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Oklahoma-based church launches Christmas social media effort behind popular Bible appDec 24, 2010 (The Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Leaders of a local megachurch want to see the power of social media connect with the power of the Gospel on Christmas Day. LifeChurch.tv's Global Share the Bible Day is an initiative that ties in with the church's YouVersion mobile Bible application. The Rev. Bobby Gruenewald, pastor-innovation leader of the Edmond-based church, said at least 100,000 people across the globe are expected to share the Bible in some way as part of the Dec. 25 effort. He said more than 4,000 people on Facebook have indicated they will participate in the Bible-goes-viral project. "We're encouraging everyone to take time on Christmas Day to tweet a Bible verse, share the Christmas story by posting it on Facebook or tell people about the free Bible app," Gruenewald said. "We basically want to see emphasis and focus on God's story in all their social spaces online and offline." Gruenewald said the church recently celebrated several milestones regarding the free YouVersion Bible app: The Bible app has been downloaded on more than 11 million mobile devices. The Bible app made the iTunes 2010 list of Top 10 apps. It is also on Apple's list of Top 10 reference apps. Users have spent more than 4 billion minutes reading the Bible with YouVersion. More than 1 million users have subscribed to the YouVersion Bible reading plans. Someone new downloads the Bible app every 2.7 seconds. Gruenewald said the latter statistic is now closer to a new download every 1.14 seconds, perhaps due to LifeChurch.tv's Dec. 1 launch of a Rediscovering Christmas Bible reading plan. He said LifeChurch.tv's leaders, including senior pastor Craig Groeschel, did not realize how popular the Bible app would become. Gruenewald said they are thrilled with its growing demand because it is fulfilling the church's mission to share the Gospel. "Part of the focus of the Bible app is to make it easy for people to read and share the Bible," he said. "We really see it as a real revolution in Bible engagement." Gruenewald said the YouVersion Bible app is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as for Android, BlackBerry, WinPhone 7 and most other smart phones. He said a YouVersion Bible app for the iPad became available the day the iPad was launched. He said part of the attraction is the ease with which people can connect with the Bible on their mobile devices. Gruenewald said not everyone carries the Bible in book format, but most people have some sort of mobile device. "We're just excited that the Bible is at the center of conversations," he said. The Christmas emphasis is another way for social media connections to further the Gospel. "We were looking for the right day to bring emphasis to the Bible," Gruenewald said. "We picked Christmas Day because many people are thinking about Christ on Christmas -- and that's what this is all about." To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |