No minister enjoys speaking to small crowds when he could have larger ones. That is probably the reason why many ministers find prayer meetings are more of a duty than a pleasure. When a man knows that there are two hundred members in a church and only twenty-five attend prayer meeting, he is distressed, and rightly so. He feels that he should try to do something about it. Just what he should do is another question.
Some time ago a short notice appeared in one of our papers telling of the success one pastor had had in getting people to come to prayer meeting through the showing of motion pictures. We suppose the pictures were above criticism, even though all movies that are said to be all right may not be so judged by God. What we are wondering about is the principle involved in using the movies as a method with which to attract people to prayer meeting.
I recall that years ago in Los Angeles, when I still kept Sunday as a day of rest, some of the larger churches were presenting movies on Sunday nights instead of the usual sermon. Although I had no scruples at this time on attending the movies in a theater on week nights, I never attended any of the Sunday night, church-sanctified variety. I felt that Sunday night was the proper time to go to church, and that movies were not church.
Yes, we know that some evangelists use moving pictures as crowd getters; I have done it myself in times past. But evangelistic meetings are not in exactly the same category as prayer meetings.
Possibly the most plausible thing to say would be that something is wrong with our people when they need such attractions to get them to come to prayer meeting. But it might be the truer thing to say that something is wrong with the leadership of the church.
Our people will come to hear a minister who has something to say. On Sabbath they will come to church because it is the Sabbath, and with remarkable patience they will listen to some of us "occupy the time." On Wednesday night it is different. If they feel that nothing good will be offered, they stay at home. But if they feel that the minister has something to say that really matters, that he will say it briefly and give them a chance to testify and pray, they will attend the prayer meeting.
It would be a daring experiment, and perhaps profitable, if we were to announce in the bulletin some Sabbath morning, "No prayer meeting Wednesday night since the pastor has nothing important to say." We believe that the next announced prayer meeting would be well attended.
The truth is, there are many important things that can be said at prayer meetings, if we will only search them out. Our people need practical spiritual help that they cannot always get in a church service. Here is a service that is almost never used for promotion, and it is a service which is almost exclusively in the hands of the minister. Let us study and pray to know how to use it for the spiritual strengthening of our churches. Proper music, both congregational singing and special numbers, a minister prepared to say something worth hearing, and opportunity for the people to participate through testimony and prayer—these features will bring the people out, and benefit them.
