Steve Atkinson, CEO of BibleProject, discusses a decade of impactful content and community growth. They celebrate 312 million video views and 27.3 million podcast listens, emphasizing meaningful connections over fundraising. The conversation highlights innovative animation styles used in new series, enhancing the learning experience. Atkinson shares insights on engaging church communities with fresh resources and the importance of collective Bible study, as well as reflections on transformative personal journeys through scripture.
The podcast celebrates ten years of BibleProject, emphasizing the significant growth of their patron community and the impact of their content.
Looking ahead to 2025, the hosts are excited about fostering community engagement through themes like Exodus and promoting Bible meditation groups.
Deep dives
Reflections on the Year
The discussion reflects on the past year, emphasizing the milestones achieved, including the celebration of a 10-year anniversary since the organization's inception in 2014. The hosts reminisce about the beginnings of their projects and acknowledge the growth in their patron community, which has become a significant source of support. There is a shared sentiment of gratitude for the impact their work has had on listeners, showcasing a commitment to making quality biblical content accessible to all. The conversation articulates the evolving mission of the project as they look forward to new opportunities in the coming year.
The Power of Crowdfunding
The hosts discuss the success of their crowdfunding model, which has enabled them to flourish without traditional fundraising methods. They highlight a growing patron community of nearly 50,000 individuals who support their work as an expression of their belief in the project's impact. The emphasis is placed on creating high-quality content that resonates with people, which, in turn, fosters a sense of community and shared purpose among patrons. This unique approach allows them to focus on their mission rather than revenue generation, illustrating a refreshing alternative to for-profit business models.
Collaborative Projects and New Relationships
The podcast reveals a strategic collaboration with Streetlights, a group known for their engaging audio version of the Bible, which allows for the remixing of the project's content. This partnership aims to reach audiences that the project has not previously connected with while blending their unique styles and approaches to storytelling. It showcases the commitment to generosity within their ecosystem, where resources are shared freely to enhance the impact of biblical teachings. Such collaborations demonstrate a desire to expand their audience and inspire creativity in how biblical content is presented.
Future Plans and Community Engagement
Looking ahead, the hosts outline plans for future topics, including deep dives into the theme of Exodus, to be explored in the following year. They express a desire to encourage more community engagement and offer guidance on how individuals can create Bible meditation groups. This effort aims to facilitate communal exploration and learning, highlighting the importance of collective insights. As the project evolves, there is a clear intent to continue nurturing a community where biblical discussions can occur organically, fostering deeper connections to scripture and each other.
In our final episode of 2024, Tim, Jon, and BibleProject CEO, Steve Atkinson, reflect on ten years of the project, all the resources we got to make and share this year, and the patrons who made it possible. The guys then give a sneak peek of what’s coming up next for BibleProject in 2025.
Timestamps
Ten Year Anniversary and Our Patron Community (0:00-9:25)
Strategic Relationships (9:25-19:49)
2024 Engagement With Our Resources (19:49-30:51)
Looking Back at a Year in the Sermon on the Mount (30:51-35:41)
2025 Podcast Themes (35:41-37:43)
Reading the Bible in Community (37:43-41:54)
In Space With Astronaut Tracy Caldwell-Dyson (41:54-44:29)
Watch our 2024 end of year video, where Jon and Tim explore “purple dot moments”—experiences of God’s Kingdom here on Earth. Plus, catch a glimpse of what’s coming in 2025.
You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
Show Music
BibleProject theme song by TENTS
Show Credits
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Special thanks to our guest, Steve Atkinson.
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