With New Year’s resolutions in full swing, the first Sunday in 2025 brought a record number of downloads for the YouVersion Bible App. Almost 800,000 people installed the free Scripture app on Jan. 5, breaking a record from the first Sunday of 2024.
This increase isn’t unusual for YouVersion in January, according to app founder Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor at Life.Church in Oklahoma. But he said the numbers and trends continue to be encouraging.
“We tend to see a seasonal uptick in Bible engagement at the beginning of the year as people start new habits and are interested in reading the Bible for the first time,” Gruenewald told The Christian Post. “This year’s increase is even higher than this same time last year, and it’s a trend we’re seeing globally.”
YouVersion Bible App Gains New Users
On Jan. 5, YouVersion had more than 798,000 installs, as well as 18.2 million people who used it to engage with Scripture. The goal, of course, is to maintain—and build on—those numbers throughout the entire year.
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To help app users create what Gruenewald called “new rhythms” in their faith walk, the YouVersion team works to design features that “make Bible engagement a daily practice that is sustained throughout the year.”
The app’s Bible-reading plans are especially popular, Gruenewald said. That includes the “Plans With Friends” feature that allows for group study. People are “more likely to be consistent [in Bible-reading] when they have the support of their community,” he said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve the app and help people do what they tell us they want to do, which is read the Bible more consistently.”
YouVersion’s “Whole Bible Plan” promises to take readers (or listeners) through the entire Bible in one year, “in as little as 15 minutes per day.”
YouVersion Bible App Sees Strong International Growth
To shepherd the YouVersion Bible App’s continued growth, Gruenewald has hired execs from Silicon Valley and Fortune 500 companies. The YouVersion team is “amazed” by the opportunities to share Scripture and impact lives, he said. “Every time someone opens the Bible is an opportunity for the power of God’s Word to change their life.”
