Oklahoma Church LifeChurch.tv Develops Bible for iPhone

Following the recent release of the new iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 update, Oklahoma-based LifeChurch.tv has launched a Bible App that takes advantage of the iPhone's touch-screen interface. Just days after its release, the Bible App landed in Apple's Top 50 Free Apps, and users have logged more than 1 million minutes reading the Bible. Users of the iPhone and iPod Touch can download it now for free from Apple's built-in App Store.

Containing content equivalent to a stack of Bibles and contributions from users around the world, the free program is known simply as "Bible." It's based on the website http://youversion.com/, and it was developed by the team at LifeChurch.tv. The Edmond, Oklahoma-based church hosts more than 23,000 people each weekend during 53 experiences throughout 13 campuses, including a fully interactive internet campus.

YouVersion.com is a free online Bible that helps individuals organize and access the content most meaningful to them by providing easy navigation and searches, notation features, and 16 different translations. With a heavy emphasis on community, YouVersion allows users to create a personal profile, invite and follow their friends, record their thoughts about the Bible and share them, along with related images, videos, blog posts, and more. (There are also options to keep those contributions private.)

The Bible App for the iPhone harnesses the power of the YouVersion website and puts it in an interactive mobile format that users can enjoy while waiting in the carpool line, sitting on the sidelines at soccer practice, or on the train during their morning commute. It features a reader with scrolling navigation, powerful search tool, 15 different translations (including Spanish versions), and the notes, video, images, and links contributed by a diverse online community.

"Our mission, since the beginning of LifeChurch.tv in 1996, has been 'to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ'," said LifeChurch.tv Innovation Leader and Pastor Bobby Gruenewald, "and we're thrilled to equip iPhone users across the globe with this powerful free Bible that they can access no matter where they are."

In 1996, LifeChurch.tv began with a handful of people meeting in a rented dance studio in Oklahoma City, Okla. under the leadership of Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel. It has since grown to be the fifth-largest church in the United States according to Outreach Magazine and currently has 13 total campuses located in Phoenix, Ariz., Fort Worth, Texas, Oklahoma City, Okla., Nashville, Tenn., West Palm Beach, Fla., Albany, N.Y., and Tulsa, Okla. metropolitan areas. LifeChurch.tv has also leveraged the web in other ministry endeavors including One Prayer, OPEN.LifeChurch.tv, and MySecret.tv.

For more information about the Bible App, visit http://youversion.com/iphone/, and to learn more about YouVersion, visit: http://youversion.com/. For more information about LifeChurch.tv, visit http://www.lifechurch.tv.