Calling all prayer warriors!

Imagine a 24/7 emergency hotline for prayer.

As someone who believes (and has personally seen) the power of prayer... let me show you why YOUR church should consider starting a prayer hotline and the best way to start.

The Importance of a Prayer Hotline

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16 

My church has incorporated quarterly prayer nights. Anyone is invited, member or not. We all could probably use prayer for one thing or another.

These prayer nights are wonderful for encouraging and praying for and with those who need it... but what about those who didn't know about the prayer night? Those who haven't visited your church before? Those who were unable to attend physically?

Your church's prayer hotline could be a great resource to help others in their time of need, or sometimes just be the answer to a cry for HELP!

Why your church should consider a Prayer Hotline ministry

These are just a few reasons you should consider incorporating a prayer hotline at your church:

• Accessibility: Prayer hotlines are available to all members of the congregation, especially those who are unable to physically attend services.
• Community Support: Prayer hotlines provide immediate support to those in the community who need help and encouragement.
• Builds Relationships: Prayer hotlines strengthen the relationships between those in the community and members of the church.

Setting Up a Prayer Hotline

When setting up a prayer hotline there are a few steps you will want to consider:

Choosing a platform for your prayer hotline number

When it comes to creating a prayer request line, you can either go with a simple approach using a free platform like Google Voice, or a more powerful (and streamlined approach) using your church software.

Simple Approach Using Google Voice:

If you don't already have one, create a Google account and choose a new phone number or link your existing phone number to Google Voice. Google Voice also supports text messaging, allowing individuals to send text messages to your Google Voice number.

Creating a GV number only takes a few minutes, making it easy and fast for you to be up and running and your people to submit a prayer request.

Using your Church Management Software:

Another great way to start a prayer hotline is by implementing a mass texting platform that integrates directly with your church management software. Though this method has an additional cost usually, I find it more customizable and much easier to scale and manage.

Some church texting platforms can enable you to create auto-replies directly from your church management system. That's powerful!

Start small: Maybe start with just a few hours during the week. Create an online prayer form or online prayer wall that can be accessed on your church website or social media and use these as an alternative to the hours your hotline is inactive. Of course, keep everything confidential and anonymous.

Organizing your prayer ministry team

When you're ready to connect the number make sure to cover these basics with your prayer team:

• Platform Training: How to use Google Voice or the mass texting platform effectively.
• Prayer/Counseling Training: Equip leaders with the knowledge needed to offer meaningful prayers and spiritual counseling to callers.
• Schedule Awareness: Ensure volunteers are aware of their schedule and responsibilities regarding monitoring and responding to incoming messages.

Promote your prayer hotline

Once your prayer warriors are gathered and assembled, start getting the line out to as many people as possible!

You can start by sharing during your church announcements and printing it out onto your church bulletins. This will help spread the word to your members.

Then start posting it on your church's social media pages for those unable to attend services regularly. Encourage people to share the posts so that the number can reach as many people as possible!

Also, use your community outreach events to share this resource with your local community.

24/7 Prayer Line: Anytime. Anywhere.

We can talk to God whenever we need Him. Imagine, providing an outlet for those who need someone to approach the throne of God with them.

A prayer hotline isn't just some cliche thing with a nice ring to it (literally!), but it's a great resource for your prayer/outreach team to introduce the community to the love of Jesus through the power of prayer.

Let's make prayer hotlines the must-have accessory for every church because when we pray together, there's no limit to what we can achieve!

"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." - Matthew 17:20

Matt Church Engagement