Digital prayer requests have become increasingly relevant in recent times. As churches optimize their online experience, how can you make digital prayer requests more interactive?
Digital Prayer Request During Services
For viewers streaming your service, make sure a volunteer is monitoring the chat and available to pray for any requests that arise. People attending in-person can see a prayer volunteer and share their request – how can a similar experience be offered during your live service? Your chat moderator can offer to pray for individuals and direct them to the prayer request form if they want to share their request privately.
It’s About The Experience After You Click “Submit”
Prayer request forms can feel “one-sided” to users. Fill out the form, click “Submit,” then what? Remember, your online ministry is global. Someone may submit a prayer request who has never attended in person, but they watch online from anywhere in the world. What is your prayer request experience like for them? First, optimize auto-replies. If you send automated emails to users confirming their submission, make it clear what happens next.
- Should the user expect a personalized reply?
- Will someone on the prayer team call them? If so, should they keep an eye out for a particular phone number?
- If they share their request with the church, how long before the next prayer requests email sends out?
Sharing a prayer request is a vulnerable moment, so it’s critical to make sure every prayer request gets the attention it deserves.
Offer Proper Privacy Options
Can users submit prayer requests anonymously? Can you specify whether the prayer request gets shared with the church or is kept to staff only? Privacy settings for digital prayer requests are important to ensure a positive experience for everyone. Ensure that a user can privately share a request for the staff, or request that it is shared publicly, and consider a moderation team who screens public requests before they are published.
Try A New Sharing Experience
For publicly shared prayer requests, a common solution is to utilize email lists. This is an effective way to share prayer requests with church members, but it lacks interactive aspects. A powerful way to enhance digital prayer requests is through your church app.
By implementing a forum style prayer request feature, users could submit requests publicly and get comments of support from other church members. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Public and private prayer request privacy settings
- A forum style tab to publish prayer requests in your church app
- Optional push notifications for new prayer requests
- Optional comments section for church members to voice their support
If you’re able to find the right balance of privacy, moderation, and sharing, an interactive prayer requests tab is a great way to draw your congregation closer together.
Next Steps
For a discipleship-first church app with these powerful prayer request features and more, try My Sermon Notes. Your congregation will enjoy fill-in-the-blank sermon notes, interactive prayer requests, and a fully customizable Church tab. Click here to get started with a 30-day free trial or schedule a demo.
