alexander284
Well-Known Member
If it were up to you to choose the pew Bibles for your church ...
Which translation would you choose to place in the pews?
Which translation would you choose to place in the pews?
-
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
If it were up to you to choose the pew Bibles ...
- Thread starter alexander284
- Start date
I’d have everyone bring their own
I'd choose the one on the screen. (I'd choose the bible that the pastor typically used).
I used the NASB when preaching at my home church because that was what the church preferred and most had (because of the pastors preference).
But when I preach I prefer to use the NIV.
I used the NASB when preaching at my home church because that was what the church preferred and most had (because of the pastors preference).
But when I preach I prefer to use the NIV.
Nkjv
NIV
I would get rid of the pews and install theater seats.
Niv 1984 as that was one used for a long time!
NKJV without a doubt.
B.L. McDonald
New Member
I would forego purchasing pew Bibles and instead use the funds to purchase a couple cases of Bibles to give away to visitors and during outreach events. My church has hundreds of brand new CSB pew Bibles and I have yet to see anyone actually use it. They are a pretty blue hardbacks for sure, but nobody uses them...
Another thing to think about is the after effect from COVID-19...nobody is going to want to use a communal Bible sitting in the pews. Folks will either bring their own Bibles, look at the passage projected on the screen, or use their smart phones in those moments.
BUT...since you asked I would say it depends on the culture of the church. If old-fashioned Baptist then perhaps the KJV or NKJV. If you've got a vibrant younger congregation that is less fundamentalist and more non-denominational in flavor then maybe the ESV or NIV. It all depends. I typically don't recommend selecting whatever the preacher primarily uses because the next gentlemen behind the pulpit might come in with a different translation preference.
FWIW.
No,no and no. A thousand times no. It's oxymoronic to pair "a vibrant younger congregation" with "the ESV."
I always use a translation other than the one my pastor preaches from. It is insightful to get the import of a text from various angles. In the past two decades under the ministry of various pastors I have found that helpful. It has not my experience for a pastor to preach from the current NIV. However, if that were the case I would still not want to use that particular version while he's preaching. I have a variety of other translations to choose from. I'm old school in that I don't use electronic devices, preferring to use physical copies of Bible versions.
B.L. McDonald
New Member
All of the younger congregations near me (and by younger I mean a medium age of 30-40) have shifted to the ESV. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but Crossway has done a phenomenal job getting this translation into people's hands. The OP wasn't explicit in what type of church his question was directed towards, which left me generalizing a good bit in my response.
But you have me curious. Why do you feel pairing a younger congregation with the ESV as "oxymoronic"?
All of what you've written resonates with me as an individual, but the question in the OP is regarding the purchase of pew Bibles meant for the entire congregation. Not sure of the size of the church, but that could reasonably mean purchasing a hundred or more copies. Unless a congregation decides to be prescriptive on what translation everyone is encouraged to use I think pew Bibles are a waste of money and most will not use them.