We Help Make the Bible Accessible to Everyone
and Encourage Interaction with it
Although Bible Society has been around since 1846, we became a group when Manna Christian Stores became part of the mission in 2017. This divine appointment saw two mission-hearted organisations, both rich in history join forces, interweaving their mission, passion, and purpose to become one. Together, we build on the work of those who have gone before us, spreading the gospel, aiming to place a Bible in every empty hand to reach and fill empty hearts everywhere. We are driven by one conviction: we believe that when people get to know Jesus Christ through God’s Word, lives change for good, and that is why our mission is to make the Bible accessible to everyone and to encourage interaction with it.
Our mission field is vast. From busy city streets, to war-torn, poverty-stricken overseas villages to our very own backyard of New Zealand, we earnestly work to spread the gospel and to make the Bible available so that all people may encounter God and His Word.
When you partner with us, you partner with more than just our stores or BSNZ but with over 150 Bible Societies around the world, working together to solve Bible Poverty. We also work together to better Bible Literacy by helping to make it more relatable through translating Bibles into people’s heart language and distributing it, by creating digital formats and resources, advocating for it in society, and by encouraging daily Bible Engagement for people to get to know Christ, to thrive, to heal, to grow and learn – to be equipped for His purpose so that they too may fulfil their calling to share the good news with everyone.
BIBLE POVERTY
Availability, affordability and accessibility of Scripture in the language of the reader.
BIBLE ENGAGEMENT
How people read, interact, meditate, apply and respond to Scripture.
BIBLE LITERACY
How people understand and interpret Scripture.
In some parts of the world, the Bible is difficult to access or is simply unavailable. In New Zealand, the Bible is readily available but many people are unaware of its value.
We work in New Zealand and in partnership with over 150 Bible Societies around the world to address this. We take the Bible and find ways to translate and distribute it, create digital formats, advocate for its place in society, and help people relate to and make sense of it in their everyday lives.
All our efforts are driven by one conviction: we believe that when people engage with the Bible, lives can change–for good.
At Bible Society, our mission is to help make the Bible accessible to everyone and encourage interaction with it. To discover how our supporters enable that to happen and the wider impact their support is having on lives in New Zealand around the world, read the latest editions of our quarterly The Word at Work publication below.
1.5 Billion people do not have access to the Bible in their own language – and for others, it is a sad reality that the Word of God is simply out of reach for them, either due to costs or simply because it is just not available. YOU can make a difference…
1.5 Billion people do not have access to the Bible in their own language – and for others, it is a sad reality that the Word of God is simply out of reach for them, either due to costs or simply because it is just not available. YOU can make a difference…
How people read, interact, meditate, apply and respond to Scripture.
How people understand and interpret Scripture.
Availability, affordability and accessibility of Scripture in the language of the reader.
A new translation is a completely fresh translation into a language that already has Scripture. This is not based on an existing translation, but is a completely new translation, using source texts.
A revised translation updates a translation that already exists so the language is understandable to the community today.
A first translation is the first time that Scripture is made available in a language. For instance, a first Bible is the first time that language has received the full Bible. A first portion is sometimes the first time a language receives any Scripture at all, but it could also be the first time that it receives an additional portion of Scripture. For example, a language may already have the New Testament, but it then receives the Book of Ruth for the first time.
