Prayer Letters

• Why do we send prayer letters/ what do they accomplish? 

  Many people will respond with how the letters meet the needs of their supporters (i.e. update on ministry, shows what their financial gifts are doing, builds vision, reminder to give). Be sure to point out how these letters minister to the needs of the missionary (i.e. Writing the letter gives a time of reflection on what the Lord did this past month. perspective, encouragement and intentionality.  It ministers to your need for a prayer-covering by asking supporters to pray for specific needs.)
  
  

• What letters do you tend to read/ enjoy?

  Examples: Those with pictures. Interesting stories. Personal updates on how the missionary is doing. Bring me along on the journey. Stories of life-change. 
  
  

• What elements are in an effective prayer letter? 

  • Thank the partner

    • Remind them time and again how vital they are and how much they mean to you. Stress how you couldn't be doing this without their prayerful and financial support. Encourage them by reminding them how they're impacting the Kingdom (Even if the only person they're impacting right now with their support is you. You're part of the Kingdom too!). 

  • One ministry story with pics

    • Short & concise. Less words, more pictures. 
    • Raising support full-time? Share the stories from the ministry you're raising to join! Their stories are your stories. If you haven't already, subscribe to your co-worker's and NST participant's prayer letters. 
    • Stories that also demonstrate the vision of your ministry are the best. Example: If your ministry feeds orphans, tell a story of an orphan being fed instead of saying "we feed orphans." One of your main jobs is to be a storyteller. 
    • If you're an international missionary who is prepping your house to sell, include pics from a painting day or hauling stuff to Goodwill. 
    • If you're on a support-raising trip, include pics from that. 
    • If you got to pray with or share the gospel with someone during an MTD meeting, share that! 
    • Not sure what to say this month? Offer a training or spiritual nugget. See sample from Luke Dalach who turned his prayer letter into a prayer guide. 
       PDF

  • Personal update

    • People give to people justified by the cause. They want to know how YOU are doing. 
    • If you're in need of encouragement, let your partners know. It's ok to give people a window into your life as a missionary (and that it's not always sunshine and roses). 

  • Ask for prayer Always include your contact info (phone & email) as well as the link to give financially)

    • List requests
    • List answers to past prayers (these are so encouraging!)
    • Also list any volunteer opportunities. Maybe you need someone to babysit your kids, or maybe you're in search of a new laptop or printer because yours just broke. Make sure your support team knows your needs and how they can help if they're able. 
  • SEND MONTHLY
    • Consistency is key. You're developing a relationship with your supporters. How would you feel about a friend who only talked to you a few times a year? Set a date and reminder in your calendar each month to write your letter. 
    • Resolve to snail-mail 3-6 prayer letters a year. Snail-mail has staying power. It will sit on the dining room table or get posted on the fridge. It's read by more people than just the recipient. And my favorite: You can write a personal note on the letter. *Don't skip this! It's a huge relationship-builder. 

• How to write to a real person vs a phantom

  • The phantom is that critical voice in our head that pops up when we start to write a prayer letter to a group of people. The phantom is super critical and judge-y. Here's how to get rid of him: Think of your favorite person on your support team - that person who knows and loves you and is your biggest cheerleader for ministry. 
  • Open up an email and write to that one person. Thank them for being on your team and remind them how encouraging it is that they're on this journey with you. Update them on how ministry is going. Let them know how you've been doing this month. Tell them how they can pray for you. Don't send the email. BAM! 90% of your prayer letter just got written. 
  • Take that email and put into your Word doc or MailChimp layout. GIVE YOURSELF A TIME LIMIT to this! We can easily get caught up in formatting and reformatting our letter. Give yourself an hour to knock out this task and then MOVE ON. 
  • When you're writing that email to your favorite supporter, have something nearby so you can down any extra topics/ stories that pop in your head. This will give you a running start on content for next month's prayer letter. 

• Methods for sending your letter

  • Email: Epistle, Constant Contact, MailChimp, Gmail (limit is 200 and you will want to bcc)
  • Snail mail: Send Out Cards, PrayerLetters.com, etc..

- Write in a donor-focused way. 

 Here’s a sample of a “call to prayer email” from Kody & Vicki LaBarthe: