pray for you.
6. To share your testimony of answered prayer either written or verbal so that the church can be encouraged to pray even more.
7. Find a prayer partner for mutual prayer support and encouragement.
8. Feel free to pray for one another after church service or after each sharing.

There are many more things that we can do together to build a prayer culture. We will help you along as we embark on this spiritual discipline together. Listen to the promise of Jesus:

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:24