A prayer on voicemail can be replayed many times for continued comfort. (Image by freepik)
Leading Ideas | March 10, 2026
“Leave a message at the beep.”
One of the best innovations in my pastoral ministry happened entirely by accident. A sassy, compassionate, irrepressible member of my church was in the hospital with leukemia, but her condition was so delicate that I never felt fully safe visiting. I didn’t want to unknowingly carry in a cold or a small bug which—minor to most—could be dangerous to her. So, I called and FaceTimed instead. One day, when the call rolled to voicemail, I left a prayer as my message.
“They’ve told me it’s like I’m in the room with them, praying right when they need it the most.”
My parishioner and her family loved it. They later told me they played the prayer dozens of times: in the middle of the night, on the way to the next infusion, when the waiting felt bitter. I left another voicemail prayer. And another. Their gratitude was so sincere that the next time someone fell sick, I left a message on their phone with a prayer. What has amazed me is how meaningful these prayers have become.
Voicemail prayers quickly became a regular part of my pastoral care. I still encourage connecting in person whenever possible, but phone or FaceTime work well too. At the end of the visit—after you’ve already prayed with them—offer to call later and leave a voicemail prayer. Ask if you can address any particular needs in that second prayer. Do they need a prayer for long nights? For an early morning procedure? For the final hours of hospice? You can either record a voice memo and text it (my favorite option, because it can be titled and re-shared) or leave a traditional voicemail.
Timely
I prayed with her throughout that long night in a way I never could have otherwise.”
Voicemail prayers allow you to pray when the patient or their family is most in need. Families have shared that in the middle of the night, when anxiety is rising or a loved one is struggling to breathe, they play the prayer. They say it feels like I’m in the room with them—praying right when they need it most. One woman, dying of cancer, would lift her hand to signal her family to play my voicemail. She asked again and again. I prayed with her throughout that long night in a way I never could have otherwise.
Expanded Reach
Voicemail prayers also extend pastoral presence. When I learn late about a surgery or have a parishioner hospitalized in another town, I leave a voicemail prayer. These prayers allow me to be in places I couldn’t physically be. I’ve prayed before surgeries in towns hundreds—and sometimes thousands—of miles away, all from my church or home.
These voicemail prayers don’t replace in-person ministry, but when used to supplement it, they are a gift—unexpected, intimate, and deeply comforting.
Related Resources
Relationships are the Key Ingredient in Successful Outreach by Doug Powe
How to Develop a Social Media Strategy That Enhances Your Ministry by Scott Holthaus
Finding Sanctuary: Ministries With Persons With Dementia and Their Caregivers featuring Elizabeth Shulman | Watch the Leading Ideas Talks podcast video | Listen to the podcast audio version | Read the in-depth interview
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary and available at churchleadership.com.
The Rev. Laura Heikes
Laura Heikes is pastor of Missions and Community Engagement at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her book, Finding God: Discovering the Divine in the Gritty and Unexpected (Cascade Books, 2023), is available on Cokesbury and Amazon. She participated in the Lewis Center for Church Leadership’s Lewis Fellows leadership development program for young clergy in 2008-2009.