A number of Thryve users report that their prayer requests have never been higher. One church even reported to us that they are receiving more prayer requests every month than they had in the year before. In this blog we’ll show you how they did it and how you can supercharge your prayer ministry with text. It only takes a few minutes to get through these short instructions and to set up a free trial of Thryve to start your own text message prayer request program.

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One of the most powerful ways a church can impact lives is through prayer.

Prayer is one of the most powerful things a church can do. It's one of the easiest ways for a church to show God’s love to its congregation and community. We hear from churches all too often that "nobody submits requests.” Now, we have a way of multiplying prayer requests and it only takes seven minutes to set up.

‍Collecting prayer requests isn't working.

Most churches collect prayer requests by asking people to write down their requests on paper. That poses some problems. For one, it means you’re only going to get requests from people who physically come into your building. In this era of hybrid church, you could be missing out on a substantial piece of your audience. Submitting on paper has other problems too. In short prayer requests cards:

• Are not an easy way to share prayer requests.
• Force people to share face to face which can be awkward.
• Make it hard for your people to submit requests in their moment of need.
• Limit the feedback people need.
• Don’t capture stories of the impact of prayer on people’s lives
• Don’t enable two-way conversation or engage people’s growth.
• Are only available when your doors are open.

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Text can have a huge impact on prayer requests.

As you may already know, texting is a great way to communicate and engage with your people. Texting also has a 98% open rate and 90% response rate, which makes it a great way for anyone to submit their prayer request.

Here’s just a few reasons why texting is perfect for any church that wants to get more prayer requests.

• The average person looks at their phone 262 times per day—that’s once every 5.5 minutes! Texting is a great way to get prayer requests because of how convenient it is.
  
  
• Texting allows for a small physical gap between the sender and the recipient. This might make people feel more comfortable and less awkward when submitting requests.
  
  
• It's easy to let people know when they've been prayed for. As a result, they become more engaged with you and the church.
  
  
• You can put your call to prayer everywhere. And we do mean everywhere. Place your call to prayer in your sermons, the lobby, parking lot, hospitals, vaccination sites, direct mail campaigns and more. Your imagination is the only limiting factor.

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Four steps to multiplying your prayer requests

It takes less than seven minutes to set up your church to receive prayer requests via text. This makes it a no-brainer!

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Step 1: Sign up for a church texting service

Subscribe to a church texting service. We built Thryve, but if you already have another provider, or find one that suits your needs better, that’s okay!

It is best if you choose a service that:

• Allows for two way messaging. This way when people submit requests you can message them back to let them know they’ve been prayed for.
  
  
• Provides a specific application for prayer requests. This makes it easy to gather prayer requests, assign them to members on your team, and respond once they’ve been prayed for—preventing any requests from falling through the cracks.

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Step 2: Create a QR code with your number

Make a custom code for your church by using a QR code generator (we like this one). Each time someone scans your code, their phone will automatically open up texting and they will be able to submit their request.

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Step 3: Place your QR code everywhere

Place this code everywhere. It can be presented in a slide before and after sermons, in your church lobby, in the parking lot, at hospitals, and printed off and displayed on windshields. Wherever you believe people might need prayer.

To make it easy for you to get your QR code everywhere, we created this template. With the template you’ll be able to place your code, write a message, and then show the slide at a service. If you want to distribute copies in your church and town, you can print them out.

Step 4: Respond to prayer requests

Receiving prayer requests by text also has the advantage of making it easy to respond. So once you've completed the three steps above, log into your church's texting service and begin responding.

Here’s an example of what the prayer request tool looks like in Thryve.

By responding to prayer requests, you not only let people know that you prayed for them, but you also let them know they are loved and cared for. In addition, it gives you the chance to engage them for even more growth and encouragement. Take this chance to invite them to join a relevant ministry, contemplate a Bible verse related to their need, or even get into deeper one-on-one conversation. Whatever you do, make sure to respond and close that feedback loop!

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Ready to receive more prayer requests than ever before?

Now that you know how texting can help you receive more prayer requests, what are you waiting for? In less than seven minutes, you can start receiving prayer requests from people in your congregation and community who need to know that God loves them.

Start putting your prayer multiplication strategy into action today by signing up for a free 14-day trial of Thryve. If you’d like, one of our church texting pros can reach out to help you get started.