Prayer Request Dissemination Policy

Weekend to Remember Prayer Request Dissemination Policy

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Policy Intent:

Prayer requests often contain private and personalized details that could seriously damage relationships and individuals if such information became public knowledge.  Prayer requests collected before, after, and during WTR events are submitted to FamilyLife.  As such, it is the responsibility of all staff and volunteers of FamilyLife to protect the confidentiality of prayer requests associated with FamilyLife events.  It is important for all staff and volunteers of FamilyLife to follow the same policies to ensure the highest standard of integrity to our guests.

Prayer Focus:

This policy does not lessen the emphasis for onsite Prayer Teams.  The recruitment and implementation of onsite prayer during the WTR is always a priority over disseminating requests to offsite prayer networks.  Such prayer networks are for prayer support in addition to local prayer team activity.

Note that this policy focuses on the content of prayer requests.  As teams implement this policy, please remember that the primary focus of intercession for prayer requests should come from scriptures.  The WTR Getaway Manual, WTR Prayer Plan, and Prayer Guide provide scriptural references relating to key topics covered during the conference.  Remember that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  Our words do not destroy strongholds, but God’s words do!

The Policy is as follows:

  1. Prayer Request Forms are property of FamilyLife as are WTR Evaluation forms.
  2. The FamilyLife Ministry Representative is accountable for the confidentiality of prayer requests submitted during the WTR. The Ministry Representative is also accountable for reviewing this policy with the Weekend to Remember Director (WTRD) and Prayer Plan Team Leader (PPTL) and ensuring the directives of this policy are implemented by all WTR Ministry Team Volunteers. The WTRD and PPTL are responsible to communicate to all intercessors and WTR Ministry Team members.  The review is best conducted 10 to 9 months prior to the WTR Getaway and again reviewed six to three months prior to the WTR Getaway.
  3. Prayer requests collected during the WTR are to be taken to the designated Prayer Room. Prayer Requests should never be displayed publicly where they could be viewed by other WTR guests. If the Prayer Room is also used to pray with WTR guests, care should be taken to remove or cover all prayer requests prior to the guests being in the room.
  4. Prayer requests should not be left in the Prayer Room overnight where they could be read by hotel cleaning staff or others not involved in the local prayer efforts.
  5. This policy recognizes three distinct levels of Prayer Team involvement and differing degrees of information disseminated to each.
    1. Local Prayer Team volunteers who are personally known and have committed to participate as a Prayer Team Member and maintain confidentiality of Prayer Requests.
    2. Offsite Prayer Team volunteers who were recruited as an extension of the Local Prayer Team, who have committed to pray for a specific time period during the WTR, and have agreed to maintain confidentiality of Prayer Requests throughout the year.
    3. Offsite Intercessors who have agreed to pray for the WTR along with Church or City wide intercessory networks (e.g., 24-hour, 7-day a week prayer groups).
  6. For a variety of reasons (legibility, classification and sorting, duplication, on-going prayer after the WTR, etc.) some teams type Prayer Requests as they are received in the Prayer Room. Recognize that putting Prayer Requests in an electronic format increases the risk of public exposure. As such, attendee last names along with identifying details such as spouses name, a specific church, city, or business names should be excluded in typed requests.  Discernment should also be used to exclude superfluous, detailed information that is not specifically related to the prayer need.  Two actual requests are provided below with examples of suggested modifications.
    1. Example of deleting identifying details: This prayer is for my wife, Evelyn Marshal I have allowed much pain into our marriage from the very start. An old girlfriend (fiancé) showed up at our church, Prestonwood UMC, and has kept up attempts to destroy our marriage.  I did not end it correctly.  Also, baggage from my first marriage of 22 years (my first wife, Ester, passed away with cancer, and I had not completely let go) is affecting our relationship.  Please pray that the pain that still holds me is let go and the Holy Spirit mends both of our hearts, especially Evelyn’s.  Thanks, John Marshall, Springfield, MO  (567) 476-3422
    2. Example of deleting superfluous, detailed information that would not change the prayer request or focus: Please pray for Jim – that he continues his sobriety (now 10 months!) and actively lives the 12-steps of AA. Also, please pray that we are able to settle the lawsuit that resulted from [a recent vehicle accident.] his not having enough car insurance. Tim hit a parked vehicle while drunk.  No one was in the car he hit.  Please [pray that God would] guide us, and those involved to find a fair conclusion to this situation, and that we don’t have tens of thousands of dollars of debt as a result of his mistake and their desire to make money off of the accident.
  7. Electronic prayer requests typed per the above guidelines may be forwarded to the Local Prayer Team (5a.) and Offsite Prayer Team volunteers (5b). These prayer requests shall not be forwarded beyond the intended recipient. Electronic copies of prayer requests should be deleted once the one praying has finished praying for them.
  8. E-mails must include the following confidentiality notice: Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
  9. If electronic prayer requests are posted on any type of “community” Web site (e.g. CCC Global ConneXion, Private Facebook Group) the site must be password-protected and by invitation only. The Local Prayer Team (5a.) and Offsite Prayer Team (5b.) volunteers may be invited to participate. If possible, the password should be changed quarterly.
  10. Websites must include the following confidentiality notice: Confidentiality Notice: The information on this site, including any attachments, is for the sole use of FamilyLife Volunteers and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
  11. Individual Prayer Requests submitted to websites shall be disseminated with generalized details only. Replace proper names with couple, son, husband, wife, or daughter, etc. As covered under Item Six (6), eliminate identifying names including church, city, business, etc.
  12. Prayer requests gathered from Group Coordinators, Group Coaches or any other WTR Ministry Team member prior to or after the
    WTR will be disseminated with generalized details only, unless the one requesting prayer gave approval.

    1. For example, Group Coordinator Bob Smith may request prayer for John and Sally Brown who are on the brink of divorce and Bob is trying to persuade them to attend the WTR. Does Bob have John and Sally’s permission to pass on this prayer request?  The safest way to pass on this request would be to say: “pray for a couple that …”  A second example is Betty asking the team to pray for her addiction to soap operas.  Betty has given permission, and so you could pass on the information as stated above.  To assure privacy, do not include any last name even with permission.
  13. Prayer requests disseminated to Offsite Intercessors, to Church, or City wide intercessory networks (5c.) should be primarily focused on scriptural prayers and requests common to all WTR guests (openness of heart, willingness to seek and grant forgiveness for past offenses, etc.). Individual Prayer Requests submitted by WTR guests may be disseminated with generalized details only. Replace proper names with couple, son, husband, wife, or daughter, etc.   As covered under Item Six (6), eliminate identifying names including church, city, business, etc.
  14. The Ministry Representative is accountable for Prayer Request Forms after the WTR. Prayer Request Forms may remain with WTR Ministry Team subject to Ministry Representative approval. All prayer requests shall be destroyed prior to the next WTR, the WTR Ministry Team is not to keep historical copies of prayer requests either in written or electronic form.
  15. Any questions regarding ambiguity of this policy are to be directed to the Ministry Representative and associated Management Team for clarification.

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