Prayer beads are an ancient Christian tool for the practice of prayer and meditation. While many Protestant traditions stopped using prayer beads because of disagreements with the Roman Catholic church over the role of Mary as an intercessor, prayer beads can still help people connect to God in new ways.
Several people at Bridges Church have started using prayer beads to focus their minds and hands when in prayer or meditation, and have found the practice useful. One member made a set with 40 beads and a cross and a fish. The 40 beads reminded her of the 40 days Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted and preparing for his time of ministry. The cross signified Jesus' sacrifice for us and her mom loved fish so she added a fish as well. She prepared an index card with a number of short and long prayers and then used the beads while her mother was in the hospital recovering from surgery.
On the internet there are other versions and styles of prayer beads for protestants, including protestant-style prayers to use with catholic-style rosary beads. Many prayers have also been developed to use with different formats. We like to emphasize that there is nothing particularly ‘holy’ about one format or another. The point is not to worship the beads, but to find a format that helps people clear their minds and connect with God. So we encourage people to develop a form and set of prayers that best fits their needs and personal preferences.
Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and we see spiritual maturity and growth in our disciples as they develop new ways to connect with God, such as using prayer beads.