Podcast Summary:

Life.Church with Craig Groeschel
Episode: God Used This Question to Change History | From One to a Billion
Date: November 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode commemorates a monumental milestone for Life.Church and the YouVersion Bible App: surpassing one billion installs. Through personal stories, scripture, and behind-the-scenes insights, the hosts and guests highlight how a single question sparked a global movement, the transformative power of small steps of faith, the principle of generous stewardship, and the countless lives touched—one at a time—by God's Word.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Humble Origins of YouVersion

• Milestone Celebration: The episode marks the achievement of over one billion installs of the YouVersion Bible App.
• Foundational Question: The entire journey began when Pastor Bobby Gruenewald (Speaker B) stood in an airport security line in 2006 and wondered, “Could technology help me read the Bible more consistently?” ([00:28])
• First Step of Faith: He registered the domain name youversion.com for $25—a simple act of faith with unexpected significance.
  • Notable Quote:
    Bobby: "You never know what God's going to do when you take one small step of faith." ([01:52])
• From Failure to Breakthrough:
  • YouVersion launched as a website in 2007, but it failed to get traction.
  • The team pivoted, creating a mobile app initially for BlackBerry, then for the iPhone with the launch of the App Store in 2008. The Bible App became available on day one of the App Store, quickly reaching 83,000 downloads the first weekend.
  • Notable Quote:
    Bobby: "We had no idea that God could do this. I mean, we knew he could do it, we had no idea he would do it." ([03:20])
• Beyond Imagination:
  • The growth exceeded their wildest expectations, illustrating Ephesians 3:20-21: God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” ([05:04])

2. Overcoming Obstacles and the Power of Faithful Action

• Initial Hurdles:
  • They needed permission from Bible publishers to use translation texts without royalties, but had no industry contacts.
  • Bobby wrote a blog post announcing the launch of YouVersion months before the site or licenses were secured—a “faith-in-action” moment.
  • Through a network of unexpected introductions, they gained their breakthrough: one publisher said “yes,” enabling the app’s launch.
  • Notable Quote (on faith and action): Bobby: "God meets us with his faithfulness. Some of us are thinking about faith as something we believe, but it's not complete until we actually take that action." ([11:40])
    (Referencing James 2:22 – “His faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.”)

3. Radical Generosity as a Church Value

• Why Is It Free?
  • The team decided early on that all church resources—including YouVersion—would be freely available, resisting the industry norm of selling ministry materials.
  • This conviction was rooted in stewardship: "We aren't owners, we are stewards." ([13:58])
  • Generosity is described as a defining value of Life.Church, shaping its members and being credited as a reason God trusted them with YouVersion.
  • Notable Quote:
    Bobby: "Generosity is woven into everything we do as a church. It's you—all the people in our church." ([15:30])

4. Explosive Growth, Momentum, and What’s Next

• Exponential Growth:
  • The pace of app installs has dramatically accelerated: what took nearly 18 years for the first billion is expected to be halved for the second, and the third could follow in just three more years.
• Global Trends:
  • Gen Z shows unprecedented openness to the Bible; print Bible sales among young people are up; campus revivals proliferate.
• Usage Peaks:
  • The largest Bible App engagement days aren't on holidays, but on “ordinary” Sundays, underscoring widespread, ongoing momentum ([17:20]).
  • Notable Quote:
    Bobby: "We're not simply celebrating a milestone, we're celebrating momentum. And it's not just about people getting the Bible into their hands. It's about getting the Bible into their hearts." ([17:52])
• Real-Time Impact:
  • At any moment, 299-300 people per second are opening the Bible App somewhere in the world.
  • Every single use represents a unique encounter with God’s Word.

