At noon. On a Tuesday.
The reason? Well, a mobile app hit a milestone.
Okay, you may think, ‘well that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to create a global Christian event!’
But actually, it is.
The milestone for this app is so significant, that it attracted some of the biggest names in Christianity today. If you’re a Christian nerd like me, your biggest heroes aren’t superstars like Chris Hemsworth or Selena Gomez. They are Pastors like Craig Groeschel or Christine Caine, or Christian artists like Brooke Ligertwood or Chris Tomlin.
Not only did they all feature in this event, but they were also joined by Matt Redman, Lauren Daigle, CeCe Winnans, Loiue Giglio, Kari Jobe, Phil Wickham, KB (rapper), Dallas Jenkins (Chosen), Tara-Leigh Cobble (Bible Recap), with special messages from Manny Pacquiao, Bear Grylls, Tim Tebow, & more.
Wow, what a line up! And they were impressive, as you can expect.
The crowd was huge. The crowd was global. And the crowd was loud!
With all those amazing artists and communicators, you can understand why! However, the biggest cheer and standing ovation went to Bobby Gruenewald.
You’re totally forgiven if you’re unfamiliar with him or his work. Although, you should know that this global event only happened because of an idea of his back in 2007. As he waited to board an aeroplane out of Chicago airport, he asked himself if technology could help him read his Bible better. He took this idea and through support of Life Church, he created the YouVersion Bible App. A completely free app that is the Bible in over 2,000 versions & translations, all in the palm of the hands of individuals in every country on earth. Yes, that’s correct! The Gospel has gone out to every nation on earth, through this app and it’s not just the Bible too. This app has reading plans, audio Bible, daily devotions, devotional videos, kids Bible, commentaries, and more.
Just this week in November 2025, it hit one billion downloads.
That is a serious milestone. 1 billion Bibles, downloaded on digital devices around the world. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘Indeed, the word of God is living and active…’, and that is exactly what was celebrated at this ‘Beyond a Billion’ event. Stories were shared of how people’s lives have been changed, simply by downloading the YouVersion Bible App.
This is why Bobby Gruenewald was given a standing ovation. The impact has been huge for so many people, initiated through the living and active word of God which is so easily accessible. Gruenewald was humble in the praise and through tears he was quick to share the credit, explaining it’s been a group project, empowered by God.
Pastor & global leadership expert Craig Groeschel was also celebrated for his major contribution to this global success. He shared powerfully of the life-changing moment a man from the Gideons handed him a free New Testament while he was walking out of a college class 30 years ago. Pastor Groeschel shared how by simply reading the Bible, he came to encounter a real and loving God, who gave him a hope and future and took away his sin, guilt, and shame, ultimately transforming his life. He went on to plant ‘Life Church’, originally meeting in a garage, that has now grown into the biggest church in North America. 70,000+ people attend in-person across 46 campuses, with another 300,000+ tuning in live online. Pastor Groeschel, through Life Church, funded and supported Gruenewald’s vision for a Bible App and they continue to be the major support behind it. This event was a continuation of that support.
‘Beyond a Billion’ was a celebration of an ongoing partnership with a clear vision, ‘God’s word in the hands of everyone, everywhere, every day’.
The event was simply breathtaking, and the good news is you can re-watch it! Australian online pastor ‘Aussie Dave’ (Dave Adamson – Director of YouVersion, Australia) hosted the live stream and I can 100% recommend watching all 3-hours of the spectacular event.
Go to www.bible.com/billion, gather your friends and/or family, make some popcorn, and prepare to praise God for the global impact of the life changing Gospel in the hands of over 1 billion people.
Mark Watson, Youth & Young Adults Pastor, Quakers Hill Uniting Church
