According to a December 2024 article in The Wall Street Journal, 2024 was a banner year for Bible sales with a 22% increase over the previous year. Also on the rise was the number of Bible app downloads. YouVersion’s family of free apps had a record 132 million installations on new devices in 2024, putting it on track to surpass 1 billion cumulative installs in 2025. In fact, the first Sunday in 2025 brought a record number of downloads for the main YouVersion Bible App. Almost 800,000 people installed it on January 5, breaking a record from the first Sunday of 2024.
Yet several studies show that people were spending less time interacting with and reading God’s Word on a regular basis last year. This begs the question: If physical Bibles are flying off the shelves and Bible apps are being downloaded in record numbers, then why aren’t people engaging with their Bibles more? And what can church leaders do about it?
The Bible Boom
One possible reason for the rise in Bible sales is this variety and the wide selection available. If a person were to do a quick search for Bibles on Amazon, or Bible apps in the App Store, or Bible podcasts on Spotify, they will likely find multiple options of interest.
The Bible is being repackaged in different ways to reach different audiences. Large mainstays like B&H Publishing, Crossway, Thomas Nelson, Tyndale and Zondervan are still leading the way, but they have been joined in recent years by a number of smaller publishers that have entered the market with new editions in a wide array of translations and styles.
Consider Humble Lamb, a small, family-run company in Kentucky that was founded in 2017 when they launched their first Bible on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. Humble Lamb exclusively publishes goatskin-bound Bibles with high-quality paper that feature distinctive typefaces, artwork and color combinations. Each Bible costs about $200, but according to company founder Daniel Arroyo, the company has seen an increase in sales every single year that they have been in business.
Premium Bibles have certainly helped drive up the overall number of sales, including those printed by boutique publishers such as Schuyler Bible Publishers. This company’s offerings are printed in The Netherlands with paper milled in France and covers made in Germany.
This trend toward high-quality Bibles has led several major U.S. publishers to develop their own lines of heirloom-quality Bibles. B&H, whose Holman Bibles imprint serves as the primary publisher of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), launched the Holman Handcrafted Collection in 2021.
Holman also offers premium CSB Bibles in traditional formats, but their bestselling Bible is a collaboration with She Reads Truth, which has sold more than 1 million copies since it was first published in 2017. Last year, Holman released such distinctive editions as the CSB Oswald Chambers Bible (which pairs the CSB with the full text of My Utmost for His Highest as well as other writing from Chambers), and the CSB Grace Bible in versions for adults and children, which features an innovative typeface designed to enhance readability for people with dyslexia.
Another unique offering is coming in August 2025 from Zondervan. The NIV Clear Focus Bible with Bionic Reading® enables readers to read more and with greater comprehension. Developed by Swiss scientists, Bionic Reading bolds the portion of each word most critical for comprehension and guides the eye from word to word over the text.
The Bibles mentioned above represent but a fraction of what is currently available for readers. There are journaling Bibles, devotional Bibles, chronological Bibles, preaching Bibles, large print Bibles, compact Bibles, not to mention Scripture portions and the many Spanish language Bibles available. They are available in various sizes with different types of covers, some with two columns, others with one. The list goes on and on, and new editions hit the shelves every month. There’s literally never been a better time to recommend a new physical Bible to churchgoers.
“A recent study by Lifeway Research revealed that 57% of Protestant churchgoers find it challenging to understand the Bible when they read it on their own.”
Some people attribute the upsurge in physical Bible sales to a growing digital fatigue from all the time we spend on our devices. However, last year also saw an increase in digital Bible resources. And people aren’t just reading the Bible; they’re listening to it as well. Studies show that podcast and audiobook listenership has seen steady growth in recent years, and there are no signs that it will slow down.
“It’s a really exciting time for audio content,” says Jonathan Bailey, co-founder of Dwell, an audio Bible app that launched in 2018 with the goal of helping people discover the power of listening to the Bible.
Dwell’s elegantly designed user interface includes curated playlists, daily devotions, prayer guides, Bible-in-a-year listening plans, and more. The company saw a 150% year-over-year increase in installs of its app in 2024.
Searching for Answers
So what is driving this explosion of interest in the Bible? One explanation that repeatedly pops up in Bible engagement research is that people tend to reach for Scripture when something big is happening in their lives. The American Bible Society (ABS) conducts annual research to better understand “how Americans use the incredible wealth of Scripture available to them to shape and guide their lives.” One of their conclusions is that people are “more open to God’s Word when facing disruptions, whether positive or negative.” This includes important milestones like graduating from high school or college, getting married, having a child, starting a new career or retiring. It also includes difficult moments where anxiety, grief, anger and stress are elevated.
Last year was filled with anxiety-inducing headlines and a divisive election. According to YouVersion, the most highlighted, bookmarked and shared verse on the Bible app in 2024 was Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
“In many cases,” said YouVersion CEO Bobby Gruenewald when the verse was announced in December, “our anxiety comes from holding onto worries that we aren’t meant to carry. To me, this verse being sought out the most [in 2024] is an illustration that our community is seeking God in prayer and choosing to trust him to carry their burdens.”
Recent disasters, such as the catastrophic flooding in Tennessee and North Carolina, and the destructive wildfires in Southern California, have caused people to turn to God’s Word to process their grief and to find answers for why these bad things happened.
The Decline of Bible Engagement
Considering all these factors driving Bible sales and downloads, it would make sense if we saw noticeably higher levels of individual Bible engagement. But the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2024 report indicates that people are interacting with the Bible less than in previous years.
