Scripture Union, which conducted a study including more than 1,500 ministries, said people would be “amazed” by how many leaders and volunteers set aside “no or minimal” time aside for prayer – and their ministries subsequently do not endure in the long-run.
National director for the charity in England and Wales, Tim Hastie-Smith told Premier prayer was “absolutely vital” and needed to be “at the centre” of church ministries in order for them to thrive.
He said: “It will be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy that a failure to engage in prayer and a failure to understand ones local community is likely to see the death of a Christian community in the long-term.”
In its research, Scripture Union sought to establish the keys to success when it comes to starting new missional groups for children and young people.
The organisation identified prayer and taking time to understand and respond to local needs as “two of the most important factors” in determining success.
Tim Hastie-Smith said the measure of success was not limited purely to the growth a ministry experienced but it also factored in a ministry’s longevity.
Teams who made prayer a top priority felt bolstered through instances of God answering prayer and knowing that colleagues cared enough about the ministry to pray about it, the research found.
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