On June 22nd of 1998, a worldwide domain name of "PRAYERTOWER.ORG" was secured by founder, Jim Green. Without a plan for how to use the name, Prayertower was committed to God and the matter kept before the Lord in much prayer.
As a longtime computer professional and bi-vocational minister, Jim felt the call of God for years to be a man of prayer and faith. Inspired by the life of men like George Mueller, Vance Havner, Ron Dunn and Manley Beasley, he felt a life of prayer was something worthy of pursuit.
In February of 1999 in a conversation with a deacon friend, a new vision was born. The two of them discussed their church's Prayer Guide and noticed questionable and "missing" information on the list. Both agreed that while many names were listed, few (if any) could possibly know the need of those on the list.
If you don't know a need, how can you pray? And what promise can you claim from God's word if you don't know the background? Can a person pray rightly without a word from God's word concerning the need? Interesting questions indeed.
These two men knew there must be other people who shared the same desire. It wasn't a desire to pray that created their concern, but rather a desire to pray more effectively. So that evening, they decided to investigate the matter further and report what they found out to each other by e-mail.
First stop - the church office. It seemed that some information was known, but much was not. So, the two contacted many of the people on the list to ask how to pray for them. And God blessed the effort.
Those contacted appreciated the call, and many of them requested prayer for other matters. Every call was a ministry to the person on the prayer list AND the person praying. But, how would this changing information be kept so others would also know? And how could a new member "get up to speed" on matters of prayer? This new ministry needed help and Prayertower was there to meet the need. It seemed God provided a vehicle before we even knew we had a need!
Today, people all around the world are members of Prayertower. For a long time Prayertower was not known outside of a single church in Memphis, Tennessee. And even there, it grew by reputation rather than announcement or solicitation. Perhaps the phrase used in the movie, Field of Dreams, found similar application in Prayertower: "Build it and He will come!"
On June 24, 1999 - almost one year to the day from the registration of the original domain name, the name "PRAYERTOWER.NET" was registered. The reason for acquiring the new name is best explained when the difference in domain classes is understood. (That's the letters behind the dot in the domain address)
An "ORG" is usually a noncommercial organization, whereas a "NET" implies an organization where connectivity and access are provided. Prayertower is a network of pray-ers and the new Filtered Internet access permits real time dial up access with blocking of pornography, unwanted advertisements and spam. The "Tower", as it affectionately referred by many, is both noncommercial and based on connectivity. Therefore, both names apply and are used.
But where will it all end? The needs and potential of the ministry are seemingly endless - as is the cost for keeping it running. In fact, the needs of the ministry require more time and resources each day. Prayertower operates by the labor of love of a single man and a few contributing partners who see the ministry of prayer as vital to the Church. God's grace is truly amazing!
Here are a few things that Prayertower does:
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Sign up as a PT prayer warrior
2. Frequent the Cyber prayer room where people list their needs/updates/concerns/testimony.
3. Pray for us as we work to extend the ministry to new areas and languages.
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