Becoming a Community of Disciples

Chapter 7 Spiritual Teachings – Prayer

All Christian believers are expected to pray: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). Jesus often went off alone to pray (e.g., Luke 5:16) but he also prayed with his disciples and followers (e.g., Luke 11). Benedict and Basil value community prayer greatly. Thus, leaders should be people who pray—both individually and with others. In the monastery nearly everything that is done is begun with prayer. One prays before doing the laundry or before and after eating. Thus, how beneficial for Christians to develop the habit of prayer, even if those prayers are short and to the point, if you will. If prayer was important and necessary to the ministry of Jesus Christ, how much more so for the ministry of all leaders. It is easy for competent leaders to assume that they can run an organization in their own strength but this is misguided thinking. Better to entrust the community to God in prayer than to rely only on its human leadership.

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