IBS President to Retire After Six-Year Leadership
The IBS board of directors has formed a search committee to find a new president after announcing the retirement of its current president, Peter Bradley.
The nearly 200-year-old International Bible Society announced on Monday the retirement of its president, Peter Bradley. Last month, after six years of leadership, Bradley told IBS ministry directors that he planned to retire, but will remain in his post until a successor is named.
"Peter has provided extraordinary leadership for our organization," said Mike Richards, chairman of the IBS Board, in the IBS announcement. "Under his guidance, millions of people who might have otherwise never been exposed to God's Word have received copies of the Bible and experienced its life-changing power."
According to IBS, more than 500 million people have been exposed to Scripture under Bradley's leadership. And the worldwide Bible ministry organization envisions reaching two billion people with the Bible by 2008 through creative Scripture ministry, including print, online, and radio broadcasts.
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Last year, IBS reached a total of 41 translations offered online, providing Scripture to people from virtually every corner of the world. The ministry's web-based outreach was launched in 1995 and largely emphasized during Bradley's tenure.
The ministry is now striving towards translating the Bible into more than 50 languages worldwide in the next five years to make contemporary translations accessible to all.
Outreach efforts through Scripture distribution have also been a large part of the ministry under Bradley. The world saw an unprecedented slate of attacks and disasters – the 9/11 terrorist attacks, war in Iraq, tsunami disaster in South Asia and Hurricane Katrina – since Bradley took presidency in 2000. In 2005, IBS distributed 350,000 Bibles to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a tradition followed since 1812, and has sent out thousands of copies of its special crisis and disaster Scripture resources to Katrina victims.
"I can't think of any greater way I could have invested the last six years than to provide God's Word to a hurting world," said Bradley in a released statement. "I'm humbled to have served in this way, and now my wife and I look forward to seeing what God has for us in this next phase of our lives."
The IBS board of directors has formed a search committee to find a new president.
"Peter will be missed," said Richards. "Yet, we strongly believe God has a new leader for us - one who will carry on the rich heritage established nearly 200 years ago and upheld with distinction by Peter Bradley."
International Bible Society, founded in 1809, faithfully translates and reaches out with God’s Word so that people around the world may become disciples of Jesus Christ and members of His Body.
