How to Have an Effective Prayer Chain
Prayer is an important part of the Christian tradition. For all Christians, prayer is a way of communicating with God. For Catholics, prayers can also be made to saints. In many parishes and churches, prayers are offered during worship service. Those prayers come in many forms - prayers of praise or thanksgiving, prayers of supplication to ask for something, and prayers on behalf of another person (called intercessory prayers). Some Christian churches organize prayer chains so that any need for prayer can be addressed during the times when there is no formal worship service.
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Instructions
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Determine the scope of your prayer chain. Decide if the chain will be for a specific church or parish group or for any member of the church.
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Decide the medium for receiving and communicating prayer requests. Some prayer chains rely on phone calls, while others may be based on written requests that are then passed along by word of mouth. Still another option is for requests to be posted on a social network such as Facebook or MyLife, which is made available to members in the network. A combination of all of these options may also be a possibility.
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Establish a protocol for contacting prayer chain members. Telephone prayer chains may have a list telling who will call who in case of a prayer request. Other chains may require a simple e-mail or posting to members explaining the prayer request.
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Remind chain members that prayers may be anonymous or confidential. Some prayer requests may require discretion and respect for privacy; therefore, members may not have all of the details, just a request and a brief explanation of the situation. For example, someone could make a request for prayer for a seven-year old girl who will undergo surgery in the next week.
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Get updates and pass them along. Prayers may be answered quickly or they may continue for a long period of time. If the person requesting prayer provides an update, pass the information along to the chain, so that they can begin praying according to the changed situation.
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Tips & Warnings
Having a person who can take requests at any time of day or night (a retired person or a stay-at-home parent) is an ideal way to ensure that prayer requests are handled in a timely manner.
Gossip ruins the credibility of a prayer chain. When passing along a request for prayer, refrain from repeating rumors or adding unnecessary details regarding the parties involved.
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