A 78-year-old woman has been robbed whilst she was praying in a church in Tennessee.

The robbery happened in Hilldale Baptist Church on February 9 where two women robbed the old age pensioner of her purse and stole her credit cards.

Authorities are now looking for the two women. 

Senior pastor Larry Robertson told NewsChannel 5 in Nashville: "It is so disappointing and shocking when it happens in a church building to a senior adult widow lady who just came to church early to pray, that's hard to swallow.

"My prayer is that if I had the opportunity to encounter them again, that I would be faithful and kind enough to them to share the gospel with them in hopes that they would trust Christ as their Saviour."

Police also told the news outlet there was a group of four women in total inside the church with the victim. 

Three of them were seen on security cameras at a Sam's Club where the victim's credit card was used shortly after the theft.