Bobby Gruenewald, co-founder of YouVersion, hoped to reach 80,000 downloads within the app’s first six months. He was shocked when that number was passed during the first weekend. Photo courtesy of lifechurch.tv

The Word of God is at hand

How has Bible accessibility impacted Bible engagement?

By Craig Macartney and ChristianWeek Senior Correspondent | June 16, 2014

EDMOND, OK—The Information Age has seen dramatic shifts in the way we learn, study and share information. Many people believe our lives are continually getting busier the more “plugged-in” we become.

As society transforms, Bible study tools have also evolved, with apps, such as YouVersion, and countless online translations and study tools. But are Christians using these tools, do they prefer paper copies, and are they continuing to read the Bible at all?

“We’ve learned that proximity helps engagement,” says Bobby Gruenewald, co-founder of YouVersion. “The scale of what God is doing through the Bible App and the Bible App for Kids is hard to fathom. From everything we are seeing, we truly believe this could be the most Bible-engaged generation in history.”

When YouVersion launched, in 2008, as one of the original 200 apps available in the iTunes App Store, Gruenewald hoped to reach 80,000 downloads within the first six months. He was shocked when that number was passed during the first weekend. To date, YouVersion has logged more than 139 million downloads and boasts more than 90 billion minutes of user Bible reading.

Yet despite these impressive numbers, recent studies have come to discouraging conclusions on Canadian and American Bible engagement.

“In 1996, older Canadians were more likely to read the Bible than younger ones,” says Rick Hiemstra, director of research at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC). “But in 2013 there was little difference in reading frequency by age. Reading patterns became similar as older Canadians read the Bible less often—there wasn’t an increase in Bible reading among younger Canadians.”

Hiemstra is the author of the newly released Canadian Bible Engagement Study, which was published in April. The Canadian Bible Forum, a group of nine Canadian Bible agencies together with the EFC, commissioned the project.

Conducted by Angus Reid Strategies, the study found only five per cent of Canadians read the Bible daily and 14 per cent read it at least monthly.

“Bible apps tend to be used by those who already read the Bible in a book format,” he says. “Younger Canadians are slightly more likely to use Bible apps than older Canadians, but [Bible app users] tend to be regular church attendees and regular Bible readers.”

Hiemstra also highlights the continued popularity of printed Bibles. Of those who read the Bible monthly, the study found 84 per cent used printed copies, whereas only 34 per cent used an app. Ninety per cent of those who used apps also read a printed copy.

“Many of our users have expressed that they use both formats,” says Gruenewald. “One of the features our community enjoys about using an app is the ability to switch between versions. A 2013 YouVersion survey found more than 67 percent of YouVersion users switch between Bible versions.”

The software currently offers 811 Bible translations in more than 500 languages, but apps have other advantages, which Gruenewald says are definitely increasing Bible engagement.

“Audio also offers a way for people to engage with the Bible when they are exercising or commuting,” he explains. “But time after time, our YouVersion community tells us Bible plans are what help them make the Bible a daily habit. Plans help them focus on a manageable selection each day.”

YouVersion’s website shows more than 16.5 million reading plans have been completed since it’s launch. The app also just released an update allowing users to share verses, notes and questions with a network of close friends. Gruenewald believes the added community interaction will strengthen believers and further increase Bible engagement.

“More than 77 percent of [survey] respondents said they read the Bible more frequently because they have it on their mobile device. Currently the Bible App is opened 132 times per second, but we think this upgrade is going to have an amazing impact on how people engage in the Bible and really change how this generation is making God’s word a part of their everyday life.”