Online Bible Community Is Taking Off

Quiet time with God can be hard to create in our daily lives, especially with busy work schedules and children in the mix.

Now a community of women online is striving to create time and space to regularly read the Bible. The “She Reads Truth” project started with a Twitter conversation between absolute strangers.

Created in 2012, the She Reads Truth community has grown to over half a million people around the world on social media. Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams were part of the original core group.

“Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams didn’t set out to create a ministry that reaches half a million women online,” The Tennessean reported. “They were just trying to figure out how to read their Bibles more consistently.”

The movement started with a Bible-reading accountability group and accompanying #SheReadsTruth hashtag.

That way, others could know and participate in whatever the women were reading each day.

Related: Americans and the Bible: A Sobering Look at the Numbers

“Their discussion about how to spend more time reading Scripture drew the attention of other women feeling the same way,” The Tennessean added.

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The group operates from Franklin, Tennessee, and even has a She Reads Truth-brand Bible.

“When we come to the Bible prayerfully, we do so with a posture toward God’s word as truth,” said Myers, the chief executive officer.

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The group’s Instagram page is layered with inspirational passages and quotes, including this one from Isaiah 66:12: “I will make peace flow to her like a river.”

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She Reads Truth also has a smartphone app, website, books, and materials to go along with reading plans. Much of the material and community support can be found online for free — yet the group sells and markets its own line of Bible-study materials, resources and items, such as coffee mugs.

“We will seek to live out the truth of God’s word individually and in community, freely sharing the good news of the gospel in our words and deeds,” the She Reads Truth website says.

The beautiful lettering and designs have captivated and motivated many to join in.

“Back when their site began in 2012, Myers noticed Bible resources didn’t have the aesthetic that would appeal to younger Christian women,” a piece in Christianity Today noted. “Now the site, app, and store include graphics of verses scripted out over striking photos, custom artwork in glossy-paged paperbacks, and even an EP of hymns sung by female artists.”

This summer, the online community members are going through a six-week reading plan (June 5 through July 18) of the book of Romans. (A She Reads Truth Romans-study Bible is available on their website for $32.)

“The most comprehensive presentation of the gospel in Scripture, Romans expresses the origin of sin and guilt, the impossibility of saving ourselves, and our ultimate rescue in Christ,” She Reads Truth noted in an Instagram post. “When Paul wrote this magnificent letter, Rome was the cultural center of the world, boasting advancements like sturdy roads and a common language. Roman citizens were able to travel and communicate like never before.”

Related: Museum of the Bible: Here’s a Preview of a Soon-to-Open Landmark

Millennials have taken to the social media-driven community concept. The largest She Reads Truth audience is women 18-35, even while women of other ages have also participated. The group has also branched out to men with “He Reads Truth” resources.

In October 2016, Myers and Bible Williams released a book called “She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a World That’s Passing Away.”

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