Still frame from one of Rev. Kim Hastings' TikTok videos.

A year ago, Rev. Kim Hastings, who serves as the Associate Pastor at Watertown First United Methodist Church and Pastor at Clark United Methodist Church, launched a personal TikTok account. Now, her TikTok account is a new ministry setting.

“I wanted to give it a try. So, I did some talking, silly dances, about things going on in my life. I knew I wanted to figure out how I might use TikTok in ministry, but I really felt anxious and self-conscious,” said Hastings.

TikTok has approximately 150-170 million monthly active users in the United States. While historically youth-dominated, the user base now spans all ages, with the largest group being 18–34-year-olds, who make up over 60 percent of users, while users aged 55+ are growing. 

“I knew that being on TikTok, I might reach a different group of people. There are a lot of younger users, and a lot of younger people are not connected to a church,” Pastor Kim said.

After a pause, Pastor Kim decided to try out a prayer ministry. In January, she started posting prayers on TikTok. Throughout the week, Hastings uses her cell phone to record a video of herself praying. View a prayer on TikTok.

“The prayers have turned out well. I try to post as much as possible throughout the week. I do not do a lot of preplanning,” she shares. “I pray for whatever is on my heart or something that someone has talked to me about.”

Prayers have been focused on gratitude, grief, loss, healing, and life milestones. One day at a medical appointment, Pastor Kim introduced herself to the laboratory technical assistant, who asked Hastings to pray for her grandmother.

“When she found out I was a pastor, she asked for prayer. I prayed for her 98-year-old grandma on TikTok. That connected with a lot of people. Her grandma passed away. She let me know that the prayer relieved her anxiety. Her aunt looked me up and told me that, ‘The prayer felt like an angel was talking to us,’” described Pastor Kim.

@prttypstr Losing our loved ones is never easy. Share this with someone you love that has lost a loved one. #prayer #grief #comfort ♬ Tenderness - Elia Lo Monaco

Each prayer that Pastor Kim posts averages 400-600 views. People have shared that they are surprised to find the prayers on TikTok. View another prayer. 

“There are people who are not connected to a church or have stepped away from a church that find the prayers refreshing,” said Pastor Kim. “People will comment and make requests for prayers. Most comments are short and are one word—'Amen, thank you, just what I needed today.’ Sometimes people will leave an emoji like praying hands. I have gotten lots of positive comments. Very rarely do I need to delete a comment.”

The handles (names on TikTok accounts) and analytics provide data that 36–44-year-old females are the largest group of followers to the TikTok prayer ministry.

“I have mostly moms following my prayers. I do follow a lot of other moms and belong to ‘Mom Groups.’ There are some males. I see handles like ‘Child of God,’ ‘Mama and Jesus.’ On my Facebook account, I have 65-year-old followers. So, I know I am reaching different demographics on TikTok,” stated Pastor Kim.

Each prayer that is posted is less than 70 seconds. Pastor Kim places her phone on a stand and simply hits the record button.

“I like to use the phone stand when I can. Sometimes I record in my car, and I use a visor clip to hold my phone,” described Pastor Kim. “It is me as a person. I start with ‘Friends’ and simply take it from there. I don’t make it overcomplicated. You have to give yourself grace.”

She is dreaming about leading a Bible study on TikTok and exploring ways to dig deeper into topics to expand people’s connection and relationship with God.

“I didn’t know who the prayers would speak to. I had no formal plan. I can’t stop doing it now. I trust God and the Holy Spirit. It has been a way to be creative and connect,” shared Pastor Kim.