CAROL STREAM, Ill. (May 3, 2017) – Tyndale House Publishers announces Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience, ™ a bold new campaign to help communities of believers truly know and understand the Bible.
Participants will use Immerse: The Reading Bible,™ a new six-volume reading Bible developed by the Institute for Bible Reading and Tyndale. This innovative new Bible features today’s most readable Bible translation, the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Each of the six volumes provides the base for an eight- week reading experience. With one eight-week reading experience in the fall and another in the spring, participants will establish an ongoing three-year rhythm of Bible engagement.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience™ is the first initiative from the alliance announced in February between the Institute for Bible Reading (IFBR) and Tyndale House Publishers. On September 17, more than 2,000 congregations across America will begin reading through Immerse: Messiah over the eight-week period leading up to Advent. Tyndale will announce nationwide start dates each spring and fall, giving churches the opportunity to join other churches across the country, and eventually around the world, reading the Bible.
The Bible in America Study1 reports that 62% of the people in the communities surrounding our churches would like to read the Bible more. Another study reports 87%2 of the people in our churches want help understanding the Bible better. Yet Bible reading is waning. A decade of research has identified key barriers to Bible reading and engagement. This research has informed the development of Immerse: The Reading Bible and the tools and resources that make up the unique Immerse reading experience.
Recent studies demonstrate that in one generation the number of occasional Bible readers has fallen by 20 percent—the equivalent of 700 people per day. If this trend continues, by 2040 two-thirds of Americans will have no meaningful connection with the Bible. “The statistics show that Bible reading in America is in sharp decline,” says IFBR Director Paul Caminiti. “It’s clear that people are hungry for a fresh experience with the Scriptures, and we’re confident that Immerse will be the spark churches need to get their people interested and engaged in the Bible again.”
Tyndale and IFBR are collaborating with churches to reverse this trend. Immerse: The Reading Bible features the text of the Bible laid out in a single-column format with chapter numbers, verse numbers, footnotes, and section headings removed. The design highlights the natural literary structures of each book and uses clear, easy-to-read type allowing the reader to enjoy the words of Scripture in a refreshing new way.
“It’s really both a discipleship and an evangelistic tool. Instead of a Bible study, Immerse will have more of the feel of a community book club celebrating the power of community to provide encouragement and increase enjoyment, motivating readers to complete the journey,” said Jim Steere, Tyndale Director of Partnerships.
To learn more about Immerse, visit ImmerseBible.com or call Sergey Kulik at 1-855-277-9400.
Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is one of the largest privately held Christian publishers of books, Bibles, and digital media in the world. Tyndale has published many innovative category-leading products such as Life Application Study Bible, The One Year Bible, The Book, The Life Recovery Bible, Hands on Bible, and Inspire Bible. Tyndale publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of readers. www.tyndale.com
The Institute for Bible Reading is an activist think tank uncommonly focused on providing people tools and frameworks that fundamentally change the way they read the Bible so it can achieve its mission and become that story that defines their lives. www.instituteforbiblereading.org
1 “The Bible in America: The Changing Landscape of Bible Perceptions and Engagement”, Barna Group, Copyright© 2016
2 “Follow Me (Reveal)”, Greg L. Hawkins, Cally Parkinson, Copyright© 2008
