One Million Bibles: A Crossway Global Initiative

Help Provide God's Word Where It's Needed Most

622,987 of 1,000,000 Bibles

650,000 - May 2024 1,000,000
A gift of $40 provides ten copies of God’s Word to sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the Global South. Would you consider partnering with us to help distribute God’s Word to believers in need? The overall goal for this initiative is to distribute one million Bibles. Our aim is to raise $200,000 by Mother’s Day, May 12, to support the printing and distribution of an additional 50,000 Bibles. These Bibles will be provided especially to women along with other believers who have little to no access to the Bible.

The Vital Role of Women in the Church

God intends for both men and women to play a critical role in the life of the church, worshiping together with one voice and using their gifts to build up the body of Christ. And yet, many Christian women around the world—especially in the Global South—lack access to God’s Word. This impacts not only their personal faith but also their ability to disciple others.

God’s primary means of maturing Christians is through prayer, fellowship with other believers, and regular engagement with the Bible. But without direct access to the Word of God, our brothers and sisters throughout the Global South are not well equipped to grow in their faith.

Sirisha experienced this as a young Christian woman in India: “I used to depend on my own ideology and ideas, but after I received a Bible, I came to understand that God speaks to me through his Word. Now I know I can depend on him and ask him anything through studying the Bible.” By God’s grace, Sirisha is now studying to earn a degree in biblical studies so that she can be better equipped to teach and share the gospel with women in her spheres of influence.

An Opportunity to Impact the Global Church

Throughout the past 18 months, God has provided Crossway with many supporters of the One Million Bibles Initiative. And by his grace, more than 500,000 Bibles have already been delivered and are being distributed in more than 10 countries in the Global South, including Nigeria, Uganda, India, and Thailand. These Bibles are equipping believers to worship the Lord in truth and more faithfully minister to their communities. As Victor Alabi explains on behalf of recipients in Nigeria.

When we get to the field and hand a Bible to someone in need, you can see their whole countenance change. First of all, you see the expectation since they see you coming with a truckload of Bibles. They can become anxious and may even tell themselves, “I’m not going to get a Bible.” And others have told me they thought, “maybe I’ll get one.” But all of a sudden a Bible is placed in their hands, and that’s when their whole countenance changes.

We celebrate this progress that has been made and the lives that are being changed! But the work is not yet complete—there are many who still have yet to secure a personal copy of God’s Word.

We Can Address the Need among Women and Other Believers

As followers of Christ can attest, spiritual growth most often occurs as a result of regular Bible reading and engagement. But without direct access to the Word of God, sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the Global South are not well equipped to grow in their faith.

We invite you to partner with us in our continued effort to distribute one million Bibles around the world. These Bibles are being freely provided to Christians—both men and women—in places of great need. By partnering with churches, ministry networks, and other organizations in the Global South, our goal is to provide the Word of God to one million Christians who would otherwise not have access to their own Bibles.

Through the Bible, Christians grow in their understanding of God and salvation and are equipped to share the good news with others. Every $4 you give will support the delivery and distribution of a copy of God’s Word. Would you consider joining us today in giving the gift of a Bible to a sister or brother in Christ?

Updates

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“With This, Women Can Impact the World”: How the Bible Changes Everything

April 24, 2024

Many of the Christians in India today who are looking for answers to life’s questions and flocking to church gatherings are women. But there’s one problem: many of them don’t have a Bible. If they did, it would have a great impact. Through Crossway’s One Million Bibles Initiative, you can help to address this problem.

Why the Gospel Is Reviving Displaced Peoples Camps in Nigeria

April 24, 2024

In Nigerian homes where women have been left to raise their children alone, some don’t have access to God’s Word. How can these women teach the truth of God’s Word when they don’t have a Bible? Through Crossway’s One Million Bibles Initiative, donors are partnering with us to address this need.

What Is the Christian’s Compass?

March 27, 2024

“Imagine you’ve bought a piece of equipment and you want to know how it operates. You have to read the manual to learn how to operate that piece of equipment that you’ve bought. And that’s what the Bible is.” Join Crossway this spring in providing God’s Word to women and other believers in need.

The Secret to One Church's Effort to Prepare Their Members for Eternity

December 27, 2023

Greenheights Community of Believers resides in a bustling city just outside of Manila, Philippines. Their doors are always open to anyone who may choose to stop by for a brief visit, and others who come to stay awhile. But what so many of these visitors have in common is a request they make: they are looking for a Bible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of Bibles are being distributed as part of this campaign?

