One Million Bibles Initiative

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

Fully Funded

The Gift of Reading God's Word

Over two years, the One Million Bibles Initiative supported the printing and distribution of more than one million Bibles. By God’s grace, men, women, and children in more than 80 countries have been gifted with a personal copy of God’s Word. For many, this is their first opportunity to read the Bible for themselves. These Bibles have increased the knowledge of and faithfulness to the Word of God in churches like Pastor Dilip Chetty’s in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Bibles we’ve received are so important because a lot of Christians are able to speak about Christianity without quoting from Scripture and without understanding the Bible. It’s important for them to have a Bible so that when they speak about God, they can speak from the Bible. The Bible is the all-sufficient and authoritative Word of God. If you’re going to be speaking about Christ or the church, then the basis of your discussion should come from the Bible.

We celebrate the many Bibles that have been distributed and praise God that even now lives are being changed through the generosity of many donors to this initiative.

An Opportunity to Continue to Respond to the Need

At Crossway we believe that the Bible is not only the most valuable resource anyone could have, but is absolutely essential to godly living and flourishing Christian communities. This is why we committed to distributing Bibles around the world where the need is greatest. Throughout the initiative, we partnered with ministries in many countries around Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America to reach places where it’s especially hard to access or afford God’s Word.

Though the initiative is complete, we recognize that a need remains. In the coming months you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about what is coming next as we continue to determine how to honor the Lord through international Bible distribution. As we receive stories of impact from the field, we’ll share those with you under the “Updates” tab of this page and will add shorter testimonies below. Thank you for caring for the spiritual needs of brothers and sisters in Christ around the world! We are grateful for the provision of the Lord through the generous giving of donors, and for the partnership that we all have together in the work he is doing to build up the global church.

I’ve known people who have come to know Christ just by reading the Word of God. I’ve known people who have received a Bible and have had no other understanding of the gospel. Nobody has preached the gospel to them. They’ve just read the Bible and come to know Christ. —Ministry Partner, India

For the people in my church to receive a Bible who don’t have one is a really big blessing. They will be joyful to have a Bible because they all really long to have a copy of their own. Just recently I was teaching them the significance of the Word of God for all of life, and they have come to see how valuable it is. The Bible is filled with instructions that come from the Lord—it’s a manual that they need to have access to each day. —Michael Rayla, Philippines

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. —Victor Alabi, Nigeria

It was really a challenge to see so many people who wished to carry a Bible home but they weren’t able to because the number that I had brought with me didn’t match the number of people in need. There is a desire to own a Bible, but not many of them can afford it, unfortunately. . . . But I thank God for the opportunity to give away these Bibles because I know how precious the Word is. And I hurt on my inside when I learn of someone who is really wishing and longing to have a Bible, but they aren’t able to own one. When they have one and they go to church and the reverend is preaching a portion of Scripture, you know when they go back home that they can dig deeper on their own. —Derrick, Uganda

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Updates

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The Essential Tool That Many Pastors Don’t Have

February 26, 2025

Across the Global South, some pastors rely on untrustworthy sources to build their sermons because they cannot afford the cost of Bibles and the resources necessary to preach the Word of God faithfully. These unequipped pastors inevitably water down the Word, which leads to false teaching. They need a resource to guide them to a sound understanding of the Scriptures for themselves and their congregations.

The Gift of Bibles Means “Everyone Is Literally on the Same Page”

November 27, 2024

When one of Crossway’s ministry partners received a shipment of 10,000 Bibles to Kenya from the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South, the village of Nyali was on the list. Though they could think of many churches who would benefit from having new Bibles, this ministry partner needed to prioritize the ones who didn’t have any.

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/