Why Prayer Privacy Matters
Prayer is one of the most vulnerable things a person can do in a group. When someone shares a prayer request, they are opening up about the things that weigh heaviest on their heart — a struggling marriage, a health scare, financial hardship, doubts about faith.
If members worry that their deepest needs will become group gossip, they will not share what truly matters. They will stick to safe prayers — "pray for my aunt's neighbor's cat" — and the real burdens stay hidden. That is not community. That is performance.
Flock was built with the understanding that trust is the foundation of a healthy prayer life. When members know their requests are protected, they share more honestly. And when people share honestly, real care can happen.
The Three Privacy Levels
Every time a member submits a prayer request in Flock, they choose one of three privacy levels. Each level controls who can see the prayer, ensuring that sensitive matters stay with the right people.
Public
Who sees it: All members of the group.
When to use it: For prayer requests that are appropriate to share with the whole group. These are the prayers that build community — celebrating good news, asking for encouragement during a tough week, or lifting up someone outside the group.
Examples:
- "Please pray for my job interview on Thursday."
- "Grateful for a good doctor's visit — thank you all for praying."
- "Pray for the mission team heading out this weekend."
Public prayers appear on the group's Prayer Wall where every member can see them, pray for them, and offer encouragement.
Private (Leaders Only)
Who sees it: Only the group's leaders. Other members cannot see the prayer at all.
When to use it: For sensitive or personal matters that the member wants their leader to know about, but does not feel comfortable sharing with the whole group.
Examples:
- "My marriage is in a rough place. Please pray for us."
- "Dealing with anxiety and depression. Could use prayer and maybe a conversation."
- "Financial trouble — we might lose our house."
When a member marks a prayer as private, it appears in the leader's Prayer Wall view with a privacy badge. Other group members will never see it, cannot search for it, and will not receive notifications about it. The member can rest assured that their request stays between them and their leaders.
Elevated (Pastoral Staff)
Who sees it: Church pastoral staff and intercessory prayer leaders at the organization level.
When to use it: When a prayer is serious enough to need broader pastoral support beyond the group leader. Leaders elevate prayers when they believe a situation calls for the attention of pastors or a church-wide intercessory prayer team.
Examples:
- A member shares a prayer about grief after losing a spouse — the leader elevates it so the pastoral care team can follow up with meals, counseling, and ongoing support.
- A prayer reveals a crisis situation — the leader elevates it for immediate pastoral attention.
- A pattern of declining sentiment in someone's prayers suggests they need more care than the group alone can provide.
Elevated prayers appear on the church's Intercessory Prayer Wall, where pastoral staff can view them, add private follow-up notes, and coordinate care. The original member is never notified that their prayer was elevated — this keeps the process seamless and avoids any feeling of being "reported."
How Members Choose a Privacy Level
Choosing a privacy level is simple and happens at the moment of submission:
- Open the Prayer Wall by tapping the Prayers tab at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap the + button in the top right corner to create a new prayer request.
- Write your prayer in the text area. Share what is on your heart.
- Tap the privacy selector below the text area. You will see two options: Public and Private. Public is selected by default.
- Choose your level. If you want only your leaders to see it, tap Private.
- Tap Submit Prayer.
That is it. The privacy level is locked in the moment the prayer is posted. Members can trust that their choice is respected and enforced by the app — there is no way for another member to change or override the privacy setting.
How Leaders See Private Prayers
If you are a group leader, you have an important responsibility. Members trust you with their private prayers, and Flock makes sure you can see and respond to them without confusion.
On the Prayer Wall: Private prayers appear in your feed with a small privacy badge. You can see the member's name, the prayer text, and how long ago it was submitted. No other group members can see these prayers in their feed.
Using filters: You can filter the Prayer Wall to show only private prayers, making it easy to focus on the sensitive requests that need your personal attention.
Responding: You can pray for a private prayer, add encouragement, or reach out to the member directly. When you do, the member sees your response — but other group members still cannot see the original prayer.
How Leaders Elevate a Prayer
When a prayer is beyond what you can handle alone as a group leader, you can escalate it to your church's pastoral staff:
- Open the prayer you want to elevate.
- Tap the options menu (the three dots).
- Select "Elevate to Pastoral Staff."
- The prayer now appears on your church's Intercessory Prayer Wall, where pastors and staff can see it alongside other elevated prayers.
Once elevated, pastoral staff can:
- Add private follow-up notes visible only to other staff (e.g., "Called the family on Tuesday — they are doing better")
- Track the care timeline for that situation
- Coordinate support across ministries (meals, counseling referrals, visits)
- Mark the prayer as resolved when the situation improves
The original member continues to see their prayer on the group Prayer Wall just like before. They are never notified that it was elevated — the pastoral response happens naturally and without stigma.
Keeping Trust at the Center
A few important principles to keep in mind:
Members control their own privacy. The person submitting the prayer chooses the level. Leaders cannot downgrade a private prayer to public.
Private means private. Flock enforces privacy at the technology level, not just the honor system. Private prayers are filtered out of non-leader views entirely — they do not exist in the feed for regular members.
Elevation is for care, not surveillance. Elevating a prayer should always be an act of love. If a member is struggling, connecting them with broader pastoral support is shepherding at its best.
Normalize privacy. As a leader, encourage your group to use private prayers when they need to. You might say something like, "If there is something on your heart that feels too personal for the group, you can always submit it as a private prayer. Only I will see it, and I will pray for you." This simple reassurance can open the door for the prayers that matter most.
Related Help Articles
- Getting Started with Flock — Set up your organization and invite members
- How to Identify Disengaged Members Before They Leave — Proactive care through attendance insights
- Understanding Group Health Scores — See how prayer activity factors into group health