BibleProject Podcast

Episode: "10 Years and 500 Episodes: The Story of BibleProject Podcast"

Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This milestone 500th episode celebrates a decade of the BibleProject Podcast, tracing its origins from humble beginnings—conversations between two friends in a closet—to a global platform with hundreds of thousands of listeners. The episode offers an engaging behind-the-scenes narrative of how the podcast grew, shaped its creators, adapted to new challenges, and touched listeners around the world. Through stories, anecdotes, and interviews with team members, the BibleProject reflects on its journey, the foundational values that continue to guide it, and its vision for the future.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins: Two Friends, Big Questions

• No initial plan for a podcast:
  • The conversations began as creative, exploratory sessions to help make their Bible videos.
  • “There was no plan to start a podcast, but we started having these conversations as a part of making the videos.” (John Collins, 00:16)
• Early setting:
  • Weekly half-day meetings, sustained by the generosity of Tim’s church and fueled by honest curiosity, in a windowless room “with plywood walls,” a designer couch, and chocolate lollipops that left a memorable stain (Tim Mackie, 02:56 – 04:37).
• The foundation of trust:
  • Candid, judgment-free questioning about theology became the bedrock of their collaboration.
  • “From the very beginning, this whole project was built on trust. The kind of trust between two friends who could ask hard questions about God and the Bible without fear of judgment.” (Lindsey Ponder, 06:58)

2. From Side Project to Team Effort

• Gathering a creative team:
  • The move to a new office allowed them to bring in animators and illustrators, beginning the collaborative atmosphere.
  • “[There] wasn't a ton of rules already set in place. It was like, you get to help craft something... which was also really exciting.” (Robert Perez, 08:17)
• Early challenges:
  • Prototype videos took years, with scripts sprawling across ten pages, before finally distilling to their first releases: “Heaven and Earth” and “Genesis 1–11.” (John Collins, 09:06 – 09:17)

3. Starting the Podcast: Scrappy Beginnings

• No studio, no gear:
  • The first episodes were recorded under the stairs in a storage closet.
  • “Think Harry Potter, but with microphones instead of magic.” (Lindsey Ponder, 11:27)
• Raw audio and DIY editing:
  • John taught himself editing, initially unaware of the poor sound quality until listeners pointed it out.
  • “To me it was, it's the content... I would just edit for that. And as long as it was loud enough, that was fine.” (John Collins, 13:25)
• Dan Gummel joins as audio engineer:
  • A perfect-timing email from listener and NPR producer Dan led to higher production values and new creative opportunities (e.g., field recordings in Nashville). (15:27 – 17:30)

4. Impact and Listener Connections

• First realization of the podcast's impact:
  • A friend’s heartfelt appreciation underscored the significance of their vulnerable, inquisitive approach. “That moment really left the mark on me thinking, okay, this is significant.” (John Collins, 18:23)
• Growing production team:
  • To prevent bottlenecks and cover for illnesses (e.g., during COVID), production expanded to include a dedicated engineer (Tyler) and managing producer, with a finely-tuned postproduction workflow (19:52 – 21:29).

5. Going Global: Localization

• Advance from translation to localization:
  • The project’s vision for accessibility spurred efforts to localize the unscripted podcast into Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, French, and more, adapting idioms and stories to new cultures.
  • “We're not just looking for word for word, direct translation. We want to consider the cultures, the regions, and all the contexts...” (Angela Kiter, 23:36)
• Unexpected partnerships and impact:
  • The Argentinian studio was a surprise success for the Spanish localization—an answered prayer for its founder, who had no clients before BibleProject. (Anna Weich, 25:45)
• Challenges:
  • Localizers must creatively adapt American idioms (like “the friendly skies”) and discuss topics that resonate differently across languages and cultures. (28:13 – 29:30)

6. How and When Listeners Engage

• Podcast listeners tune in while walking dogs, commuting, cooking, mowing lawns, or exercising.
• Personal testimonies show the podcast’s role in deepening understanding, making theology accessible, and building confidence in reading and sharing the Bible (30:20 – 31:52).

