The Rev. Nicole Lock, The Fellowship Community
It may seem like semantics – the difference between a congregation that prays and a praying congregation. They sound like the same thing – but what if they aren’t? The former describes a congregation who participates in prayer as an activity; it is a church that worships, that enjoy a good potluck together, that serves its community, and that prays. The latter, however, describes a congregation that doesn’t define prayer as one of its many activities. Rather, prayer defines the congregation.
I recently asked a colleague if his congregation was a praying congregation. He said, “Yes, we pray in worship. We try to pray at the beginning or end of every committee meeting – generally both.” No offense to my colleague, but I would call that a congregation that prays, not a praying congregation.
For many of us, when asked if we are a praying congregation, we might offer a response similar to my friend’s: We list the number of times we pray in worship, during committee meetings, and perhaps at special prayer gatherings during the week. But a praying congregation is not defined by its quantity of prayer. Prayer is its defining quality.