Short answer: Yes! The Prayer Den was made to help people build a habit of prayer, and keep track of prayer requests easily. However, one thing it won't do (yet) is send you reminder notifications to pray each day. The way that push notifications work in Notion is less than ideal for this template's purposes, so instead we recommend that you set a daily event in your favorite calendar app (mornings or mid-day work well) to build the habit of opening your Prayer Den regularly. Once you're in the template, the "For Today" view on the home page is designed to show your current prayers that are due for attention based on their reminder setting (daily, weekly or monthly).

Absolutely. Notion makes it easy to change basically whatever you want in any page and database — so much so that the freedom it offers can be daunting (which is why templates can be so helpful). If you're a Notion pro, your Prayer Den may end up looking very different from the original template, and that's awesome! Add database properties, change layouts, add new pages and views and charts — the sky's the limit. Just remember, the goal of this template is to keep prayer tracking simple enough that you'll actually use it without getting lost. Don't let the temptation to tinker distract you from growing in prayer! When you get started with a Notion template such as the Prayer Den, we suggest making two copies in your workspace. One to use and customize, and one to keep on hand in case things get too confusing. That way you can always refer back to the original, and start fresh if you need to.

Nope. Every feature of the Prayer Den works with the free version of Notion.

Even the best tool has to be used properly. The best way to use this prayer tracking template is to craft specific prayers. Sure, some prayers are meant to be more "evergreen"; for example, a prayer like "bless my family" doesn't really have a finish line. It makes sense to bring this to mind regularly over the long-term (probably less frequently to keep things uncluttered). However, if all of your prayers are this vague, it gets hard to see progress. Specific prayers help you to notice God's answers, building a history of His goodness in the Answered Prayers page that serves to boost faith and gratitude. When adding new prayers, ask yourself how you'll know when you can mark it as "answered." For example, instead of writing "Help me to be a better friend," pray "Lord, give me wisdom to encourage Sarah at coffee this week." This small shift in perspective can make all the difference in using your Prayer Den effectively, as well as changing how you look for God's providence and opportunities.

Statuses give each prayer its own lifecycle, keeping your digital prayer journal fresh and manageable. You can use whatever statuses make sense to you (remember, Notion is endlessly customizable). Here are the intentions behind each status that's built into the Prayer Den template. WAITING: Prayers start here by default, waiting to see what God will do. WRESTLING: This is for when things are moving in the wrong direction, but hope is not lost. Setbacks happen, and the enemy has small victories sometimes. But that's when we need to dig in and pursue God in prayer all the more. DEVELOPING: Use this when you see God at work bringing progress. A definitive "Yes" has not come, but it feels closer. ANSWERED: God has delivered! (as mentioned above, prayers need to be clearly defined in order to know when they've been answered) ARCHIVED: This one can feel less intuitive. We archive tasks and emails, but when should we archive a prayer? In the Prayer Den, archiving can mean a few things — "I've prayed over this, and now I leave it in Your hands" or "I'll revisit this later" or "This needs rephrasing to be more specific." Give yourself permission to archive prayers sometimes without guilt. After all, this clears clutter from the "For Today" view, focusing your prayer priorities.

This is a crucial part of how the Prayer Den works to make sure prayers don't get forgotten! Each prayer can be set to Daily, Weekly (the default) or Monthly, and this setting determines how long it will be between when you log a prayer and when it's brought front and center again in the "For Today" view. DAILY — Reserve this for the most urgent needs (such as a loved one's surgery). WEEKLY — Best for most prayers. MONTHLY — Use for more general reminders or slower-progressing things to follow up on. Take notice of your patterns over time. Are you shrugging something off again and again? Try reducing its frequency (or it might be time to archive it).

The people in your life are God's gifts, and they deserve more than a quick one-time prayer (or forgetting to pray altogether). That's why the Prayer Den comes with a contact book, letting you see prayer histories per person and making follow-ups easier. Here's how it works. CREATE A CONTACT RECORD — this can be done on the People page, or while you're editing a prayer. CONNECT CONTACTS TO PRAYERS — Add relevant contacts to the PEOPLE property of each prayer. USE THE PEOPLE PAGE — Instead of showing all your prayers (and the people related to each), this page lets you view each contact and see all the prayers related to them (both past and present). FOLLOW UP — When a prayer surfaces, reach out! Ask about updates and any opportunities to be a part of God's work in their life. When used well, the Prayer Den can help not only your prayer life, but your relationships with others.

Some prayers are for a season, others unfold over years. Updates in the Prayer Den allow for a rich, organized history, making ongoing prayers manageable and encouraging persistence. It's the prayer journal that always has more room on the page. For example, for the prayer "Help me raise godly kids" you could add an update titled "Teaching money stewardship" (keep titles brief). You can then fill in details for the update like so: "Had a great conversation with the kids today..." and the date & time of the update are added automatically.

Send us a message at hello@toolsforthe.church, we're here to help however we can!

Why yes, we have. In fact, rumor has it that something like this is in the works to overcome some of the limitations that building in Notion comes with (like push notifications). Stay tuned to learn more, and we'd appreciate your prayers to make it a reality! 🙏