 |
| With Kenyan and Ugandan pastors in Eldoret, Kenya |
One of my Payne Theological Seminary students emailed me the following question: "You mentioned in our Spiritual Formation class that 80-90% of pastors and Christian leaders do not have a significant prayer life. Where do you get that figure from?" My response is this.
This figure is from my own teaching and experience with pastors and Christian leaders. I have not formally documented it.
My estimate, as a result of teaching almost 3000 pastors and Christian leaders courses on prayer and spiritual formation beginning in 1977, is that 80% of North American and European (Westernized) pastors and Christian leaders do not have a significant prayer life.
I define "significant prayer life" as: the kind of prayer life Jesus had, which includes Jesus' habitual or customary praying, as seen in, e.g., Luke 22:39 ff.: 39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,...
Conversely, when I have taught in non-Westernized third-world contexts (Asia, India, Kenya) I have found that 80% of pastors and Christian leaders do have significant prayer lives (meaning they habitually pray, as Jesus did).
One of the reasons for this, as I see it, is: the more material wealth a person has, the less they pray; the less material wealth a person has, the more they pray. (Remember that Jesus said it is hard for a rich person to come under the reign or dominion of God.)
Again, I have not formally documented this. But it remains my consistent observation.
