The Prayer Request workflow handles requests submitted through your website, the connect card, or in person. It keeps a record of who prayed and when, and flags requests that need a pastor's attention.
When to use it
Any prayer request you want to track and close out. If your prayer team is just one person, this is still useful — it gives you a list to work through and a record so the same request doesn't get prayed over five times by accident.
The stages
- New Request — Just came in. Anyone on the prayer team can pick it up.
- Praying — A team member has it. They commit to praying for it over the next week.
- Followed Up — A short check-in with the person who submitted: "Just wanted you to know we've been praying. How are you?"
- Closed ✓ — Prayed for, follow-up done, no further action needed.
- Escalated to Pastoral Care — When the request is bigger than prayer alone (crisis, hospitalization, marriage in trouble). Marks the card so a pastor takes over — usually by starting a new card in the Pastoral Care workflow.
Tips for running it
- Don't worry about how long things sit in Praying. The point is that someone is committed to it, not that it moves fast.
- Use Followed Up generously. Most people who submit a prayer request just want to know they were heard. A 30-second text changes their week.
- If you have a large prayer team, set the New Request stage to be "Unassigned" so anyone can grab the next one.
- Sensitive requests — use the Comments on the card sparingly. Other team members can see them.