The Rainer Report: Church Sickness #6: Purposeless Prayer

Purposeless Prayer is when corporate prayer is nonexistent or steeped in non-useful tradition. Watch Now

This particular sickness often besets Anglican and Episcopal churches. Corporate prayer is perfunctory and not from the heart. There is also little particularization - perhaps a list of the names of individuals for whom prayer is desired. Very often the congregation does not have an inkling why prayer has been requested for these individuals. Candidates for ordination may lumped together with the terminally-ill and so on. Biddings may be inserted into a prayer without any regard for its text. At fault is not the use of set forms but rather the failure to use them properly. Paul's counsel on the importance of praying with understanding is largely ignored.