Pastoring God's People

For all those who have been commissioned to pastoral roles of all kinds.

Creating a weekly prayer bulletin for the congregation

by Pamela Yoder

When I began serving in my first pastoral ministry assignment just over seven years ago and began a weekly prayer bulletin shortly thereafter (in email and hard copy form), I did not imagine that this would become so valued in our congregation. Many people anticipate this bulletin on Mondays and use it as a way to guide their prayers and stay connected with one another. I also did not imagine it would be something I would have to be so carefully attentive to at the beginning of each and every week. Yet, it is a privilege to do this work that seeks to help people grow in intercessory prayer which is a form of loving one another.

Our prayer bulletin currently consists of four sections:

1 Celebrating Life and Love where we note birthdays, new births, adoptions, anniversaries and visitors in our midst;

2 Celebrating the Life and Work of the Church where we lift up those traveling, those participating in service, student accomplishments and the work of commissions and leadership groups;

3 Healing and Hope where we remember physical and emotional concerns;

4 Praying for Our Community and World where we lift up needs in the community and world. The primary purpose for the prayer bulletin is to remember that the whole of our lives is in God’s hands and therefore, we lift more than just our physical needs to God.

For the most part, this aspect of our prayer ministry has gone very smoothly, however, there have been some issues along the way. Within just the last year, I had a misunderstanding with a parishioner who had emailed me an “unspoken” prayer request. It was clear that she wanted something listed in the weekly prayer bulletin but our interpretation of “unspoken” was different. Morale of the story: always double check! Even if you think you are reading or hearing things clearly, check again. This situation reminded me once again to slow down, gain all the needed information, and always ask for permission and clarity before posting or sharing a prayer request.

Another issue arose regarding the section of the prayer bulletin that often includes requests for church leadership groups. As some churches do, we have experienced conflict over some decisions. One of our congregational decisions led to the formation of three specially formed leadership task groups. Because it is my belief that all of our lives, personal and congregational, should be encompassed by and supported in prayer, I included these three specially formed task groups and their work in the prayer bulletin for several months.

Later, a member talked with me about how this felt divisive to him since not everyone agreed that these task groups should even exist. This conversation led me to think about this in a different light and taught me a number of lessons.

First, I realized that no one really was overseeing or holding me accountable in my role of writing the weekly prayer bulletin. Our Elder group now serves in this capacity.

Second, it helped me think about how I use or do not use the prayer bulletin as a tool in guiding the congregation in prayer or otherwise. Though I was not seeking to push any sort of personal or congregational agenda by lifting these groups up in prayer, it came across that way, at least to some. Therefore, I tend to hold the question before me, “Is this divisive or does it build up the body?” I also think carefully how I use Scripture references or quotations to frame different sections of our prayer bulletin asking, “Is this an appropriate use my pastoral voice? Does this build up? Does it help people focus in prayer?”

The primary purpose for the prayer bulletin is to remember that the whole of our lives is in God’s hands and therefore, we lift more than just our physical needs to God.

Overall, I recognize that we can sometimes be too casual in our approach to prayer requests, so I always encourage erring on the side of respect and caution. Prayer is a lifegiving and connecting force in our congregations, let us be especially mindful of how help people engage in such important conversation with God and with one another.

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Pamela Yoder serves as Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care at First Mennonite Church in Middlebury, Indiana.