First Low-Cost Outreach NIV Bibles for Retail Stores

By Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Correction appended

For the first time next month, NIV outreach-oriented Bibles will be made available in retail stores at the same low-cost offered to ministries and evangelism organizations.

Finding God, which features the New Testament and extensive in-text note system, is based on the best-selling New International Version (NIV) translation. The outreach-oriented Bible version will help Christians reach out to family and friends by including sections titled "The God Who Seeks You," "The God You Seek," and "True Encounters."

"Scriptures is the most important resources believers have, so this isn't just about introducing a product line – it's about equipping a movement," said IBS-STL Global Publisher Steve Johnson. "By providing Christian retailers with a high-engagement, high-impact Scripture resources, we can help them help the believer in their communities reach out and share God's Word."

Authentic Publishing, a division of IBS-STL Global, and Zondervan partnered to produce "Finding God."

Previously, IBS created low-cost NIV Bibles but only offered them to ministries and directly to consumer for evangelism and discipleship purposes. Next month will be the first time IBS-STL and Zondervan will allow customers to buy outreach Bibles at ministry price with the hope to equip them to reach more people in their community.

The publishers will release four editions in the new line that will be priced under $5 each – Finding God, Finding God for Men, Finding God for Women, and Finding God for Young Adults. "We've been blessed to share a tremendous partnership with IBS-STL for decades and are thrilled to expand our partnership with a line of Bibles that are designed to help transform lives," said Paul Caminiti, vice president of Bibles for Zondervan.

"For the cost of a greeting card, Finding God New Testaments are the perfect gift to share with family, friends, and neighbors," he continued. "We're confident that retailers will get behind this product line in a major way, as they are truly one-of-a-kind and are perfect for engaging the hearts of those who seek direction from God."

Finding God New Testaments will release in February and features the NIV translation – the most popular modern English translation of the Bible in the world. The NIV celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008 with more than 300 million copies in print worldwide.

Correction: Monday, January 21, 2008:

An article on Wednesday, January 9, 2008, about the upcoming release of an NIV Bible version tailored for outreach purposes incorrectly reported that it was the first-ever NIV Bible made specifically for evangelism. IBS-STL confirmed that there have been previous evangelism-focused NIV Bible versions, but the Scripture version to be released next month will be the first time the outreach NIV Bible version will be offered at low ministry price in retail stores.