How To: How To Use the Prayer Ad System To Reach Your Community

What This Solves

Most church ads say “come to us.” Prayer ads flip that by meeting people where they are and offering personal prayer first. The Prayer Ad System helps you turn Facebook prayer requests into real conversations, real ministry, and eventually real visits, while keeping every request and follow-up step organized in one place.

What You’ll Learn

Why prayer ads are an effective outreach tool
What people see when they respond to a prayer ad
How the prayer pipeline and Prayer Status field work
How to call, pray, and correctly mark each contact
How automation supports follow-up by text and email
How the system stops when someone plans a visit
How to use the Prayer Request Smart List for ongoing care

1) Why Prayer Ads Work

Prayer ads are not event ads. They are invitations to be served.

Instead of asking people to show up first, you:

Start a conversation
Listen to their story
Pray for them personally
Then invite them to visit

This creates open doors for ministry moments that would not exist otherwise, hospital visits, counseling conversations, funerals, and gospel discussions.

Your role matters here. Technology supports ministry, but it never replaces calling, listening, and praying.

2) What People See When They Respond

The Facebook ad typically invites your city to share a prayer request.

When someone clicks the ad, they see a Facebook lead form that:

Allows them to share a prayer request (optional)
Collects name, email, and phone number

After submitting, they:

See a confirmation screen with a link to your website, ideally Plan Your Visit
Receive an initial text thanking them and letting them know someone will call to pray

You also receive notifications so you know a prayer request needs follow-up.

3) Where Prayer Requests Go

Go to Connections and open the Prayer pipeline.

Every prayer request from:

Facebook prayer ads
Your website prayer page

appears as a New Request in this pipeline.

Open a contact to see:

Their prayer request
Call attempt count
Date of last call
Prayer Status
Optional flags like Lives in Area, Decision for Salvation, or Escalated

4) How to Call and Record What Happened

From the contact record, click the phone button to call using your church’s local number.

If they do not answer

Leave a voicemail
Thank them for reaching out
Pray for their request
Invite them to visit
Update Prayer Status to No Answer

If they answer

Listen to their story
Pray for them by name and need
Invite them to a service
Send a Plan Your Visit link if helpful
Update Prayer Status to Prayed With

If they are not interested or hostile

Mark the status appropriately so automation does not continue

Use optional fields to track:

Local or not
Salvation decisions
Escalations to a pastor

Escalations notify leadership so urgent situations are not missed.

5) How Automation Supports You

The automation handles reminders so ministry stays personal.

When a new request comes in, the system:

Assigns the request
Sends an initial text and email
Notifies your team
Sets Prayer Status to New Request

After about 24 hours, it checks whether the status has been updated.

If not updated, reminders are sent
If marked No Answer, a follow-up text is sent with another invitation
If marked Prayed With, a thank-you message and invitation are sent

Over the next several weeks, occasional touchpoints continue unless the person plans a visit.

If someone enters the Plan Your Visit pipeline, prayer automation stops, assuming they are now being cared for through standard follow-up.

6) Using the Prayer Request Smart List

Go to Contacts → Smart Lists → Prayer Requests.

This list shows everyone who has asked for prayer and their details.

Build a weekly rhythm:

Open the list
Pray through requests
Follow up on important moments like surgeries or due dates

Over time, this becomes a living map of ministry across your community.

Notes

You cannot automate ministry. You can automate reminders, not compassion.
Call as quickly as possible after a request comes in. Timing matters.
Expect some out-of-area requests due to Facebook targeting and sharing.
Pray, serve, invite, repeat. Over time, people show up because you led with care, not promotion.