Many people who aren’t encountering the Bible in their daily lives are part of online communities which are new mission fields.
That’s the finding of our new report entitled Digital Nations. It finds that some 5.5 billion people globally spend more than six hours per day online, where digital mission is not always strong.
Churches and Christian organisations therefore have a new mission opportunity, the report argues.
Key findings of Digital Nations
The report identifies 27 online channels or ‘nations’, such as Play Store, YouTube and WhatsApp. Each has a different constituency and needs to be communicated with in different ways.
But though some modern-day missionaries are out there in the digital sphere, there is a real need for more, says the report’s co-author Toby Beresford.
‘The church is under-investing in digital mission,’ he said. ‘Churches and Christian-based organisations need to work together to make the digital nations the next mission field.’
Traditionally, the Bible has been translated into different languages and printed in physical form or provided as audio Bibles.
Now, according to statistics from United Bible Societies, some 90 per cent of the world’s population has at least part of the Bible in their own language. An estimated 7.23 billion people, out of the world’s 8 billion population, have some Christian scripture in their own language.
Three billion people spend five hours online per day
Yet this isn’t being replicated online. And, the report reveals, there are vast audiences online, from more than 4 billion on Google Play Store, to 2.5 billion on YouTube and 3 billion on Facebook, each communicating in different ways.
‘More than five billion of us spend on average 6.3 hours per day online, yet we have lacked a way of identifying, tracking and resourcing missional activity online,’ said Toby Beresford.
Online mission is under-resourced
Though some twenty-first century missionaries are working online, they are under-resourced, the report finds. This means that their reach isn’t strong, the highest being nine per cent on Play Store, with a general reach across digital platforms of just two per cent.
However, this isn’t down to lack of interest. Globally, 69 per cent of people say that religion is important to their daily life.
‘We hope that church leaders will be inspired by the potential of Bible mission through the lens of the digital nations,’ said Toby Beresford.
Download the report
We hope the report inspires church leaders to engage their local communities in digital Bible mission. Please pray and encourage those sharing God’s word in this space.
https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/digital-nations
Author: Hazel Southam, 4 June 2025
