E.M. Bounds wrote these words sometime around 1890. They were first published in book form in 1920. They represent exactly what I believe to be most important about ministry in 2012.
Where are the Christlike leaders who can teach the modern saints how to pray and put them at it? Do our leaders know we are raising up a prayerless set of saints? Where are the apostolic leaders who can put God’s people to praying? Let them come to the front and do the work, and it will be the greatest work that can be done.
None but praying leaders can have praying followers. Praying apostles will beget praying saints. A praying pulpit will beget praying pews. We do greatly need somebody who can set the saints to this business of praying. We are a generation of non-praying saints. Non-praying saints are a beggarly gang of saints, who have neither the ardour nor the beauty, nor the power of saints. Who will restore this branch? The greatest will he be of reformers, who can set the Church to praying.
An increase of educational facilities and a great increase of money force will be the direst curse to the Christian religion if they are not sanctified by more and better praying than we are doing.