MAY 31, 2022
THE IMPACT OF BIBLE OUTREACH: AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK SMITH, FOUNDER OF MAINSTREAM BIBLE OUTREACH SOCIETY
BY ERIC ROCHESTER - FOUNDER, PRESIDENT, AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SENDING PROJECT
Eric:
Mark, thanks for taking the time to share a bit of your story with us and also telling us about a new innovative Bible outreach initiative that is about to be launched in the KC metro area. Can you start by sharing about how you met the Lord?
Mark:
Thank you Eric! I am so grateful to be a small part of the story of The Sending Project and that Kansas City has this amazing ministry! And I am always excited to share my testimony!
In a nutshell, I met the Lord while reading the New Testament, alone in my home. I was 35 years old, and had no interest in church, religion, Christianity, or Jesus…but I had overheard someone say they had been reading the New Testament, and just “thought” I should read it for myself. I didn’t have any perspective, other than it was “The Bible.” Then I remembered that my wife had told me a couple years earlier that a lady she knew had given her a Bible (which struck me as odd at the time), and I looked around and found it. (Of course she had kept it, it is a Bible after all). I didn’t mention this to anyone, but just started reading in the New Testament, and over several weeks the Word continued to keep me engaged, as I simply read at my own pace. Finally, at a point when I was reading Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians,
“…that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…“
the Holy Spirit powerfully came over me as well. I sank to the floor in my living room and tearfully repented and asked Jesus into my heart.
God had drawn me to His presence, through His living, active Word!
Of course it was the most powerful moment of my life! Maybe the second most powerful was three or four years later, after we had gotten into a church, and we saw that lady again when she visited — and she told us that she had been praying back then for us to receive the Lord. When she said that, God confirmed in my spirit that her prayer had made a difference! My wife Jackie, who had attended church as a girl but hadn’t been following Christ, had come alongside soon after I met Him, and we have walked together in faith ever since. In fact Jackie surprised me one Sunday at church, with a prearranged renewal of our wedding vows before the Lord, on our 10th anniversary!
Eric:
Praise the Lord! That is an amazing story and testimony. The Lord is working through you and Jackie in such powerful ways to advance His Kingdom. God’s Word does not return void! You met Jesus through reading the Bible, and that led to the beginning of a Bible outreach ministry. Tell us about that.
Mark:
Well, immediately after I got up off my knees from receiving the Lord, I had the thought that
this book is too important not to share.
I thought that someone had to be sharing it, but didn’t really find any organizations doing what we do. One day I was in a Barnes and Noble, and found pocket size New Testaments. I bought a couple and soon began buying small pocket size NIV New Testaments at the bookstore, two or three at a time, initially to easily carry with me for my own reading. But I found myself giving them away when I encountered someone who seemed to need it. It was as if God was prompting me to share His Word with them. That kept happening and I kept going to the bookstore and getting more. Eventually I found that the International Bible Society (now Biblica) offered outreach New Testaments to order directly by the case.
Shortly I felt called to start an organization to support equipping others to do this, as I hadn’t found anyone other than the Gideons who gave pocket size complete New Testaments for outreach. (They are a great ministry of course, but had a more limited scope.) Our pastor encouraged us to start Mainstream Bible Outreach Society (MBOS), and we received our non-profit designation in 2004. Our main focus is on equipping individuals and outreach ministries with these low cost pocket size New Testaments which contain essential helps for people with little or no Christian background. I believe that we have given over 700,000 since then, and the activity continues to increase each year, thanks to many partnerships. And I am so grateful that my friend Jim Gillespie came alongside to help in the ministry of MBOS around 2006. God has used him to connect us with many of our ministries we support.
Eric:
More than 700,000 Bibles given out since 2004. Wow! Equipping others to sow the Word of God. Now, how about you personally; how many Bibles have you given to people over the years? And can you share one or two stories of those Bible outreach experiences?
Mark:
I don’t really keep track Eric, but I would say over 10,000. I keep them around, including a case in my car and always keep several in my car door. So almost every time I get out to go somewhere, I see them there and am reminded to grab a couple and put in my back pocket. A couple weeks ago, Jackie and I were at Home Depot, and she was off in her favorite garden section. I walked by the customer service counter where a couple ladies were. And I got that prompting…give them a Bible, but that time I kept going. We were ready to check out, but I felt a restraint and told Jackie, “we need to go back over here and give a couple people Bibles first.” And they were both so blessed. One of them said, I have been wanting a Bible but didn’t think I could afford it. Another said that she wanted to share it with her mother. This often opens the door to a conversation. Other times, it is a passing encounter, such as at a restaurant drive through. I simply hold it out to the person and ask, “would you like a Bible?”
And 95% of the time the recipients accept them, and a majority of the time they appear blessed, or contemplative, as you can see that God is already stirring in them.
