A Praying Church: Becoming a People of Hope in a Discouraging World

by Paul E. Miller

Overview

Paul Miller, Bestselling Author of A Praying Life, on the Transforming Power of Praying Together

In our current culture, the church and prayer are often dismissed as irrelevant. But when believers gather and pray together, powerful things happen: the Spirit equips the saints for ministry, the helpless are met with help, and believers experience the joy of being led by the Spirit of Jesus. In this ebook, Paul E. Miller, bestselling author of A Praying Life, casts a vision for a return to the simple yet life-changing practice of praying together.

Through personal stories and biblical examples, Miller teaches the why, what, and how of praying together. Readers will learn how praying with other Christians can transform their communities into beacons of hope and be given practical strategies—such as finding a prayer partner and prioritizing a structured prayer time—to implement these changes in their own church. 

• Ideal for Group Study: Small groups, Sunday school classes, and others will find helpful strategies to think through and discuss
• Engaging and Personal: Features real life stories, word pictures, and charts to help readers understand the content 
• "A Word to Pastors": Miller closes several chapters with thoughtful reflections specifically for church leaders
• Foreword by Dane C. Ortlund: Author of the bestselling book, Gentle and Lowly, who praises A Praying Church, calling it "winsome and compelling"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433561672
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	01/31/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul E. Miller (MDiv, Biblical Seminary) is executive director of seeJesus, a global discipling mission that mentors through seminars, cohorts, and interactive Bible studies. He is the bestselling author of A Praying Life and J-Curve. Paul and his wife, Jill, live in the Philadelphia area and have six children and fifteen grandchildren. Listen to the Seeing Jesus with Paul Miller podcast or learn more at seeJesus.net.

Paul E. Miller (MDiv, Biblical Seminary) is executive director of seeJesus, a global discipling mission that mentors through seminars, cohorts, and interactive Bible studies. He is the bestselling author of  A Praying Life and  J-Curve. Paul and his wife, Jill, live in the Philadelphia area and have six children and fifteen grandchildren. Listen to the Seeing Jesus with Paul Miller podcast or learn more at seeJesus.net.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Foreword Dane C. Ortlund xiii

Part 1 Why Pray Together?

1 A Glimpse of a Praying Community 3

2 Who Killed the Prayer Meeting? 12

3 The Missing Spirit of Jesus 22

4 A Short History of the Praying Church 34

Part 2 What is the Church?

5 Saints in Motion 47

6 Feeding the Saints 62

7 Are Saints Real? 73

8 Saints Unleashed 80

9 The Parable of the Missing CEO 86

Part 3 How the Spirit Reshapes a Praying Community

10 How the Spirit Works 95

11 The Spirit's Path 106

12 Management by Prayer 114

13 Becoming a Praying Leader 123

14 Praying Big 135

15 The Prayer Triangle 144

16 Avoiding the Pitfalls of Prayer 155

Part 4 The Art of Praying Together

17 Beginning Low and Slow 169

18 Forming a Divine Community 176

19 Restoring Prayer to Sunday Morning 188

20 On a Resurrection Hunt 198

21 Becoming Real in Prayer 207

22 The Prayer Menu 214

Part 5 Specialized Praying in Community

23 Constant in Prayer 227

24 A Band of Brothers 235

25 Turbocharging Our Prayers 244

Conclusion 255

Acknowledgments 257

Notes 260

General Index 271

Scripture Index 277

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Reading Paul Miller’s A Praying Church fresh filled my heart with the power of Oswald Chambers’s insight: ‘Prayer does not equip us for greater works—prayer is the greater work.’ I was challenged and inspired to reconsider the centrality of prayer for my personal prayer life and for the corporate ministry of my church so that the Spirit of Jesus would pervade and empower all.”
—Bryan Chapell, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America

“For the past several years, our church has pursued becoming a ‘praying church,’ and Paul Miller’s A Praying Life has been our staple text. The focus of that book, however, was on our personal prayer lives, so I’m excited to see Miller take those insights and show us how to integrate them into the corporate body. Jesus commanded his church to be a house of prayer. Miller’s book helps us to fulfill that! This is at the top of our church’s agenda for the next decade, and I pray it will be at the top of yours as well!”
—J. D. Greear, author, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary and 12 Truths and a Lie: Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions

“This book presents a strong challenge to the contemporary church to rethink her attitudes toward and practices of community prayer. I thought I knew a thing or two about praying together. But I found myself being challenged and learning more about the practice of prayer in my own life and ministry team.”
—Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director, Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka; author, Discipling in a Multicultural World

“Churches that are true change agents in their communities are congregations for whom prayer is a way of life. My good friend Paul Miller has written a thoughtful and challenging appeal in A Praying Church. Read this wonderful book, and you’ll discover how to partner with the Spirit of Jesus in transforming your community for the kingdom of Christ!”
—Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

“Paul Miller is on a quest to return prayer to its rightful central place in everyday life and ministry. Read this book to be challenged to pray. Study it for tips on how to make prayer second nature. Ponder it for a refresher on the Bible’s testimony to prayer, on prayer in countless settings today, and on myriad impediments to prayer. Most of all, rediscover how Christ and the Spirit equip the saints for the work of the ministry—through prayer. This is an enormously informative and encouraging book.”
—Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

“Paul Miller’s J-Curve is the best resource I know on spiritual formation. Now I’ll be recommending A Praying Church as the best resource I know on praying in Christian community. It is biblical, practical, and honest. Because it is rooted in the gospel, it invites us to real change without making us feel discouraged that the change is needed. Invite others to read this book with you and respond together to the Spirit’s leading; I believe the church will experience deep renewal as a result.”
—Jimmy Agan, Senior Pastor, Intown Community Church, Atlanta, Georgia

“Paul Miller’s book reached me. I was changed. Having been a pastor for thirty-six years, I say without overstatement: it is the most important book on Christian ministry I have ever read.”
—Steve Estes, author, A Better December; coauthor, When God Weeps

“A Praying Church is a ‘page turner’—richly biblical, wonderfully practical, and chock-full of engaging testimonies and helpful illustrations. It is convicting but filled with pastoral love and concern. Paul Miller writes brother to brother, leader to leader. Without boasting, Miller clearly practices what he preaches. Several chapters are worth the price of the book. My favorite is the chapter on fasting and prayer.”
—John F. Smed, Director, Prayer Current; author, Prayer Revolution: Rebuilding Church and City through Prayer