Episode 63: Man Up Monday Podcast Episode #63- One on One with Ryan Beck- Pray.com

Man Up God's Way- Jody Burkeen

Ryan Beck is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Pray.com, the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content. Pray.com is driven by a mission to grow faith, cultivate community, and leave a legacy of helping others. Beck brings expertise in computer science, software engineering, and theological studies to his role as chief technology officer. He helped start Pray.com in 2016.
As with many young people growing up in difficult circumstances, Beck was introduced to drugs, gangs, and violent crime at an early age. Early drug use got him kicked out of school for the first time as a sophomore. Three months before graduating high school Beck was arrested for assault. Upon his release from jail, he began selling drugs, instead of using them. Subsequently, Beck was arrested again, this time for the distribution of narcotics, convicted, and sent to prison. It was in jail that a fellow inmate encouraged him to turn his life around, introducing him to the Bible, and encouraging him to explore his faith in Christ.
Following his period of incarceration, Beck was given the opportunity to attend Calvary Bible College, where he was able to study theology and nurture his calling to create a Kingdom impact. While he did not feel called to be a minister, Beck did go onto pursue a double-major in philosophy and computer science at Calvin College, where he developed specific skills to serve organizations seeking to serve people at the intersection of technology and faith.
In 2016, Beck reunited his relationship with Steve Gatena, a childhood friend from middle school, where Gatena shared his vision for a new project he was working on called Pray.com. Gatena invited Beck to join him and fellow co-founders Matthew Potter and Michael Lynn to build Pray.com as the digital destination for faith in 2016. Prior to coming to Pray.com, Beck had served as a backend engineer with Mission India.
Beck is married to his incredible wife, Jeanette, who prayerfully helped him in making the decision to join Gatena and the Pray.com team as a co-founder of what has become the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content.