Ideas for Strengthening Your Local Church Prayer Ministry

Ideas for deepening a local church’s prayer ministry were shared during a March 8 video town hall (hosted by CRC prayers leaders and The Bridge App).

Emily Vanden Heuvel, Prayer Ministry Coordinator with ReFrame Ministries, emphasized the importance of three aspects of a prayer ministry:

1. Upward—deepening our relationship with God
2. Inward—personal faith formation
3. Outward—praying for the needs of others.

She encouraged local prayer leaders to tap into the extensive selection of prayers and resources that can be found on ReFrame’s prayer page, as well as on The Network and other sources.

“Prayer is about seeking God’s face, not just about seeking God’s hand,” said Jon Hoekema, CRCNA prayer shepherd, as he challenged participants to ask, “How do we become praying churches rather than simply being churches that pray?”

He shared ideas for building a culture of prayer within a local church, as well as ideas for using The Bridge App to develop the prayer life of the congregation

The presentation also examined ways that The Bridge App can be used to post prayers, receive prayer submissions, and alleviate time and administrative workload by easily delegating ministry staff and volunteers to the role of ‘prayer admin’ 

Video highlights: 

• Technical aspects of using the "pray" function on The Bridge App (starting around 4:30)
• Emily from ReFrame Ministries shares prayer resources (starting at 18:00)
• Jon Hoekema, CRCNA prayer shepherd, speaks on building a culture of prayer (starting at 26:50)

>> Watch the video town hall here