7. The Philosophy and DNA of the Podcast

• Numbers don’t drive the work:
  • Tim and John focus on the integrity of the conversation, not the size of the audience.
  • “If the mic wasn't on, we would have to have these conversations anyway.” (Tim Mackie, 34:25)
• Community reading as the goal:
  • The hope is to encourage listeners to read, discuss, and meditate on scripture in community, following the model set by Tim and John. (John Collins, 35:37; Tim Mackie, 36:28)
• Continued wonder at impact:
  • The hosts remain “astounded” and grateful that their personal intellectual and spiritual journey benefits others. (Tim Mackie, 34:48)

8. Looking Ahead

• Next steps for the podcast:
  • Future plans include deep-diving into entire scrolls or books of the Bible in long-form, instead of only thematic series.
  • “We haven't really walked through a book of the Bible like that in long form detail. I'd like to experiment with that in the future.” (Tim Mackie, 37:50)
• Inspiration to continue:
  • The shared joy of creating “the thing I want”—a resource John and Tim wish they had—and the process of working out ideas in real time, which continues to shape and surprise even themselves. (39:12; Tim Mackie, 39:56; 40:31)
• Community expansion:
  • The episode closes with voices from around the world and reiterates the enduring mission: to help people experience the Bible as a unified story leading to Jesus (41:24 – end).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On vulnerability and curiosity:

  • “I remember specifically feeling free to ask certain questions that I wouldn't dare ask. And I just remember you giving me permission through the way you would answer the question. Cause you'd push it further.”
    — John Collins (05:58 – 06:18)

• On being audience-focused (or not):

  • “As a matter of principle, it's not something I focus on. I think one, because I would get nervous... It's just better not to. And then I can shift into a posture of just pure delight and surprise.”
    — Tim Mackie (32:42)

• On collaboration and process:

  • “It truly is a distillation and a re-presentation. And it's a real dialogue. It's not scripted. You know, we're not reading anything.”
    — Tim Mackie (14:33 – 14:40)

• On the podcast's global reach:

  • “BibleProject podcast was number one on Japanese Spotify upon release. And there's just a hunger for the word of God in Japan.”
    — Angela Kiter (27:42 – 28:04)

• On localization challenges:

  • “So many of the stories that Tim and John tell are unique to Portland, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, which doesn't always translate well to other cultures.”
    — Anna Weich (28:13)

• Listener impact:

  • “What really happened to the Bible Project is that it was more defined of what being in the image of God would be and how we can get deeper into the Bible and find out that wisdom underneath.”
    — Listener via Tim Mackie (31:08)

• On never-ending learning:

  • “A couple times I've gone back and listened to series from, like, four or five years ago that I've forgotten most of it. Like, I'm learning from our past selves as if it's not ourselves. It's really strange.”
    — Tim Mackie (40:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16 | Beginnings—informal, unplanned conversations | | 02:56 | Early work sessions—couch story, creative process | | 05:58 | Trust and vulnerability in early theological discussions | | 08:17 | Bringing on creative team; Robert Perez reflects | | 09:06 | Early struggles with video production | | 11:27 | Podcast recording in a closet under the stairs | | 13:25 | John’s approach to early editing, discovery of audio issues | | 15:27 | Dan Gummel joins as audio engineer | | 18:23 | First realization of podcast’s emotional & spiritual impact | | 19:52 | Growing team, complex process, addition of Tyler | | 23:36 | Localization vs. translation explained | | 25:45 | Story of Argentine studio and the Spanish podcast | | 27:42 | Japanese podcast tops charts; localization expansion | | 28:13 | Localization challenges—cultural relevance | | 31:03 | Listener testimonials—diverse ways people engage | | 32:42 | Reflections on reaching a growing audience | | 35:37 | Podcast’s goal: modeling community Bible reading | | 37:50 | Future plans: long-form book-by-book study | | 39:12 | Motivation: making the podcast they themselves wanted | | 41:24 | Global community voices; enduring mission restated |

Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, the tone is warm, reflective, and humble—mixing humor (the infamous chocolate lollipop stain) with earnestness and wonder at the podcast’s impact. The dialogue is candid and unscripted, marked by genuine affection between the founders and their team.

Final Thoughts

The BibleProject Podcast’s 500th episode is more than a nostalgic look back—it’s a vibrant, heartfelt exploration of how community, curiosity, and openness can spark a global movement around the Bible’s story. For newcomers and veterans alike, the episode models humble inquiry, celebrates the diversity and unity of its expanding audience, and promises even deeper engagement with scripture for years to come.

Memorable Closing:

“We believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.”
— Repeated by Lindsey Ponder, Tim Mackie, Angela Kiter, John Collins, and listeners (42:18–42:25)