A church leader’s first duty is to pray for their congregations and teach them about the inner life of prayer, says the Bishop of Lichfield.

Speaking in his annual video message to congregations in Staffordshire and north Shropshire, the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill said that although Christians may look the same as everyone else on the outside, they have on the inside “the active presence of God”.

“So all we do as Christians comes from the inner nourishment of God’s active and invisible presence. And that means that it’s a first duty of every church to nourish itself in its invisible life and to teach others to pray,” he said in the message, which is also posted on YouTube.

Bishop Gledhill said it was no coincidence that “healthy churches seem to be the ones in which prayer is being nourished” through regular prayer events like vigils, half-nights of prayer and fasting, times of adoration, and missionary prayer meetings.

He challenged churches to look at the prayer life of their parish or chaplaincy.

“Is all the visible activity, all the evangelism, all the giving out to the community, properly sustained by the invisible life below? Miracles still happen where people pray fervently and I am often conscious of being borne along by the prayers of churches and individuals and I am very grateful for it,” he said.

Bishop Gledhill developed his theme in a sermon preached during a special service to mark the 170th anniversary of St Giles the Abbot Church in Cheadle, Staffordshire, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio Stoke.

He reminded Christians of their calling to prepare the way for other people to meet Jesus.

He said: “Jesus didn’t come from nowhere. His way was prepared by John the Baptist. And we are only here because each previous generation has passed on the Good News of Jesus … I think of the countless people that I baptise and confirm and ordain each year, who all have a story to say about how people they knew prepared them to meet Christ for themselves.”

He continued: “The wonderful thing about the baptism of Christ is that it shows that before Jesus started his ministry or did anything for God, God did something for him. The Father told him that he loved him and that he was really pleased with him.

“God wants to say that to all of us too who turn to him and open our lives to Jesus Christ. We don’t have to do anything for God until he has blessed us and given us his love.”

Bishop Gledhill encouraged churches to deepen their inner relationship of prayer with God.

“God invites us to renew our baptism promises daily, not through special church services, but by learning to deepen our praying,” he said.

“So at the beginning of this New Year … let’s thank God for those who have been before us to prepare the way for us to meet Jesus, and let’s open our spiritual ears to hear God saying to us too: ‘You are my beloved sons and daughters, and I am well pleased with you.’

“And having heard that, we’ve got some Good News to pass on to others.”


Bishop Gledhill's YouTube message, recorded for Epiphany, is available at uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VxgY8P-PMgw