International Bible Givers turns 35 years old in December of this year, and while we don’t have perfect records from the early years, we have a pretty good estimate that in 2024, IBG will have given over one million Bibles in that time frame. That’s a lot of Bibles you have helped distribute! More important, that represents a lot of changed lives. And many of those Bibles have been blessing not just individuals, but entire families. Sometimes entire villages.
Last month, I shared a fresh vision for IBG with our Board that will govern our next seasons of ministry together. It was a very big vision, so let me unpack that for you. As I have prayed on this fresh vision all year, God has directed me back to how he has responded to our prayers over the past years to connect us to ministries in places around the world where the Word of God is scarce. And during 2024, God has greatly accelerated the connections he has given to IBG.
We are connected to a wide variety of church planting ministries in West and Central Africa. These are primarily ministries to culturally Muslim people groups. In Ethiopia, we are connected to a rapidly growing church planting movement among the culturally Muslim Oromo people group. Those Muslim background believer church planters need 40,000 Bibles now. Imagine what they will need in a few years? We also have many connections in Haiti, where a failed state is interfering with Bible distribution, and yet there is much pent-up need.
We are connected with the North Korean church. While there is not a lot of opportunity to get Bibles in right now, there will be enormous need for Bibles when change comes to North Korea. Our connection in Hindu India is currently training over 200 church planters. Imagine how many Bibles they will need over the next few years. Pakistan just reopened to us last month, and God has now given us 4 church planting connections (just since June) in Pakistan. They want to reach 20 million Pakistani’s for Christ in their lifetime. And I was very recently connected to a church planter in Buddhist Thailand that is planting over 100 churches each year.
That represents 7 regions of the world where the Gospel, the Hope of Jesus Christ, is desperately needed. God has also given us a growing, impactful ministry right here in the US. We have doubled our Bible giving budget in the past years yet we still turn away domestic requests for Bibles. We need to double this ministry again the next years to meet the need of so many here in the US
So that is the context for this big, new vision. God has given us enormous reach
for this next season. The vision I shared with the board is to distribute one million Bibles to these seven regions around the world over the next seven years and double the number of Bibles we give domestically each year. Now, that’s just crazy and I have no idea how we will accomplish that. But God has put this on my heart and He is able. It will require more leaders to help develop the ministry and a huge increase in giving capacity. What won’t change is who we are. We are servants of the Most High, passionate to share the Good News with a lost world. And we will remain totally dependent on God to how we will accomplish this.
Can you imagine the impact one million Bibles will have in these 7 regions over the next seven years? I invite you to join this journey as we continue to expand our ministry right here in the US and around the world.
Give Hope! Give Life! Give Bibles!
Chuck