How can we pray? What is your family going through? What level of support has your family raised on deputation? Prayer letters are the personalized link between churches and missionaries.
Churches around the US and throughout the globe receive prayer letters almost every day. Whether they are sent to the church in digital or printed form, each letter tells a story, burden, or praise of what is happening in that particular mission field. It is difficult to pray for someone when you do not know what is going on in your life. That is why prayer letters allow others to pray for each missionary specifically.
The prayers of God’s people are a powerful tool each missionary needs as they battle various difficulties on the mission field.
Communicate: Missionaries’ Responsibility
Failure to communicate to the churches that support you every month should never be a reality for the missionary. Every missionary needs to send a prayer letter regularly. Whether it is sent once a month, quarterly, or bi-annually, the importance of communicating what is going on in your ministry and family is a vital part of missions.
It boils down to accountability and even the Apostle Paul communicated to his churches who financially supported the work he was doing. The majority of churches today still post prayer letters whether it is a printed copy for their people to read, in a digital format shared in the lobby, on their website, or posted in the church bulletin during prayer meetings to highlight a particular missionary each week.
Keeping missions and missionaries in front of their people is the #1 reason it is a necessity to stay in constant contact by way of prayer letters as missionaries.
Be Creative
The importance of creativity and adding photos, if possible, of the people you’ve reached, weekly church services, and the country where you serve are some ideas of what you can share.
Remember to be concise, Christ-like, and caring while sharing what the Lord lays on your heart to share. Despite hard times and difficulties in the ministry, you can always share your difficulty in a positive light pointing to Christ and how He can help missionaries during hard times.
Services like MailChimp, your mission boards, and other services can help with organizing your supporting church’s addresses and email lists and help you send out those prayer letters on a consistent and regular basis. Missions21 is another tool you can utilize to post your prayer letters on your personal profile page for pastors to see and read as they are considering having you in for a meeting or keeping them updated about what is going on in your ministry.
Prayer letters that are clear, concise, and creative will be an effective tool to keep your ministry connected with churches and individuals who are praying and thinking about you as you are on deputation, furlough, stateside, or abroad ministering in your respective fields.
