Research

Research projects of the Digital Bible Society

No believer should ever be without a Bible, and even more critically, no church should be Bible-less. To address this, we must first identify where the need exists, who is working to meet it, and what Bible resources are available to alleviate it. The core mission of the Digital Bible Society is the continuous research, discovery, and cataloging of Bible resources in the world’s languages. Our goal is to simplify access to Bible content and empower mission workers for effective Bible distribution.

Find-A-Bible

Find-A-Bible is a directory of Bible resources and related data in the world’s languages, maintained by the Digital Bible Society in partnership with the Forum of Bible Agencies. As a volunteer-driven project, Find-A-Bible was created to ensure that Bibles and valuable biblical resources are easy to find, use, and share in every language.

Find-A-Bible (FAB) is a web directory that provides links to Bibles and biblical Resources in over 6000 languages. While it is possible to search for Scripture and Bible resources online, the sheer quantity of available content is overwhelming, and precious few Bibles are readily discoverable on search engines. Consequently, the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) launched Find-A-Bible in 2006, and in 2013, they commissioned the Digital Bible Society to update and maintain Find-A-Bible as a single location on the internet where people looking for Bibles and biblical resources can identify and obtain them.

Historic Bibles: The Bible Archive

The Bible Archive is a library of historic and modern Bible scans in multiple languages and from various sources. Universities, libraries, tech giants, and archivists have been digitizing entire Bibles into PDF format for preservation and accessibility. Since 2010, the Digital Bible Society has been gathering and, in some cases, enhancing these scans to improve discoverability, readability, and ease of study.

We offer access to Bible content through downloadable PDFs and an interactive online flipbook platform, striving to make the rich heritage of biblical manuscripts readily accessible to disciples, researchers, Bible translators, and historians alike. Special emphasis is placed on handwritten manuscripts, ancient codices, and content-rich, centuries-old study Bibles.

Many of these ancient Bibles have been meticulously scanned by many groups around the world, and many are requiring extensive cleaning and correction to preserve their integrity. This effort is monumental in both scope and detail. We welcome your involvement in enhancing this vast library. If you notice any inaccuracies in our ever-expanding metadata and descriptions, or if you have ancient Bible scans or suggestions to share, please contact us. Your contributions are invaluable in advancing this significant endeavor.

Bible Access List

The Bible Access List project began in 2018 as a joint initiative of OpenDoors International and the Digital Bible Society to identify nations where Bible access is most challenged and where Bible shortages are most severe.

The Bible Access List project is a crucial initiative for the global Christian church and anyone committed to ensuring access to Scripture for all peoples. By identifying the top 50 countries where Bible access is most restricted and where shortages are greatest, the BAL helps churches, ministries, and organizations focus their efforts on the areas of greatest need, or in some cases, greatest challanges.

The Bible Access List provides an annual, data-driven overview of countries where Christians face severe barriers to obtaining Bibles, often due to political, economic, or logistical challenges. This information is invaluable for directing resources and efforts toward the regions where Scripture scarcity is most acute. By compiling data on factors such as church growth, literacy rates, infrastructure, and restrictions on Bible distribution, the project helps identify the most pressing needs and opportunities for action.

Additionally, the List promotes collaboration among global Christian organizations, ensuring that resources are used effectively. By bringing together expertise from partners committed to access and engagement of the Scriptures, the project fosters a coordinated effort to address Bible access issues worldwide. In this way, the Bible Access List supports the biblical mission of spreading God’s Word to all nations and enables the Church to be a powerful force for global transformation.

The Bible Access List is envisioned to be an annual publication of a list of countries where access to Scripture is most restricted and where the shortage of Bibles is greatest. The project is organized by the Digital Bible Society (DBS) with support from Open Doors International (ODI), particularly its World Watch research team. Since this idea was first launched in 2019, and a pilot project was completed in 2020-2021, the project has gathered multiple data points from a variety of trusted sources, including but not limited to:

• Church growth and movements.
• Poverty, literacy rates, infrastructure and demographics.
• Access to Scriptures (stores, churches, and online).
• Import, printing, ownership and distribution restrictions.
• Impact of national/international conflict and disasters.

Additionally, over 700 interviews with country and mission experts have been conducted to date with additional interviews ongoing. Building on the expertise and data from the ODI World Watch List team, the information will be refined, and the first full publication is scheduled for release in late 2025. Country profiles have also been developed and will be updated annually.

The Bible Access List will be published through a variety of ways that include member websites, the forum of Bible Agencies Find-A-Bible, the World Watch List analytical site, and published in print.

How You Can Help

If you are looking to assist in this great task of making God’s Word accessible to the world, we invite you to join us in the following ways:

• Sharing information about Bibles and Bible-based content that is not in our directory. Join our volunteer team by contacting us!
• Suggesting improvements to the Find-A-Bible site.
• Praying for the mission of FOBAI, Find-A-Bible, and the Digital Bible Society.
• Funding the ongoing work of Find-A-Bible. We would be so grateful.