5. The Power of “One”: Dia’s Story

• Personal Testimony:
  • Dia (Speaker A) shares her journey from skepticism and depression to faith, thanks in large part to the Bible App and Life.Church sermons ([18:34-27:00]).
  • She recounts opening the app while feeling suicidal in a shopping mall, searching for “overwhelmed,” and reading Isaiah 54:10—a verse that became her lifeline.
  • Notable Quotes:
    Dia: “YouVersion met me right where I was, in my moment of desperation. One verse for one person, and it changed everything.” ([22:51])
    “Imagine the verse that could keep them alive. The devotional that encourages them to continue fighting... Because all it takes is one.” ([25:30])
  • Dia’s healing journey included becoming part of Life.Church online and participating in resources focused on mental health, ending with her baptism into her new spiritual family.
• Celebrating Each “One”:
  • The impact of “one” life transformed is acknowledged as infinitely valuable.
    • Notable Quote:
      Craig Groeschel: “If you were the only one that it reached, it would have been absolutely and completely worth it.” ([27:42])

6. Call to Faith and Generosity

• Personal Reflections:
  • Pastor Craig shares how his own life was transformed, not by a sermon, but by reading a Bible freely given by someone else ([28:46]).
• Encouragement to Action:
  • Everyone is encouraged to act on their faith: reach out, pray, share, start something, or give—a single step can have unimaginable ripple effects ([30:10]).
• Prayer and Invitation:
  • Craig presents the gospel and invites listeners to surrender to Christ, emphasizing the grace available to all ([31:40-35:00]).
  • Notable Quote:
    Craig: “You have no idea what God may do through one step of faith.” ([29:37])
• Future Vision:
  • Listeners are invited to help “sow the first seed toward the next billion,” with the promise that generosity will continue to fuel YouVersion’s expansion ([36:12]).
  • A generous donor is matching gifts up to $1 million.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Humble Beginnings:
  “I did not have that kind of faith. We're talking about a billion. But it actually just started with one question: could technology help me read the Bible more consistently?” — Bobby ([00:44])
• On Failure and Faith:
  “Fortunately, it failed... the failure of it actually led us to try putting that website on a small mobile device.” — Bobby ([02:30])
• On Divine Provision:
  “God meets us with his faithfulness. Some of us are thinking about faith as something we believe, but it's not complete until we actually take that action.” — Bobby ([11:40])
• On Generosity:
  “...we were stewards of a kingdom resource, that it wasn't ours, that we weren't owners, we were stewards.” — Bobby ([14:25])
• On Individual Impact:
  “We're here today not celebrating a billion. We're here celebrating a billion ones, right?” — Bobby ([17:56])
• On Personal Transformation:
  “The promise of that verse kept me alive. YouVersion met me right where I was, in my moment of desperation. One verse for one person, and it changed everything.” — Dia ([22:40])
• On Eternal Worth:
  “If you were the only one that it reached, it would have been absolutely and completely worth it.” — Craig ([27:42])
• On Taking a Step of Faith:
  “You have no idea what God may do through one step of faith.” — Craig ([29:37])
• On the Power of God's Word:
  "The word of God is living. It's active. It's sharper than any double edged sword. It will never return void." — Craig ([36:14])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Humble Beginnings and the First Step: [00:28 – 05:04]
• Overcoming Obstacles and Gaining Bible Licenses: [06:05 – 11:30]
• Stewardship and Radical Generosity: [13:08 – 17:20]
• Celebrating the Billion Milestone and Current Momentum: [17:20 – 18:34]
• Dia’s Story - Testimony: [18:34 – 27:01]
• Craig Groeschel Responds to Dia’s Story: [27:01 – 27:56]
• Invitation to Faith, Prayer, and Final Challenge: [29:37 – 36:12]
• Closing Reflections and Call to Generosity: [36:12 – End]

Takeaways for Listeners

• Extraordinary impact can arise from asking simple questions and taking small steps of faith.
• Obstacles are inevitable but can serve as catalysts for God’s greater plans.
• Radical generosity unlocks blessings for both giver and receiver.
• The power of one life changed is worth the effort of reaching billions.
• God’s word, made accessible through technology and generosity, continues to transform hearts, one at a time, worldwide.
• Momentum is building, and every listener is invited to be part of the next miracle.

This episode stands as a testament to the reach of God’s Word powered by faith, action, generosity, and the technology that began with one inspired question.