Talk:Pray.com
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COI request to add infobox
[edit] | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. Set |answered=no to reactivate the request if necessary. |
Hello, I'm a Pray.com employee operating as the company's representative on Wikipedia. I was wondering if it might be possible to add an infobox to this article. I've mocked one up, complete with a wordmark logo that I recently uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
| Pray.com | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Industry | Faith-based media and technology |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck, and Matthew Potter |
| Website | pray |
If an independent editor could take a look, I would much appreciate it. Thanks! JR at Pray (talk) 19:49, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
COI request for article rewrite
[edit] | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined. Some or all of the changes may be promotional in tone. |
Hello, I've written a new draft for this article that I think improves it in a number of ways. I have kept nearly all the existing content intact, improving sourcing where possible. My draft also:
- Revises and shortens the introduction a bit, relocating some of its content into the body of the article
- Creates/relocates a few sections, so that not all non-introduction content is under the History heading
- Adds several new passages to the History about the company's growth and evolution
- Adds a passage about Pray's AI Bible, which is probably the most significant product we've launched in the past few years
- Adds a few brief passages about notable partnerships with celebrities and the Trump White House
Below is the entire article draft. I'm completely open to working with editors on this piece-by-piece, but since my draft does contains significant reorganization of the existing article, I thought it would be a good idea to propose everything at once, so that the community can see the totality of what I'm trying to accomplish:
Full article draft |
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Pray.com is a faith-based media and technology platform offering mobile applications, podcasts, and digital content. Launched in 2016, it was founded by Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck, and Matthew Potter. The platform provides daily prayers, sermons, biblical content, and audio programming featuring prominent religious leaders. Pray.com has received recognition from two presidential administrations. In 2021, President Joe Biden provided a video message for the company's National Day of Prayer event. In 2025, the Trump administration recognized Pray.com as an official partner in the White House's America Prays initiative. In 2023, Pray.com launched its AI Bible, an AI-generated biblical content platform that accumulated over 2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok by 2025. Pray.com has partneredd with religious figures including T.D. Jakes, Jack Graham, and Tony Evans. As of September 2025, the Pray.com app has been downloaded more than 25 million times. History
Pray.com was founded in 2016 by Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck, and Matthew Potter.[1] It secured significant funding to support its development and growth. In 2017, the platform raised $2 million in seed funding from Science Inc., Greylock Partners, and Spark Capital.[2] That same year, it participated in the Laudato Si’ Fellowship, a start-up accelerator program held in Rome and advised by Cardinal Peter Turkson.[2] A Series A funding round held in March 2018 raised an additional $14 million from TPG Growth, Science Inc., and Greylock Partners.[3] Founder Steve Gatena has noted that early fundraising efforts were complicated due to some venture capitalists' negative attitudes towards faith-based technology.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased Pray.com's user base, with downloads surging by 955%.[5][6] During this period, the platform collaborated with churches to support virtual ministry services as in-person gatherings were restricted.[4] In 2021, the Federal Election Commission issued an opinion allowing Pray.com to feature members of the United States Congress.[7] In 2023, Pray.com ranked 116th in Inc. Magazine's list of fastest-growing companies.[8] As of 2024, the Pray.com app had 16 million users[9] and by September 2025, it had been downloaded 25 million times.[10] In May 2025, Pray.com co-founder Steve Gatena was honored by the Los Angeles Times as one of the L.A. business community's outstanding small business founders.[11] In December 2025, Rep. Sheri Biggs composed a letter to U.S. secretary of veterans affairs Doug Collins urging the agency to make faith-based mental health resources such as Pray.com available to recovering veterans. Biggs's letter was co-signed by more than a dozen of her congressional colleagues.[12] National Day of Prayer
