***News Release***

 

NYC Times Square Church Pastor Carter Conlon: ‘It’s Time for Freedom! It’s Time for Life! It’s Time to Pray!’

Conlon, Author of the New Book ‘It’s Time to Pray,’ Says the Modern Church Has Lost the Power of Prayer

NEW YORK—Prayer isn’t just another box to be checked off at the end of the day for New York City pastor Carter Conlon. It’s his entire ministry—and lifestyle—and his hope is that the Church would make it
a lifestyle as well.

This commitment to prayer is evident in Conlon’s new book, “It’s Time to Pray,” and in his daily radio broadcast of the same title that reaches the nation with 60-second devotionals. If believers put his words into practice, the spiritual atmosphere could shift around the nation.

With a foreword by national radio personality Eric Metaxas, “It’s Time to Pray” acknowledges that there are far too many Christians who are dejected, depressed, hopeless, powerless and struggling with sin. Yet this is not what the Christian life is or should be.

To remedy that, Conlon challenges Americans to make prayer a way of life. In each chapter of “It’s Time to Pray,” Conlon explores praying for salvation, life, strength, serving, the impossible, forgiveness, faith, peace, freedom and awakening.

“I believe just as Esther was prodded by Mordecai to approach the throne of the king for the sake of her people, ‘It’s Time to Pray,’ is going to prod many people to go back to the throne of God to find, as the Scriptures say, grace and strength to help in this present time of need,” Conlon said. “I believe that the lives of many people are now hanging in the balance, spiritually speaking, and if we will start to pray again, as the people of God, we can know a spiritual awakening again in America. It really is a very short window the Lord has set before us.”

Conlon is the well-known senior pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, an interdenominational church with more than 10,000 people in attendance, representing more than 100 different nationalities. In his new book, “It’s Time to Pray,” releasing Nov. 6, Conlon will help readers understand how prayer is vital in their lives, their community and the world.

In “It’s Time to Pray,” Conlon addresses the who, what, when, where, why and how regarding prayer. Where many Christians miss the mark, he says, isn’t that they don’t pray, but that their prayer is self-focused.

For people who pray and don’t see results, Conlon says they may not understand the power behind their prayers. He believes this is something the modern church has lost. Unlike the church today, Conlon says the early church was prepared to die as soon as they stepped out of the upper room. They refused to live in seclusion or self-preservation. Instead, they acted in power. Their prayers were not self-focused.

“Realistically, we’ve reached out as a nation for the Holy Spirit for all the wrong reasons,” Conlon says. “Are we willing to be the church again? Are we going to get back to our identity? Are we going to figure out what our purpose is? Are we going to have the guts to take a look at ourselves and say do we really look like the church in the book of Acts, or have we become something else? What are we as a people? What goes on in our conventions? What’s our focus when we need to worship together? Are we just into this constant goofiness, or are we really going to go with God and do the work He’s called us to do on the earth? You can understand I’m passionate about this because I’ve lived it, I’ve seen it, I’ve walked in it, I’ve tasted in it.”

In his personal life, Conlon says he is praying for the Lord to open his eyes to the cry of his city and to give him the ability to respond.

“That is the cry of my heart every day, all day,” he says. “It’s not just in the morning when I get alone with God, but it’s throughout the day I find myself praying again, ‘Lord, just have mercy on this generation and use my life somehow to make a difference for these people. There’s just so many who need help, and they need hope now.’”

Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of founding pastor David Wilkerson who launched Teen Challenge and wrote the best-selling book, “Cross and the Switchblade.” Conlon was appointed senior pastor of Times Square Church in 2001.

Conlon continues to be a voice for God far beyond the pulpit of Times Square Church by speaking at numerous conferences across the country and around the world. His weekly radio spots air on 1010 WINS, the nation’s longest-running all-news station, and his one-minute devotional and 30-minute program, called “A Call to the Nation,” are currently syndicated on over 350 Christian radio stations worldwide. He is the author of several books, including “The 180 Degree Christian,” “Fear Not” and “Unshakable.”

For more information on “It’s Time to Pray,” visit www.ItsTimeToPrayBook.com.

“It’s Time to Pray” is published by GPC Books, an imprint of Times Square Church’s partnership with Charisma House. Charisma House has published books, including 14 best-sellers, that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians.

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