Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The basics

What is PrayerGroup.Live?

An online place to share a prayer, a worry, or a hope — and to find that real people are holding you in theirs. You can post what’s on your heart, or show up for someone else.

Is it free?

Yes. Sharing what’s on your heart and supporting someone else are free, and always will be. No credit card, no hidden costs.

How do you make money if it’s free?

It’s a freemium model. The heart of this — asking for support and offering it — is free and stays free, and over time there’ll be optional paid features and services for people and organizations who want more, particularly around running groups and gatherings. Never from your data or your attention. We’ll never charge you to be heard.

Do I need a credit card to join?

No. The waitlist and the prayer space are free, and no payment details are needed.

Do I have to be religious to use it?

No. If prayer is your word for it, wonderful. If it’s meditation, a quiet moment, journaling, or just getting something off your chest — you’re just as welcome.

Who is it for?

Anyone carrying something, and anyone willing to show up for someone else — a friend, a neighbor, a colleague, or someone you’ve never met. Whether you want to share, pray for others, read quietly, or bring your own people together.

What languages is it in?

English for now. The app was built to be translated rather than retrofitted, Spanish is underway, and more languages are on the roadmap. Which ones come next depends on who turns up.

Do I need to be a certain age?

For now, PrayerGroup.Live is for ages 18 and over. Opening a space like this to younger people means meeting strict legal requirements and building safeguards to match — neither is simple, and we’d rather do it properly than early. It’s something we want to get to.

When does it open?

We’re open by invitation. Join the waitlist and you’ll get one as we expand.

Safety and support

What if I’m in crisis, or thinking about hurting myself?

Please reach out to someone who can help right now, rather than waiting for a reply here. In the US, you can call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) any time. Elsewhere, findahelpline.com lists services by country. This is a place for company and support, and we care about you getting real help when you need it.

Is this a substitute for professional help?

No. Being prayed for and being cared for can matter enormously, and it isn’t therapy, medical care, or crisis support. We’d always encourage you to reach for professional help when you need it.

What if I see something harmful?

Tell us. Every post can be reported, and real people review what comes in. Moderation is part of the first version, not something we’re planning to add later.

How do you keep it safe and kind?

Every post is screened, the guidelines are public, and a person always makes the final call. If something of yours is flagged you are told, and you can ask us to look again.

What happens if something of mine gets flagged?

If we hold something you wrote, we’ll tell you, and you can ask us to look again. A person makes the decision — nothing comes down because software said so. While we are still setting these systems up we are deliberately erring on the side of caution, which means some things will be flagged that turn out to be fine. We aim to resolve those quickly, and we are grateful for the patience while we get it right.

Faith, beliefs, and who’s welcome

Is this a Christian app? Does it favor one religion?

No. People have reached for support like this in every tradition, under many different names. There’s room for every tradition here, and no single one is the default.

Can I use it if I’m not sure what I believe?

Yes. A lot of people are somewhere in the middle, or still working it out. You don’t need the right words or any certainty — just something you’d rather not carry alone.

Can I keep it within my own faith or tradition?

Not yet — today there is one board and everyone reads the same one. It is firmly on the list, and group spaces are what we are working on next. If you know what you would actually need here, tell us at hello@prayergroup.live — this is exactly the kind of thing we would rather design with you than guess at.

Is it interfaith?

It’s open, and deliberately so. You’re welcome to pray in your own way, and you’re never asked to blend or dilute anything. Think “everyone welcome,” not “everyone the same.”

We’re also building so that communities can come together when they want to — congregations across a city holding a shared prayer event, say. The principle underneath it is control: you decide which groups and events you join, who can see what you share, and what you see. If interfaith work is part of your life, join the waitlist and tell us what you need — we’re still shaping this.

How the prayer space works

What can I post?

A prayer, a worry, a hope, a piece of good news, or a simple request for a moment of support. One box, no categories, no minimum length. A heading if it helps, or none. Today every signed-in member can read it; finer control over who sees what is on the roadmap.

I don’t know what to say. What do I write?

Write it the way you’d say it. There is no right form of words here, and nothing you post has to sound like a prayer. A sentence is enough — most of what gets written is short.

Can I pray for other people?

Yes, and that’s half of what this is. You can read what people are carrying and respond with a prayer, a kind word, or a quiet moment held for them.

Can I just read, without posting?

Of course. Reading and quietly praying for people counts, and you never have to post a thing.

Will someone actually respond?

