‘God’s Word Is Very Alive’: Bible App Passes Major Worldwide Milestone
By Movieguide® Contributor
The youversion Bible App recently marked a major milestone, passing 800 million downloads worldwide.
Before making its debut as an app, the youversion Bible was a website — and not a very popular one.
“I wish I could tell you that it just took off and it was this great success,” the Bible App’s founder Bobby Gruenewald youversion-bible-passes-800-million-downloads-2000">told CBN. “The reality of it was, after a lot of work and after a lot of doors being opened and a lot of people collectively working on it, the website was a failure.”
Gruenewald had been looking for an easier way to read the Bible while using new technology but couldn’t seem to get his website off the ground.
“And so Steve Jobs, in early 2008 announced it was going to be possible to develop apps for the iPhone and create some brand new thing called an app store,” he explained.
He enlisted a 19-year-old on his team to put together a Bible App — and the rest is history!
In its first week, youversion’s Bible App was downloaded by more than 80,000 people. Today, the app is opened more than 270 times a second.
“The narrative that people no longer read the Bible is simply not true,” Gruenewald explained. “We have evidence and empirical data, real data, not just a survey that someone had somewhere, that indicates that there is momentum globally around scripture engagement. So we should be encouraged to know that God’s word is very alive and well, and if anything, more relevant to today’s culture than maybe ever before in human history.”
youversion’s growth is continuing at a rapid rate — they only recently marked 500 million downloads.
youversion-bible-app-celebrates-500-million-installs.html">READ MORE: youversion Bible App CELEBRATES 500 MILLION INSTALLS
The youversion team isn’t resting on their laurels, though. Gruenewald shared plans with CHVN Radio for a special tween version of the Bible, as well as hopes to have the Bible translated into every language.
“It’s imperative, we think, to be able to have God’s Word in every single heart language, so that every single person has the benefit that we have of even [being] able to hear God’s voice, hear Jesus’s words in their own language,” he told the outlet.
Inclusivity is a major part of youversion’s mission. The app recently launched a version of the Bible App that utilizes the OpenDyslexic font, designed to help people with dyslexia read the Bible.
“I’ve always struggled with reading comprehension,” Chris Vaughn, a dyslexic youversion team member who brought the OpenDyslexic font to the company’s attention, youversion-bible-app-option-helps-people-dyslexia-read-gods-word">explained. “It has been a source of shame, but having youversion care about my needs has helped me feel seen and supported.”
He continued, “I’m thankful God has allowed me to help improve the Bible App for so many people like me.”
youversion-helps-dyslexic-people-read-gods-word.html">READ MORE: HOW youversion HELPS DYSLEXIC PEOPLE READ GOD’S WORD
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