Decades ago, the only way you attended a Church service or prayer meeting, was to enter a building, or a tent that had been erected. Today technology affords us varied ways to assemble together as believers in Christ. One of them is free conference call lines that are used for prayer and ministry. Proper etiquette, on a telephone line is a must, for the host as well as the guests. Here are suggestions.
Keep it free
Jesus said to his disciples, in Matthew 10:8,”:Freely you have received, freely give.” Free conference call gives you a telephone number to dial, and an access code to gain entry to the gathering of your choice, all free of charge.
I have however received invitations to ministry lines where participants were asked to pay $25.00-$75.00 , just as you would pay a fee should you physically attend a church conference, convention or convocation..
I once called in to a prophetic prayer line, where you could hear everything taking place, but could not join in, receive a prophecy or ask for prayer, unless you called a separate number, and used a credit card to pay $300.00. Once this was done, you received the access code to join in with the live service. If you are asked t pay any money, I advise you to not do it, because free is just that, completely without charge.
Use the mute button
Out of respect for others on the line, if you have background noise or people talking please mute yourself. For most conference calls you hit *6 to mute your phone, and again when you desire to be heard. While muted, you will be able to hear the prayers, songs and word from the Lord, but no one will be able to hear anything going on in your environment.
Sometimes facilitators ask guests to mute themselves until the end. At that time prayer requests or testimonies may be asked for. While it is ideal to be in a quiet location , this is not always possible, therefore you can also mute and un-mute yourself if there is traffic and talking in and out of the room you are using.
Speakers be prepared
If you have been asked to speak during a prayer line conference, it will be different than speaking in church or a public forum. Some people are ok just as they are. You may find it helps you to dress the way you normally would if you were speaking or preaching to an audience.
If you are a minister, and feel more comfortable in a suit, or wearing your collar, then do so. I dress casual, but I always wash up and change clothing before going on the line. This refreshed me after a long day. Even if you are a guest, yu may feel more like you are in church, if you dress up and have your bible.
Free conference call lines, allow people from all over the nation to come together, without a long distance fee. Some ministries use these lines, in place of people driving to a specific location. You can network, pray, minister, and hear sermons, right from the comfort of your own home or car.
I find that increasing numbers of women in ministry use these lines for early morning Intercessory prayer, or late night deliverance prayer for those addicted to drugs and alcohol.Ministry conference calls are a good way for those homebound to be able to connect with fellow believers, and pray.