That is the thing we are building for, and it is the number we watch. There is a view of posts nobody has answered yet, oldest first, so the quiet ones don’t sink — it is the only list on the site sorted the opposite way from everything else, and that is on purpose. We won’t promise every post gets a reply. We will say that the ones without one are the ones we look at first.

We have plenty of ideas for how to keep this true as more people arrive, and we’re keen to try them with real people rather than guess. Join the waitlist and help us work out what actually works.

What happens after I post?

It goes up straight away and every signed-in member can see it. People respond in their own time — sometimes within minutes, sometimes not for a day. You can mark a prayer resolved when you want to, and doing that doesn’t close it: people can still respond.

Is this social media?

Not in the way you’re used to. No follower counts, no popularity contest, no feed built to keep you scrolling. The prayer space is calm on purpose.

It is a social app, though. Over time you’ll find the things that help people find each other and stay connected — profiles, groups, an activity feed, notifications, and more as we go. How much of that you want is up to you, including none of it.

Privacy and your data

Who can see what I post?

Every signed-in member can see it, and nobody else — not search engines, not the logged-out web, not advertisers. Choosing to make a post public yourself is on the roadmap; it isn’t built yet, and nothing will ever be public unless you decide it should be. Other sharing and visibility settings are coming too; you can see what we’re working on here.

Can I post a prayer request without my name?

Not yet. What you can do today is choose how your name appears — your username only, your first name, your first name and last initial, or your full name. Plenty of people show a username and nothing else. Posting with no name attached at all is on the roadmap.

Will you sell my data or show me ads?

We never sell your words or your information, and there is no advertising anywhere a prayer appears — no ad slots, no tracking code, not now and not later. If we ever run something like a sponsored line in a newsletter, it will be somewhere prayers aren’t, and we’ll say so plainly before it happens.

Do you use my prayers to train AI?

Not without asking you first — clearly, specifically, and never by default. We’re genuinely interested in what AI could do for a place like this, and just as aware of how it can go wrong. Whatever we end up doing, you’ll know before it happens and you’ll be able to say no.

Is there any AI involved?

Yes, and never as a voice of faith. AI helps us find what needs a person’s attention, and that is all it does. It never speaks, never prays, and never pretends to be a person. We also use AI-assisted tools to build the app itself, which we list on our specs page.

Can I delete my information?

Yes, and you don’t have to ask us. From your account page you can download everything you’ve written, deactivate — which hides you and keeps your writing — or erase, which destroys it. No email, no explanation, no waiting on us.

What happens if I leave?

Two different things, and the difference matters. Deactivating hides you and closes your profile, while your prayers and responses stay where they are — logging back in brings you back. Erasing destroys what you wrote. Where somebody replied to you, an empty shell stays behind so their words don’t vanish with yours.

Joining, and early access

What happens when I join the waitlist?

You’ll get a quick email to confirm it’s really you, and a warm welcome. You’ll be among the first we invite in as we expand.

Why do I have to confirm my email?

It’s standard practice, and for good reasons. It confirms the address is real and reachable, so a typo doesn’t mean you never hear from us. It stops anyone from signing you up without your say-so. And it keeps our list clean, which is a large part of why our emails land in your inbox instead of your spam folder.

Can I invite other people?

Yes, two ways. Confirming your waitlist place gives you a link to share. Once you’re in, you get invitations of your own — five at a time, and you get one back each time somebody accepts.

What do I get for joining early?

A real say in what this becomes. Early members help shape it, hear from us directly, and get in first.

Who’s behind it, and what’s next

Who’s building this?

Two founders in the San Francisco Bay Area, and nobody else — no investors, no board, no advertisers. More about us.

Are you a church or a religious organization?

No. We’re not clergy, we don’t represent any tradition, and we’re not affiliated with any denomination. We’re two people building a tool we hope communities will find useful.

Why should I trust you?

Because our incentives are simple: if this isn’t good for you, there’s no reason for it to exist. Nobody pays us to hold your attention, we build in the open, and we’d rather earn your trust slowly than borrow it cheaply.

What’s coming after the prayer space?

Group spaces, events, and finer control over who sees what. We keep a roadmap: what we’re working on now, what comes after, and the questions we haven’t answered yet.

I lead a prayer group or congregation — is there anything for me?

Yes, and you’re much of the reason we’re building this. We want to give people who bring others together better tools to care for them: groups you control, events you run, and a way to stay close to members who’ve moved far away. We’re talking with organizers and conveners now, while the shape of this is still open. Write to us at hello@prayergroup.live.

How do I reach you?

Email hello@prayergroup.live. A person reads what comes in. The contact page says what to put in the subject line, and what to do instead if you are in crisis.