Pray first hosted a National Day of Prayer event in 2020 when it streamed to nearly one million viewers on Facebook.[6][13] It featured faith leaders such as Tony Evans, Jack Graham, and Franklin Graham as well as senators Marco Rubio and Tim Scott.[14] In 2021, Pray hosted a virtual event for the National Day of Prayer in the United States.[15] The event featured remarks from United States President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence.[15] President Biden spoke of his faith and prayed for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden remarked: "It means the world to me to know that there are people across the country who include Jill and me in their prayers. And I hope you know that you and your families are in our prayers as well. Today I am praying for the end of this great COVID crisis."[15][16] The event featured musical performances from Gary Valenciano, Brooke Ligertwood from the Christian band Hillsong Worship, Lecrae, Heather Headley and Michael Neale.[13][16][17] Other notable speakers included Ronnie Floyd, Ed Young (pastor), Mark Driscoll, and Samuel Rodriguez.[13] Pray.com partnered with Sirius XM, DirecTV and Facebook to stream the event across multiple platforms.[18] Pray.com was featured as a pop-up channel on Sirius XM, channel 154, to host the prayer event and celebrate people of all faith.[19] Platform
Pray.com serves as a specialized social media platform for religious groups.[20] Congregations can establish their own groups where members and leaders can participate in discussions, livestream services, and manage donations.[6] Additionally, users can join "prayer communities" to post and respond to prayer requests.[21] For those who subscribe to premium services, the platform provides access to biblically-inspired meditations and bedtime stories, and Bible stories for children.[22][23][24] Pray.com also produces Radio drama-style productions with notable actors such as Kristen Bell and Blair Underwood narrating biblical stories.[21] In 2024, Pray launched the AI Bible, a compendium of AI-generated videos illustrating various Bible stories. Pray uses several AI tools, including ChatGPT, to create these videos. As of September 2025, the AI Bible had over two million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, with some of its videos receiving millions of views.[25][26] The AI Bible has generated theological debate among scholars, some of whom have criticized it as reducing biblical material to entertainment. Supporters of the AI Bible have claimed that it is consistent with evangelical traditions of using new methods of storytelling in order to help people engage with scripture.[25] Partnerships and sponsorships
In 2021, it was announced that Drew Brees would be producing a series of motivational prayers and bedtime Bible stories for the Pray.com app.[27] The company has also partnered with T.D. Jakes, Dr. Phil McGraw, and the estate of James Earl Jones to produce content for its app.[28] In 2023, Pray.com announced a partnership with iHeartMedia to produce and distribute faith-based podcasts.[29] In 2024, Pray.com partnered with Sting Ray Robb as the primary sponsor for his No. 41 Chevrolet in the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series. The partnership, highlighting Robb's Christian faith, aims to engage younger audiences with faith-based content. The car, featuring Pray.com's branding, was set to debut at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.[30][31] In September 2025, the White House announced that Pray.com would be participating in the Trump administration's America Prays initiative.[32] Censorship in China
The app was removed from Apple's App Store in China as part of the country's broader efforts to restrict access to religious content.[9] The app was targeted due to China's stringent regulations on religious material, particularly content distributed through digital platforms.[9] The removal aligns with China's ongoing campaign to control online religious expression and maintain state-approved religious activities.[9][33] Clinical studies
There have been clinical studies on Pray.com. In one study, the app was found to be acceptable and easy to use among racial and ethnic minority groups, with participants reporting improved mental health and well-being.[34] Greater app use was associated with better outcomes, though low and variable usage suggests the need for further research to fully understand its impact.[34] Another study examined Pray.com's impact on mental health by assigning 192 participants to use the app freely, use its meditative prayer function, or not use it at all.[35] Over two months, participants reported overall improvements in mental health and well-being. Although no significant differences were found between groups, greater app usage correlated with better mental health outcomes. This suggests that religiously based mobile apps may help improve mental health and well-being.[35] Another study of pray.com had similar findings.[36] References
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Thanks in advance to any editors who take the time to review this draft! JR at Pray (talk) 17:34, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
Not done: A majority of the requested changes are currently written in a promotional tone. Please review WP:Neutral point of view and ensure you follow this before submitting any edit requests. 🄻🄰 13:18, 16 July 2026 (UTC)
- Thank you for the review and for the clear feedback. You were right that the draft read promotionally, and proposing a full rewrite in a single block was a mistake on my part. I will work through the article in smaller, individually sourced requests going forward. Appreciate the time you spent on it. JR at Pray (talk) 16:19, 7 September 2026 (UTC)
COI request: add date to Censorship in China section
[edit] | An impartial editor has reviewed the proposed edit(s) and asked the editor with a conflict of interest to go ahead and make the suggested changes. |
Hello, I am a Pray.com employee editing with a declared paid COI. This is a small single-fact request, and I am deliberately keeping it to one change after my April rewrite request was correctly declined for tone.
