PRAYER TEAM with Church Online Welcome Thank you for stepping up to become a spiritual contributor at Church Online! Through your contribution on the Prayer Team, you will impact lives all over the world with the power of prayer. We are so grateful to have you serve with us!
Who is the Prayer Team? The Church Online Prayer Team is a group of people who are passionate about praying for others, because we believe that prayer matters. We understand that prayer offers hope to the hurting, and inspires people to shift their focus to God, who loves them and will walk with them through life s struggles. We are honored to pray for others! As part of the Prayer Team, you will connect with people all over the world through Church Online and commit to serve them by praying with them and for them. You will respond to prayer requests through a user-friendly help desk system that works on standard computers and many mobile devices. You will field the prayer requests, known as cases, coming through our help desk and respond in a life-giving way. Now, let s walk through the specifics of your role. PRAYER TEAM 2
Types of Cases Through the help desk system, you ll receive prayer request cases from two different sources: 1. Web forms found on various Life.Church sites. 2. Follow-up requests from Live Prayer at Church Online. These are cases in which someone who received prayer during an experience requests a follow-up contact. Typically they are facing an ongoing situation and are encouraged to know that someone is continuing to pray for them. Response Priority How do you get started? 1. Once you complete the training, you will get an email from desk.com with information about setting up your account. 2. Log in to the Prayer Request help desk site at http://desk.com, using the correct tutorial, based on what device you are using. *Occasionally, we get technical requests about Church Online, the Bible app, etc. These can be transferred to the Prayer Team Coordinator. 3. In the Unassigned Cases folder, respond to oldest cases first. 4. Handle any cases assigned to you in the My Unresolved Cases folder. 5. Log out when you finish your session. Since we want to offer a quick response, take the oldest unassigned cases first. For more information on technical procedures and how-to s, please refer to the Technical Procedures document. PRAYER TEAM 3
Our Goals To know we have succeeded, we need to have clear goals. Let s take a look at the Prayer Team goals, why they re important, and how we reach them. Timely Responses We want every person who sends a request to receive a response within 8 hours. A prompt response communicates that we truly care about the person and what they re facing. It demonstrates excellence and shows them God s love in a practical way. Our team does this by responding to 5 or more requests a week and responding to oldest cases first. Caring Tone We offer a caring response, free of judgment. People come to us from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, especially regarding church. Some have experienced judgment rather than love from Christians they ve encountered. We want to remove any barriers that may get in the way of them experiencing the hope of the Gospel, and it starts with how we talk to them. We will choose words that show we re paying attention, using phrases like, I m sorry to hear that, and offer Scriptures or resources with a hopeful tone, such as, I believe this may encourage you. Clear Talk We communicate with excellence because it displays our care for the reader and the message. Many people submit requests in English even though it is not their native language, so our proper use of spelling and grammar helps them understand. Also, if they are using Google Translate, our proper grammar or spelling will help with the accuracy of the translation. Take a moment to check your spelling, use proper punctuation, and brush up on your grammar. A great resource is http://www.grammarly.com or Google. PRAYER TEAM 4
Expectations As with any role we take on, it s important to understand what s expected. There are three expectations of every Prayer Team member. One As a team member, you are a representation of Life.Church and Church Online. We ask that you seek to maintain the Life.Church Core Values and Beliefs. Two We strive to provide a quick response to all incoming requests. We ask each team member to respond to five or more requests each week. This can be done all in one sitting, or during several sessions. Scheduling reminders on your computer or mobile calendar is really helpful in remembering to log in to serve. You can also sign up for email reminders at http://go2.lc.reminders. Three Stay in touch with your leader. When you are assigned a leader, called a Cluster Captain, be sure to communicate with them. They are here to support you, pray for you, and give you feedback. Let them know if you have questions, concerns, or if you will be away and unable to serve for a week or more. PRAYER TEAM 5
Common Prayer Topics While prayer request topics can vary, there are a few that come up regularly. Relationship Issues Sometimes the requests we get are regarding relationship challenges among family members, friends, coworkers, etc. Remember that we are hearing one side, so refrain from offering counsel. Pray that God would break down walls, open appropriate communication, and restore the relationship in a healthy way. Health Concerns We get requests about health concerns, both for themselves or for loved ones. Pray not only for healing and strength, but also for wisdom of medical professionals, and provision for costs incurred. Spiritual Guidance Many people are looking for help understanding what is happening in their lives and how God is involved. Remember that while we aren t counselors, we can point them to the Bible. Share relevant Scriptures and pray that God will bring clarity to their situation. Financial Problems There are often requests from people experiencing financial difficulties. Offer encouragement that God cares about what they re facing, and pray that He would provide for their needs and give them wisdom in how to best use their resources. Questions About Faith We get questions about the Bible and what it says about different issues. You can find solid answers to many of these in one of the resource sites listed at http://go2.lc/prayerresources. Remember not to simply copy and paste these, but share the answers coupled with prayer, and include a link to where you got the information you share. PRAYER TEAM 6
Quality Response We want to set a high standard of quality for the responses we send. It s important to understand there may be a more complicated situation that you aren t aware of. Sharing their very private prayer request with Church Online may have been a big step for them, and their request may have many elements. It will be vital to assure them that God cares about each request and take the time to thoroughly pray over their request. Take a moment before you respond to pray for God s guidance, and then as you write, consider how you would feel if you received the response you re writing. Here are some key components to include in a quality response: Care Greet them in a friendly way. Let them know you care about what they re going through and how it s affecting them. More importantly, let them know God cares, and He is with them through it all. Prayer Use your own words and type out an actual prayer. You can thank God for His love, ask Him to move in power, submit to His authority, and praise Him for what He will do. Think about how you would pray for them if you were with them in person, and type that out. Resources & Next Steps Share applicable Scriptures, suggest they download the Bible App, offer Bible plans or message series, or encourage them to consider a LifeGroup. Also, don t miss an opportunity to invite them to Church Online at live.life.church. Check Your Response Before you send your response, check your spelling, grammar, and the tone of your wording. Will your response make sense to someone reading it? Try reading it out loud to check for clarity. PRAYER TEAM 7
Where To Go From Here Once you start serving, you will not be on your own. There are people here to help and support you. Prayer Team Community Leaders answer questions, offer advice, and pray for you as you serve. You can also contact the Prayer Team Coordinator if you want to schedule a break, suggest an idea or resource, or ask a question about Church Online or Life.Church We are very excited you have chosen to partner with the Prayer Team to lead others to become fully devoted followers of Christ. We pray for the impact that you will have on God s Kingdom, and that people see and feel the power of prayer in their life. Also, remember to check out the additional resources at http://go2.lc/portal. Thanks for serving with the Church Online Prayer Team! PRAYER TEAM 8