Aaron Earls of Lifeway Research via Religion Unplugged
Digital Bible reading and cultural change
But it’s not just print Bibles that have seen a surge in interest.
According to a Lifeway Research study, Americans are more likely to describe the Bible positively now compared to 10 years ago. Most (55 per cent) say the Bible is a good source of morals, and almost half believe the Bible is true (48 per cent) and life-changing (45 per cent); all up from 2016.
At the same time, Americans have grown less likely over the past decade to see the Bible as outdated (9 per cent), bigoted (five per cent) or harmful (four per cent).
Churchgoers are also more likely to be regular Bible readers than they were in 2007. The Lifeway Research 2025 State of Discipleship study found 61 per cent of U.S. Protestant churchgoers read the Bible at least a few times a week, up from 36 per cent in 2007.
Bible reading and the local church
“This is an exciting season for local churches,” said Dwayne Milioni, pastor of Open Door Church in Raleigh, N.C. “By God’s providence, young people raised on social media and fake news are searching for truth and finding it in the ancient text of Scripture. I am seeing youth and young adults bringing Bibles to church and engaging in Bible studies like never before.”
Milioni, who also served as the general editor for the “Jesus Daily Bible,” said he has seen a direct impact in his own congregation of people regularly reading Scripture. He recently spoke to a member who finished reading the entire Bible in a year.
“He told me how challenging it was at first, but when he found a rhythm of spending daily time in God’s Word, it began to change his outlook on each day,” Milioni said. “He said that reading the whole Bible has been a life transforming experience.”
Despite the increase in Bible sales, Milioni’s church members remain a small minority. More than two in five Americans (44 per cent) say the Bible is a book to read over and over again, up 4 points from a 2016 Lifeway Research study. Yet only 22 per cent say they have actually read it all at least once, statistically unchanged over the last decade.
Opportunities for churches
McLean said the exponential increase in Bible sales with only moderate growth in actual reading indicates a growing sense of spiritual and biblical curiosity in America and an opportunity for churches to meet this need in a tangible way.
“This might involve a church refining their discipleship strategy as a whole,” he said. “On a practical level, it might be something as simple as instituting a church-wide Bible reading campaign over the course of a year.”
As a pastor, Milioni agrees that “churches need to take advantage of the present moment. As people put their phones down and pick up God’s Word, we need to provide opportunities to engage with the Bible.”
As more people are curious about Scripture, McLean believes churches can leverage this cultural season to help people move from being Bible purchasers to Bible readers and studiers. “Reading Scripture together builds unity, offers clarity around revealed truth, deepens our hunger for truth, fosters accountability and helps the church grow spiritually in a common direction.”
Wilkin, author of Bible studies like “Joshua: Every Good Promise Fulfilled,” said, “There has never been a better time for churches to evaluate how they can encourage Bible literacy by equipping readers with good learning tools, and by prioritizing spaces in which learning can be done in community.”
From 180 Bibles to more than 19 million in the U.S. alone and millions more around the world and in digital formats, Scripture is more prevalent than ever, but Gruenwald, Milioni, McLean and Wilkin would say personal and congregational engagement matters even more than sales and downloads.
Aaron Earls is a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.