The "Censorship in China" section does not say when the removal happened, which leaves the reader unable to place the event. The date is already supported by the two sources cited in that same section.
Current text:
- The app was removed from Apple's App Store in China as part of the country's broader efforts to restrict access to religious content.
Proposed text:
- In February 2024, the app was removed from Apple's App Store in China as part of the country's broader efforts to restrict access to religious content.
Sourcing: Both already cited in the section. Kumar, Anugrah (February 24, 2024), "Pray.com removed from Apple App Store in China, restricting access to content", The Christian Post; and "China bans Pray.com app" (February 22, 2024), UPI.
This adds four words and changes nothing else. Thanks to any editor who takes a look. JR at Pray (talk) 16:25, 9 September 2026 (UTC)
Done Packrat3860 (talk) 01:13, 10 September 2026 (UTC)
Go ahead: I have reviewed these proposed changes and suggest that you go ahead and make the proposed changes to the page. 🄻os🄰 15:55, 10 September 2026 (UTC)
- Thanks both. Packrat3860 already implemented this at 01:12 on 10 September, so no further action is needed here. I appreciate the offer to edit directly, but as a paid editor I would rather keep everything going through edit requests so the process stays visible on the record. JR at Pray (talk) 19:01, 10 September 2026 (UTC)
COI request: remove promotional language (three sentences)
[edit] | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. Set |answered=no to reactivate the request if necessary. |
Hello, I am a Pray.com employee editing with a declared paid COI. In July an editor correctly declined a draft of mine for promotional tone. Reviewing the live article since then, I found three sentences that read promotionally about my own employer. I am requesting their removal or trimming. All three are cuts, none are additions.
1. Remove the opening sentence of "Funding and development".
- Current: Pray.com has secured significant funding to support its development and growth. In 2017, the platform raised...
- Proposed: delete the first sentence entirely, so the section begins In 2017, the platform raised...
- Reason: "significant" is unsourced editorializing, and the sentence adds nothing the specific figures that follow do not already say.
2. Remove the second sentence of the Sting Ray Robb passage.
- Current: The partnership, highlighting Robb's Christian faith, aims to engage younger audiences with faith-based content.
- Proposed: delete this sentence. The surrounding sentences about the sponsorship and the car's debut are factual and should stay.
- Reason: it states corporate marketing intent ("aims to engage") as fact, and the cited sources do not support it as anything other than company framing.
3. Remove "notable" from the radio drama sentence.
- Current: ...productions with notable actors such as Kristen Bell and Blair Underwood narrating biblical stories.
- Proposed: ...productions with actors such as Kristen Bell and Blair Underwood narrating biblical stories.
- Reason: WP:PEACOCK lists "notable" as a word to avoid. Both actors have articles, so the link already establishes it. This also fixes a stray double space before Kristen Bell's name.
No content is being added and no sourced material is being removed. Thanks to any editor who takes a look. JR at Pray (talk) 17:19, 17 September 2026 (UTC)
- @JR at Pray: Thanks. I've made those changes. I actually removed the whole sponsorship section though as the sourcing was poor. SmartSE (talk) 19:05, 17 September 2026 (UTC)
- Thanks SmartSE, and no objection to the wider removal. I checked the Palantir citation afterwards and everything I can find traces back to a single Business Wire release, so I agree it did not meet the bar. If genuinely independent coverage of either partnership turns up later I will propose it here rather than assume it qualifies. JR at Pray (talk) 22:21, 17 September 2026 (UTC)
COI request: add download figure and chatbot (New York Times)
[edit] | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined. |
Hello, I am a Pray.com employee editing with a declared paid COI. Two single-sentence additions, both from one source.
The article gives no indication of the platform's size anywhere, and does not mention the company's AI chatbot. A September 2025 New York Times article covers both in a single sentence: "Now, apps like Pray.com — which has about 25 million downloads — are rolling out chatbots, too."
1. At the end of the first paragraph of the lead:
- As of September 2025, the app had about 25 million downloads.
2. At the end of the "AI content" section:
- In 2025, Pray.com began rolling out an AI chatbot.
Source for both: Jackson, Lauren (September 14, 2025). "Finding God in the App Store". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/us/chatbot-god.html
I have proposed the download figure for the lead because scale is normally basic identifying information under WP:LEAD, but the "Funding and development" subsection would work as well and I have no preference.
