The Purpose of Bible Society Work
The purpose of a Bible Society can be formulated as follows:
To achieve the widest possible effective distribution of the Holy Scriptures...
- in a language which can be easily understood and is faithful to the original texts
- without sectarian doctrinal note or comment
- at a price which people can afford and in a format people will appreciate
In carrying out its task, the Bible Society is a servant of all Christian churches and confessions in the country and seeks to meet the Scripture needs of all groups.
Within its own country... the Bible Society meets Scripture needs by providing the Holy Scriptures for all inhabitants of its country in the language they speak, and by preparing effective programs to distribute them at affordable prices.
Worldwide... the Bible Society is part of the worldwide fellowship of the United Bible Societies, as defined in the UBS Purpose Statement:
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The world fellowship of national Bible Societies joins together, as the United Bible Societies (UBS), for consultation, mutual support and action in their common task of
The Bible Societies
seek to carry out their task in partnership and cooperation with
all Christian churches and with church related organisations.
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Each Bible Society considers its national
needs in the context of the needs of the rest of the world, and participates
in achieving the worldwide program of the United Bible Societies.
The Bible Societies and The Holy Scriptures
The Bible Societies are committed to the distribution of the Bible, composed of the Old Testament, the deutero-canonical books for those churches which require them, and the New Testament. A Society offers a choice of products which range from whole Bibles to shorter Scripture Selections.
The Holy Scriptures distributed by the Bible Society should be:
What the Churches Want — The Bible Society maintains regular contact with all churches, denominations and confessions to make sure it continues to provide the Holy Scriptures each requires.
What the Reader Needs — In
cooperation with churches and other Christian organisations, the Bible
Society carries out investigations (“market research”) to
find out what sort of Scripture product the intended recipient seeks
and needs.
The Bible Societies and Prayer
The Bible Societies believe that informed and continuing prayer is the undergirding prerequisite for all that they do. Each Bible Society is a fellowship of Christians. The Society encourages its staff and supporters in prayer and use of the Bible.
The Bible Society promotes regular consultation at the national level with representatives of churches and other Christian organisations, encouraging cooperation in providing the Holy Scriptures to all the people in the country and in promoting their use. The relationship of the Bible Society with other organisations involved in Scripture translation, production and distribution should be one of cooperation rather than competition, because no one organisation can – or should try to – meet all Scripture needs.