In recent years, I have begun often asking the person I connect with in establishments how many people are working there, and give them that many. Sometimes it’s as many as 25 or 50 Bibles, but it is exponentially more exciting as I pray for those people and contemplate what the Lord will do. And this type of outreach has always felt like the parable of the soils, that maybe 10% of the seed will produce a crop, but it will be 100 fold. And the seed is the Word of God. We can sow the Word and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest, and I still feel the blessing of His presence most times when I hold out God’s Word. It blesses the giver as much as the receiver! And it really helps that our outreach New Testaments are designed with messaging to support people with no Christian background.
Eric:
That is so amazing and inspiring! Around The Sending Project we often talk about saturating the KC metro area with the Word of God. Imagine if every Christ follower in our city was handing out even a few Bibles each month. I believe the Kingdom impact would be profound.
The Lord has catalyzed so many great Bible ministry efforts through you. Can you tell us about the new one that is about to launch in the KC metro area?
Mark:
We are partnering with an amazing ministry called Faith Comes By Hearing. This ministry got its start by producing audio scripture for Native Americans, and has grown to become a key global ministry, leading Bible translation efforts in many parts of the world, especially in audio format. They produce the “Proclaimer” audio playback device, and when they complete an audio translation they put it on the Proclaimers and take them back to the people group. Often times they pair the translation with a scripture video such as The Jesus Film. There have been hundreds of translations and a significant harvest through this ministry.
And Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) also hosts the scriptures on a wonderful app called Bible.IS. In addition to English there are over 1,000 languages on this app. The translations include audio, text, and video, depending on what is available for a given language. The app is relatively simple and geared toward unbelievers.
We have had a great relationship with these guys, which incidentally also helped prompt the KC Bible Experience through The Sending Project and MBOS in 2016. But I have long felt that their Bible.IS app is both perfect and underutilized for outreach in the US. So we asked our friends at FCBH if we could partner with them on a new outreach project for KC using their digital scripture app.
We are working with them to create a Bible outreach initiative that includes the languages of diaspora people groups that The Sending Project has connections with in the KC metro area. Of course, English is also included!
There are about 40 people groups and languages identified so far,
and Sending Project Staff Member Mark Davis has been connecting with church and ministry leaders about this initiative.
The outreach is simple and consists of an easy to carry outreach piece in the form of a wallet card with a QR code that points to a special KC landing page in the Bible.IS app. The wallet card will also feature the translations of the word “Hope” in these languages. We are planning to print 200,000 cards and distribute them in batches to these ethnic ministry leaders and every church, group, ministry, or individual who wants them, so they can be widely shared around the KC metro area. When a recipient scans the QR code, they will drop into the KC landing page where they will see a compelling message and the Bible in their language!
Eric:
Fantastic! We are really looking to partnering with you and MBOS to facilitate this KC Digital Bible Outreach Initiative! We are facilitating a luncheon at Jack Stack Freight House on June 16 so church leaders, ministry leaders, and others can learn more about this KC Digital Bible Outreach Initiative and also pick up some of those wallet cards.
As we approach the end of this interview, what message would you like to share with Jesus followers about the strategic nature of Bible outreach ministry?
Mark:
Of course God’s Word is simply foundational to our faith. After all, “in the beginning was the Word…” Jesus is in the Word! We know that God’s Word is alive and active, and that it won’t return empty.
The Barna Research group has done a lot of research in the area of Bible engagement. A key thing they have identified is that
a majority of young Americans have no interest in church or religion, but they are curious about the Bible.
I can relate; this is how I was as well. I know that there is a big harvest field here, but one has to trust that God will use His Word to accomplish His purposes in sending it. At the same time, only a small percentage of believers share their faith on a regular basis. Sharing God’s Word is a perfect on-ramp for both groups. It feels safe to receive and safe to give. It is an easy way to bless people. And it often opens the door to further conversation.
God gave His Word so that people can know Him, and that includes those who do not yet know Him. If there ever was a strategy to reach them, giving them God’s Word is it! Unfortunately I sometimes feel that our own strategies are put above God’s for various reasons.
Eric:
Thanks, Mark. Bible outreach really is a strategic way to advance God’s Kingdom and get more followers of Jesus involved in the process.
As we wrap up this interview, what scripture passage would you share as a foundational element to Bible outreach?
Mark:
There are many of course, but I love the invitation at the beginning of Isaiah 55, which says:
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live…”
This whole chapter is foundational, and I love how this passage parallels Revelation 22:17, near the very end of the Bible:
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”
My heart is that millions of people will hear God’s voice in their heart through His Word, that streams of living water would flow into and through and from them.
Eric:
Amen! Thanks, Mark, for sharing those scriptures, and for taking the time for this interview. May the Lord bless you and Jackie, MBOS, and Bible outreach ministry in the KC metro area and beyond!
Mark:
Amen! Thank YOU Eric! I am so grateful for our years of friendship and partnership, not to mention the many thousands of opportunities for scripture engagement in KC that The Sending Project has helped facilitate! May the Lord continue to bless this great ministry through the unity of believers in our amazing city!
Mark Smith is the Founder of Mainstream Bible Outreach Society and a Volunteer Staff Member with The Sending Project.
Eric Rochester
Eric is the Founder, President, and Executive Director of The Sending Project.