All of the Bibles being distributed are ESV English-language Bibles, some with the Bible text only and others with study notes or additional content.

Are there other ways I can give to this initiative (e.g., wire transfer, cash, stocks, etc.?)

Crossway provides a number of ways for supporters to give to this initiative. You may donate gifts of stock, gifts designated from donor advised funds, and estate gifts, among others. If you have questions regarding Crossway’s ability to receive your donation, visit this page to learn more or contact us at donate@crossway.org.

How much of my donation will go toward Bible distribution?

100% of your gift will be used for the specific purpose of funding the distribution of 1 million Bibles, with Crossway covering all administrative costs.

Your gift of $40 could provide 10 Bibles to a rural church in the Global South where members are sharing copies. $100 could equip 25 pastors with study Bibles so they can faithfully understand and preach God’s Word. $1,000 or more could provide Bibles to an entire church network and help make it possible for a community to sustain its own Bible distribution in future years.

How does Crossway choose the recipients of these Bibles?

Crossway has a large number of close ministry partnerships around the world, and will deliver many of these Bibles into the hands of recipients through these trusted networks. We will focus on the areas of the Global South which we and our ministry partners have identified as having the greatest immediate need.

What countries or parts of the world will receive Bibles through this initiative?

We anticipate distribution in dozens of English-speaking countries and territories, particularly in Africa and Asia.

When will distribution of the Bibles begin, and when will distribution be completed?

The first distributions funded by this initiative began in the summer of 2023. Bibles will be distributed on an ongoing basis as funds are received during the course of the campaign. Our goal is for the distribution of all Bibles to be completed by the end of 2026.

Will all Bibles be given away, or will any be sold?

The vast majority of these Bibles will be given away for free. However, in some communities, the most strategic way to meet the need for God’s Word is through assistance in building sustainable Bible distribution markets. Christians in these communities can afford to pay something for a Bible, and ministry partners on the ground are investing in the network infrastructure needed to sell and distribute Bibles at low, locally-appropriate prices for years to come.

In these communities, Crossway will provide Bibles at our manufacturing cost (no margin) and will use a portion of donated funds to underwrite shipping costs. This will enable our ministry partners in these regions to resell Bibles at affordable prices to those who desperately need a Bible, and to invest their proceeds toward distributing more Bibles.

Will Crossway profit from the sale of Bibles subsidized by this initiative?

Crossway will not profit from the sale of any Bibles subsidized by this initiative. We will sell Bibles at our manufacturing cost to ensure our partners can resell these Bibles at the most affordable prices possible.

How is the cost of a Bible being determined?

While we initially anticipated that each Bible would cost approximately $5, including the costs of printing and delivery to each location, we have since been able to reduce those costs. We constantly monitor production and shipping realities, knowing that the costs may change based on any variety of factors.

The progress bar shown at the top of the One Million Bibles home page reflects the cost of $4 per Bible. We pray that the costs will remain lower than expected, so that more Bibles may be distributed for the same cost!

Why physical Bibles? Can’t people access Scripture on their phones or online?

We recognize the value of both digital and print Bibles and work to distribute both wherever possible. Crossway freely offers the ESV text on our website and app, so that anyone around the world with sufficient access can read the ESV Bible on their personal device. However, the reality is that internet connectivity and smartphone usage are not reliable, widespread, or affordable in much of the developing world and among the people we are trying to reach through this initiative. While it’s true that smartphone and internet access have increased in developing countries in the last ten years, there is still a large gap between access and actual usage. In 2021, 78% of the total population in sub-Saharan Africa and 66% of the population in South Asia were not able to functionally access mobile internet.

A physical Bible, however, bridges this “digital divide” by granting its recipient immediate access to Scripture—no internet, data, or smartphone required. With these current global realities, we have made it our mission as part of this initiative to provide direct access to Scripture in physical form to those who haven’t had it before.

Sources:
Anne Delaporte, “New insights on mobile internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa”, GSMA, Accessed November 2, 2023, https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/blog/new-insights-on-mobile-internet-connectivity-in-sub-saharan-africa/

Nadia Jeffrie, “The state of mobile internet connectivity in South Asia: the coverage gap is narrowing but the usage gap remains the largest in the world”, GSMA, accessed November 2, 2023, https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/blog/the-state-of-mobile-internet-connectivity-in-south-asia/

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