No other changes requested. Thanks to any editor who takes a look. JR at Pray (talk) 13:11, 18 September 2026 (UTC)
- Not done: Sounds like WP:CORPTRIV, specifically the fourth bullet point. —Leaf.Sheap ⇖ /.°°.\ ⇗ (They•Them) 18:16, 10 October 2026 (UTC)
COI request: expand AI content section (Christianity Today, NPR)
[edit] | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined. |
Hello, I am a Pray.com employee editing with a declared paid COI. This is a section-level request on a single topic, proposed as a replacement for the "AI content" section.
The section says little about what The AI Bible is or how it is produced. A September 2025 Christianity Today interview covers both and is not yet cited in the article. Unlike my last request, which was correctly declined under WP:CORPTRIV as a passing mention, both sources here are substantively about this subject: the NPR piece is reported on the company's AI content, and the Christianity Today piece is an interview with a company executive about it.
I am also dropping the existing clause "with some videos having millions of views", which I do not think the cited NPR source supports.
Proposed replacement for the "AI content" section:
- Pray.com began using artificial intelligence to generate imagery in the 2020s. In 2025 it launched The AI Bible, a series of AI-generated videos depicting Bible stories, distributed on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Max Bard, the company's vice president of content, said scripts are written by staff writers, one of whom is a pastor, before images and animation are produced using tools including ChatGPT, Claude and Midjourney. Bard described the format as "edutainment - education and entertainment", and said it drew viewers who are not Christian.
- The videos received mixed reviews. Brad East, a professor of theology at Abilene Christian University, said they had a "Marvel aesthetic in all the worst ways" and that they reduce the Bible to an action movie. Writing in Christianity Today, Bonnie Kristian questioned the theological depth of the series' treatment of the Book of Job, noting that most of the book is compressed into a single spoken verse, and raised concerns about sexualized depictions of female biblical figures. Paul Hoffman said he was "always a fan of anything that drives interest ... in the Bible".
Sources:
- Kristian, Bonnie (September 9, 2025). "The AI Bible: 'We Call It Edutainment'". Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/ai-bible-pray-website-interview/
- NPR, already cited in this section, supports Brad East's affiliation and the "action movie" characterisation.
Thanks to any editor who takes a look. JR at Pray (talk) 15:13, 16 October 2026 (UTC)
Response: 2026-10-24
[edit]
Not done: This interview is with one of Pray.com's VPs. We need to base our articles on what independent sources have to say about you. Also, the NPR article says specifically with some videos getting millions of views
. Packrat3860 (talk) 21:09, 24 October 2026 (UTC)
- Thanks, both points taken. You are right about the NPR wording on view counts and I should have checked the source more carefully before saying otherwise. And the independence point is fair: the Christianity Today piece is an interview with our VP, so the production details and framing in it are us talking about ourselves, not independent coverage. I will stick to independent sources going forward. JR at Pray (talk) 13:04, 26 October 2026 (UTC)
America Prays (September 2025)
[edit] | The user below has a request that an edit be made to Pray.com. That user has an actual or apparent conflict of interest. The requested edits backlog is very high. Please be extremely patient. There are currently 1557 requests waiting for review. Please read the instructions for the parameters used by this template for accepting and declining them, and review the request below and make the edit if it is well sourced, neutral, and follows other Wikipedia guidelines and policies. Remember to set the |answered= parameter to "yes" when the request has been accepted, rejected or on hold awaiting user input. |
Can we please add one sentence at the end of the "US National Day of Prayer" subsection?
In September 2025, Pray.com was named among the initial participants in America Prays, a prayer initiative launched by President Donald Trump ahead of the United States Semiquincentennial.[1][2]
Fox News and CBN both name Pray.com on their own, so none of this is our wording. I left out our press release and the "official technology partner" line since that's self-published and I know it wouldn't hold up here.
Let me know your thoughts. JR at Pray (talk) 17:13, 27 October 2026 (UTC)
- ↑ "Trump calls on Americans to pray as nation's 250th birthday approaches: 'One nation under God'". Fox News. September 8, 2025.
- ↑ "America Was Founded on Faith: Trump Launches America Prays Initiative for 250th Anniversary". CBN News. September 2025.