Preacher and Prayer

E. M. Bounds wrote this compact treatise on ministerial prayer during his final years as a Methodist preacher and writer, drawing from decades of pastoral experience in the American South and Midwest. The work emerged from Bounds's conviction that the modern pulpit suffered from a crisis of spiritual power, with preachers increasingly relying on eloquence, education, and organizational skill while neglecting the fundamental discipline that energizes authentic ministry. He observed that congregations remained spiritually hungry despite hearing polished sermons, and attributed this poverty directly to prayerless preaching.

Bounds argues that prayer is not merely one duty among many for the preacher, but the essential foundation that determines whether ministry bears spiritual fruit or remains mere human effort. He insists that the preacher's private prayer life directly shapes the congregation's spiritual condition, making prayer both the source and measure of ministerial effectiveness. The work examines how prayer transforms both the preacher's character and message, enabling divine power to flow through human words. Bounds contends that prayerful preparation involves more than studying texts and crafting illustrations—it requires the preacher to be personally changed by encountering God, so that sermons carry spiritual authority rather than mere intellectual content. He warns that no amount of theological training, natural talent, or pastoral technique can substitute for the power that comes only through sustained, earnest prayer.

The book has remained influential among evangelicals and Pentecostals who prioritize spiritual power in preaching over purely academic or rhetorical approaches. Bounds's emphasis on prayer as the foundation of ministerial authority has shaped generations of pastors who see their calling as fundamentally spiritual rather than professional.

Who should read this: Pastors and ministry students who sense their preaching lacks spiritual vitality will find Bounds's direct challenge both convicting and practically helpful. This is not for those seeking homiletical techniques or sermonic structure, but for preachers willing to examine whether their ministry flows from genuine spiritual depth.