Conversation with Matthew Potter and Dr. Breanne Laird from Pray.com
Our client Pray.com is about to prove the information collected in the 2022 Gallup poll through data and science-- and we wanted share this new information with you and the team.
"According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 81 percent of Americans report believing in God, and Pew Research Center data shows that prayer is an “at least daily” practice for 55 percent of adults. And for good reason: There's evidence that this spiritual practice- at least anecdotally to this point- lowers stress, improves mood, and leads to better heart health."
Vann, M. R., Garone, S., & Young, A. (2023, October 5). Is prayer good for your health? Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/power-of-prayer.aspx
Founded in 2016 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com, is the world’s No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content. Over 16 million people around the world use the Pray.com app and website—making it the top digital destination for prayer in the world. Pray.com provides encouragement and inspiration through content such as daily devotionals, Pastor podcasts, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Pray.com was founded by Michael Lynn, Steve Gatena, Ryan Beck, and Matthew Potter.
The Behavioral Health Roundtable (BHRT) feels that providing broader access to Digital Prayer applications can have an enormous positive effect on behavioral health in a number of settings. These include veterans, those in recovery, those incarcerated and all those facing behavioral health challenges.
In support of this, BHRT recently convened an online conversation with Pray.com's founder Matthew Potter to discuss how digital prayer applications can change lives and improve public health. Dr. Breanne Laird also shared information about Pray.com's new data study that scientifically confirms the health benefits of prayer. This validation of prayer’s positive impact on mental and physical well-being is a critical step in fostering better behavioral health outcomes.
Craig DeRoche, CEO of the Family Policy Alliance and Advisor to the Behavioral Health Roundtable said "it is very exciting and long overdue that we have a clinical study that confirms what many in the world already know—the power of prayer—and mobile prayer applications can have a significant impact for mental health and wellness.”
DeRoche also said that “in 2023, with 50,000 taking their own lives in America, we lost more people to suicide than ever before. The crisis is real and growing—especially for those suffering from addiction and behavioral health challenges. As our nation continues to look at all viable options to address this crisis, we are very excited about what digital prayer applications, like Pray.com, can do to help so many people like me when they are in crisis, and when they just wish to grow more spiritually.”
By: Carley DeRoche
Executive Director