About Our Ministry

Our Mission

Globally distribute a free comprehensive curriculum for becoming molded by Christ through His Scriptures


WHOPeople who are hard to reach and underserved using conventional outreach methods
WHATHelp grow Christian disciples through regular devotion to prayer and Scripture
WHENAlways available
WHEREGlobal reach (see map below)
HOWPublishing accessible educational and devotional content

What makes our ministry unique?

Everything we do is designed to reach people who are not well served conventionally. We reach the overlooked colloquial Welsh speaker whose language is too small to matter. We reach the disconnected urban professional whose Bible reading feels too controversial. We reach the frustrated believer with dyslexia whose Bible reading seems too slow. We reach the isolated house church in Oman where Christian materials in public are too dangerous. We reach the confused believer struggling to make sense of Numbers whose questions seem too dumb to ask.

How do we do this?

  1. We find the gaps.
  2. We try to bridge those gaps without the jargon that turns people off and Internet censors on.
  3. We try to bridge those gaps with just the right mix of media and technology for our intended audience.
  4. We leverage our unique assets to reach those whom other ministries do not reach.
  5. We pray that God would make it all work.

Our History

This ministry began in November 2016 when Common Devotional was initially published. Introduced during a Sunday School class on personal piety at Bellefield Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, its modest goal was to help those folks experience what days framed by morning and evening personal worship felt like.

Many of us in the contemporary church often feel insulated from Scripture and isolated from God in our daily lives. How can Old Testament laws about planting seeds relate to me today? Isn't the Bible outdated? Why does God sometimes seem so mean? What if I just don't get much out of regularly reading my Bible? Our ancestors in the faith understood that it is we believers, not Scripture or God, who need to grow and adapt to overcome that felt distance. Their prescription was to worship the Lord in the morning when you rise and in the evening, to worship before you sleep. Such a worshipful approach to our lives and relationship with Christ changes us, even today.

A modular and modernized update of the famous 1662 Book of Common Prayer, Common Devotional soon began to take on a life of its own. Word of mouth spread its use to people beyond that Sunday School class. Requests were made to expand it for use by couples sharing devotional time together and for families around the supper table. The 1647 Directory for Family Worship, an integral part of the original Westminster Standards, was the basis for these family worship guides. That the Holy Spirit was working through this historic means of grace in powerful ways soon became apparent. Over the ensuing years, The Holy Books has since become a ministry with a global reach supported by more than 150 volunteers, but it still retains that original emphasis on developing disciples in local churches through regular devotion to prayer and Scripture.

About Our Ministry Projects

About the ADHD BibleADHD-friendly Bible and Christian education content
About Bible ElementsBible study guides to aid understanding
About the Bible ObserverBible reading devotional with a focus on what you notice in each chapter
About the Common DevotionalWorship-based devotions for individuals and families
About DevocastCustom-made audio devotions
About the Dyslexia BibleDyslexia-friendly Bible and Christian education content
About the Scripture School Accessible self-guided Bible study courses for ages 10+
About the Welsh BibleColloquial Welsh language Bible and Christian education content
About You Can Read the BibleAudio and textual 15-month Bible reading plan

Testimonials

  • “I just want you to know that for the first time I heard my son read a chapter from the Bible out loud at normal speed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

    Bob O. in Illinois
  • “Thank you for the Bible work. It has been a blessing.”

    Yunfan Z. in Malaysia
  • “Common Devotional is so cool! It has the prayers and everything. Everybody should seriously give it a try.”

    Jon G. in Ontario
  • “Reading your lesson on How to Read Old Testament Law opened it up to me like nothing else. I get it now! THANK YOU!!!”

    Catherine M. in Hong Kong
  • “It is difficult to pay for a resource such as this to obtain these study materials. I thank God and you.”

    Tiago F. in Brazil
  • “I had never seen something like Devocast before where you can make a devotion just the way you want it. It's great! Thanks!”

    Sara K. in California
  • “This is a great development. It is important that people can read the Bible in the language of their hearts. May this bring the holy books to younger generations across Wales.”

    Anghared B. in Wales
  • “Thank you for BibleElements.com. I read your materials regularly.”

    Marie G. in Germany

Our Ministry Reach

Our content and apps reach a lot of people around the world, but the real reach of the Spirit into individual hearts is accomplished, as ever, quietly and beyond our capacity to measure.

We Need You

Join us in advancing the kingdom of Christ! We really do need the help of people of all ages and abilities.

How can you help?

  1. Spread the news!
    • Tell as many people you can about this work.
    • We literally have no budget for marketing or advertising.
    • To reach the world, we need you to tell your friends and family.
  2. Pray for this ministry!
    • Commit to regularly praying for this work.
    • The success of this ministry depends on God's action.
    • Pray that He would continue to work through this ministry.
  3. Serve!
    • Have we got a job for you! Help from home!
    • We rely on volunteers for everything we do.
    • We need help with everything from writing to IT to editing to translating to reviewing to recording to managing. Whew!
    • We've had volunteers as young as 10 years old!
  4. Give!
    • Donate to The Holy Books!
    • There is so much more that we could do if we only had the resources available.
    • We are an IRS registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. So your gifts are all tax-deductible.
    • Ask your church to partner with us!
  5. Use us!
    • The more our materials and services are used, the better!
    • It makes us feel like everything we pour into this ministry is appreciated.
    • If you personally know a volunteer here, let them know how much you appreciate their service. It means a lot.
    • Tell us about the discipleship gaps you know about.

Contact Us