online bible study

Keeping pace with frequent changes in church technology, Bible software companies have consolidated. While the demand for Bible software continues to grow, companies providing robust full-featured Bible study software now total five. This new list includes Logos by Faithlife, Accordance, Olive Tree, Laridian, and E-Sword.

We live in a world where traditional churches have less impact on the community, yet people need spiritual guidance more than ever. Part of the problem is the world is full of technology that distracts people from more important matters. While technology may be part of the problem, it can also be part of the solution. This is where providing meaningful Bible studies for your congregation using a church app is pivotal in today’s technology age.

The overuse of technology has the potential to decrease the amount of quality time that families spend together. In light of this, some might be skeptical of relying on the internet to lead family devotions. But when used carefully, the web provides a host of options for spiritual growth, including solid family devotionals that can be read online for free.

On a weekly basis, 15 women from countries across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia gathered together through a Zoom video conference — Bible study notes in hand — ready to discuss the book of Romans. Using video conferencing software for a Bible study may be a novelty to many and very foreign to some, and as technology evolves we face new opportunities to use tech for good.

As 2017 comes to a close, the YouVersion Bible App is closing in on a milestone: 300 million downloads. The Bible App was one of the first 200 free apps in the debut of Apple’s App Store nine years ago. Since then, it has been downloaded in every country of the world.

So you want to connect with your church online. It seems so easy, just about everyone is already there, and you’d really love to feel engaged with your congregation. There’s just one problem… creating and maintaining an online community can be very tricky, not to mention overwhelming. Here are a few rules for you to follow to create a thriving community that wants to engage with you:

There is no shortage of Bible study tools available today. Entire bookstores are full of resources just begging to be used. The challenge is, many of us struggle to be consistent in our Bible study. Without accountability and community it is easy to spend our lives focused on what is "urgent" rather than "important". Hoping we grow spiritually, rather than being intentional about it. We buy a book, bring it home, and within days it's collecting dust. While it may seem anti-intuitive, this is one area where the move to a more tech savvy church can help.

The last decade has seen both an avalanche of digital innovation and a responding flood of discussion about the ways that innovation is improving—or degrading—our lives. You've probably read or participated in plenty of discussions about whether or not ebooks are "better" than print books. As an employee of a book publishing company, I've seen publishers struggle, not always successfully, to identify which book-related behaviors can be replicated (or even improved) in a digital context.