American Bible Society
Bible Access & Engagement
Bible Access & Engagement

In the United States today, just 54 million people—or 17 percent of the population—engage with the Bible on a regular basis. Millions more want to build a Bible-reading routine, but need help overcoming the obstacles that stand in their way. Through online Bible-reading tools, apps and games more Americans can engage with the life-changing message of God’s Word.

Opportunity

In the State of the Bible survey, 59 percent of Americans expressed a desire to use the Bible more often. But these people face barriers to Scripture engagement. Many don’t have time to read the Bible. Some pick up a Bible and struggle to understand the words inside. Others don’t know where to start.

For these people to engage with the life-changing message of God’s Word, and form lasting Bible-reading habits, they need access to tools and resources that meet their unique needs.

Transformation

Bible engagement apps, ministry tools and more help people encounter God in his Word in a format that integrates with their daily lives. These resources break down barriers to Bible engagement by helping people read and share Scripture in their preferred format. Tools include:

  • Bibles.org: An online Bible search tool that equips users to read, study and reference the Bible in more than 800 versions and more than 700 languages. To facilitate Bible studies, users can add notes and tags to their favorite Scripture passages.
  • Global.Bible: A collection of over 1,000 Bibles published online in individual desktop and mobile sites with the full user experience in the local languages. When available, the audio recording of the Scripture is available to play alongside the text reading experience. To help you find a specific Bible, you can search by language name or country.
  • API.Bible: A service to provide digital Bibles to ministries that develop websites and applications. The service can help accelerate your digital ministry by providing Scripture in over 2,500 versions across 1,600 languages. It is free for limited, non-commercial use, so give it a try.
  • Bible top-level domain: A new, top-level domain that allows faith-based organizations to share and engage with Scripture, all in one place. Internet users can easily identify .Bible websites as a trusted source of Bible-related content.

Icon of a stopwatchQuick Facts

59 percent

of Americans wished they used the Bible more

7 hours

time the average American spends browsing the internet each day

90 percent

of the U.S. population owns a smartphone

Icon of hands prayingPrayer Points

  • Pray for those who want to engage with the Bible, but don’t know how. Pray that they may encounter Scripture in a format that meets their specific needs.

  • Ask God to guide those at American Bible Society developing Scripture engagement tools and resources.

  • Praise God for the opportunity to engage with his Word in a variety of formats: digital, print and audio.