According to their findings, the number of Americans who are “Scripture Engaged” remains at 18% (47 million people); however, those who are “Bible Disengaged” has risen to 57% (151 million people). This research also shows Gen X is more likely to be Scripture Engaged, but millennials are more likely to be Bible Disengaged. Other research supports these findings. Pew Research found that among Christians who read the Bible, 33% say they seldom or never read it.
The term “biblical literacy” has become a focus in recent years as pastors and Christian educators have noticed a deterioration in people’s ability to understand what the Bible means and how it can and should impact their lives. A recent study by Lifeway Research revealed that 57% of Protestant churchgoers find it challenging to understand the Bible when they read it on their own. No longer can ministry leaders assume the younger generations will know the story of Jonah and the whale, or of Moses parting the Red Sea, or even of Jesus’ resurrection.
“The American Bible Society reports that more than half of American adults (53%) say they wish they read the Bible more.”
Not only are people interacting with the Bible less, but ABS reports people’s responses to a series of questions about beliefs and spiritual practices (something they call the “Spiritual Vitality Gauge”) show that overall spiritual growth is also on the decline. This makes sense, of course: If people are reading God’s Word less, then their spiritual growth will be stunted.
It is through the Bible that we learn about God, his will and his promises. As the author of Hebrews writes, “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Growing Together
To help encourage people to interact with Scripture more, publishers are creating new and unique Bible editions filled with study notes, maps, pictures, illustrations and devotional content designed to help readers better comprehend what they’re reading and look for ways to put it into practice in their lives.
For example, Tyndale House Publishing offers the vast majority of their New Living Translation (NLT) Bibles in “Filament-enabled editions.” Readers can scan a page in these physical NLT Bibles with the Filament app on their phone or tablet, and it offers additional study notes, infographics, devotions, articles, videos and more.
These types of tools are invaluable for bringing the Bible to life, but personal study outside of a supportive church community can only take people so far. Like the Ethiopian eunuch, many modern Bible readers are answering the question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” with the response, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:30–31). The waning of biblical literacy presents a chance for the local church to step in with resources and classes for spiritual formation. People have access to great Bibles, apps and podcasts, but they need help learning how to develop healthy rhythms of spending time reading the Bible and applying it to their lives. This creates a unique discipleship opportunity for the church.
In 2021, pastor and author John Mark Comer stepped away from his role as founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, to start an organization called Practicing the Way, which creates free spiritual formation resources for churches. It recently launched a new emphasis on Scripture, partnering with Zondervan to release the NIV Lectio Bible to go along with it.
“After 20 years as a pastor,” said Comer when Practicing the Way launched, “my heart is wrecked by the needs of local churches and pastors. As I’ve traveled the world, I’ve seen the deep need for formation resources. Most churches don’t have the time or resources to create them, but they need experiences that work. Amid rising secularism, we need robust disciples of Jesus.”
Comer is onto something, and church leaders need to pay attention: People need to be discipled. This requires more than the tried-and-true methods of the past. We must get creative. Like the pastors who invite their churches to read through the entire Bible together as a community by following a reading plan. Or those who offer classroom-style lecture series where they teach people how to better understand the historical and literary contexts of the Bible, and how the narratives and themes in Scripture are woven together.
“Most U.S. Protestant pastors say they provide a printed Bible reading plan (59%) and send reminders on social media (56%).”
Encouraging parishioners to read their Bible is something pastors take seriously. According to a Lifeway Research study, the most likely ways a pastor will work to spark individual Bible reading among their churchgoers is by providing free Bibles to those who need one (93%) and reminding them during sermons (92%). Three in 4 pastors (73%) say they have Bible readings during worship services in addition to the passages used in the sermon.
The local church has also come up with other ways to encourage Bible engagement. Most U.S. Protestant pastors say they provide a printed Bible-reading plan (59%) and send reminders on social media (56%). Half (49%) use email to remind their congregation to engage with Scripture during the week. Around 2 in 5 pastors (37%) say they provide a digital or online Bible-reading plan.
Another way churches can promote Bible engagement, especially to their teens and young adults, is to provide links to online resources or apps that offer Scripture on audio. Like it or not, the rising generations aren’t likely to sit down and read a physical Bible. According to one Reddit user, he enjoys listening to Scripture because it keeps his eyes and hands free for gaming.
This trend is reflective of the fact that the U.S. and Canada increasingly have post-literate societies. In an article titled “Orality and the Post-Literate West,” Orville Boyd Jenkins writes, “In the post-literate world, learners have a base of literacy, but their primary means of learning have shifted back to oral and aural media (if in fact they were ever fully indoctrinated into literate forms of learning), but the media are new.”
Hope for the Future
Not everything is doom and gloom. The American Bible Society reports that more than half of American adults (53%) say they do wish they read the Bible more. Even among those who don’t qualify as Bible Users—people who don’t interact with the Bible even three times a year—more than a third wish they did.
In addition, young adults are reporting positive interactions with Scripture.
“Our youngest adults show signs of interest in the Bible, curiosity about it and transformative interaction with it,” said ABS Chief Program Officer John Farquhar Plake of the findings in The State of the Bible 2024. “[In 2023], 50% of Gen Z adults (ages 18–27) agreed that the message of the Bible has transformed their lives. [In 2024], that number rose to 54%. If this trend continues, we have good reason for hope.”
ABS President and CEO Jennifer Holloran agrees: “We should see this moment of declining Scripture engagement as the time to grow in our ability to work together as the body of Christ.
“It’s not just the health of the church that depends on it,” she adds. “It’s millions of individual lives that will otherwise miss out on the transforming power of Christ.”