Faith Comes By Hearing

Faith Comes By Hearing is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on making the Bible available through audio recordings and digital listening tools. Its work is directed particularly toward communities where written Scripture is difficult to access because of literacy, language, geography, cost, or limited distribution infrastructure. The organization records biblical translations, works with translators and distribution partners, and makes recordings available without charge through devices, applications, and other channels. The ministry began in 1972 under the name Hosanna. Jerry Jackson and Anet Jackson initially operated a library that lent cassette recordings containing Christian teaching and other religious material. The idea of concentrating on audio Bible production developed after a missionary visit to a Hopi reservation, where they observed that a written Bible translated into Hopi was not being used effectively because of chronic illiteracy. Audio became the organization’s principal means of reaching people who could listen more easily than they could read. Hosanna entered international Bible-recording work in 1986 by collaborating with Haitian missionaries on a recording of a Creole Bible translation. From that point, the ministry used a combination of revenue and donations to support recordings in many languages. Its first international recording office opened in Ghana in 1991, after which the organization expanded its relationships with Bible translators, missionaries, local ministries, and distribution networks. A central part of Faith Comes By Hearing’s approach has been the combination of recorded Scripture with group listening. The organization has promoted Bible listening groups in which communities hear the text together and discuss or respond to it. It has also developed technologies intended for settings with limited electricity or internet connectivity. In 2004 it began distributing the Proclaimer, a durable audio device designed to play Bible recordings to groups and rechargeable through mains electricity, solar energy, or a hand crank. Later, it developed the BibleStick, a smaller personal audio device. More than 900,000 BibleSticks were donated to United States service members overseas before the organization ended its Military Bible Stick program in 2025, citing wider digital access to audio Scripture and changes in technology. The organization has also moved from physical media to digital delivery. In 2006 it began producing audio Bible MP3s, allowing the New Testament to fit on a single disc rather than a large set of CDs or tapes. Its Bible.is application provides Scripture recordings for Apple and Android devices, while the Deaf Bible application serves deaf users and the Bible.is Kidz application uses interactive features to engage children. Faith Comes By Hearing also operates Bible Brain, an API intended to help Bible-focused applications access Scripture resources. The organization is a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International and the Wycliffe Global Alliance. Its stated work has extended across thousands of language communities, although the number of available languages varies by product, date, and source. As of January 2025, the ministry reported audio Bible recordings in more than 1,500 languages, while descriptions of its broader distribution activity have cited more than 2,500 languages. Its current leadership includes founder and president Jerry Jackson and board chairman Jeff Solscheid.

Faith Comes By Hearing traces its origins to 1972, when Jerry Jackson and Anet Jackson founded a Christian ministry called Hosanna. The first form of the ministry was a lending library for cassette recordings centered on Christian teaching and religious themes. Its later specialization in audio Scripture followed a missionary visit to a Hopi reservation. During that visit, the founders encountered a community in which a written Bible translated into Hopi was not being used because many people could not read it. This experience led them to view recorded Scripture as a practical way to reach language communities with limited literacy. The ministry began its international recording activity in 1986 through cooperation with Haitian missionaries recording a Creole translation of the Bible. From then onward, it supported recordings in an expanding number of languages, using both ministry revenue and donations. In 1991, it opened its first international recording office in Ghana. Its operating model depended on partnerships with Bible translators, missionaries, churches, and distribution organizations rather than on a single centralized publishing operation. Technology became increasingly important to the organization’s distribution strategy. In 2004, it introduced the Proclaimer, an audio device built to broadcast recorded Scripture to groups. The device could be recharged from an electrical outlet, solar power, or a hand crank, making it suitable for regions with unreliable infrastructure. Its battery was designed to support repeated playback of the New Testament. In 2006, the ministry began distributing audio Bible MP3s, reducing the physical burden of carrying many CDs or tapes by placing an entire New Testament on one disc. Faith Comes By Hearing later developed the BibleStick, a personal digital audio device. The organization donated more than 900,000 units to United States soldiers overseas. A military version was designed to be less visible in low-light environments. In 2025, the Military Bible Stick program was discontinued as the organization concluded that smartphones, digital distribution, and other technological developments had made a dedicated device less necessary. Alongside individual listening, the ministry promoted Bible listening groups. These groups allowed people to hear Scripture communally and were reported to have numbered more than 85,000 worldwide in 2009. Later descriptions from the organization referred to almost one million groups, although the measurement and date for that figure are not specified in the available reference material. The organization’s digital portfolio includes Bible.is for Apple and Android devices, the Deaf Bible application introduced in 2012, and Bible.is Kidz, launched in 2014 with interactive games and activities for children. It also operates Bible Brain, an application programming interface that enables Bible-related software and services to access Scripture resources. Faith Comes By Hearing is described as an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It belongs to the Forum of Bible Agencies International and the Wycliffe Global Alliance. The organization continues to focus on free audio access to the Bible in multiple languages. The available sources give different language counts depending on the scope being measured: one description cites more than 2,500 languages, while a January 2025 figure refers to audio recordings in more than 1,500 languages. Its listed leadership consists of founder and president Jerry Jackson and board chairman Jeff Solscheid.

• 2025

  Military Bible Stick program sunset

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  The organization ended its Military Bible Stick program as digital access to audio Scripture became more widespread.

• 2014

  Bible.is Kidz launched

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  Faith Comes By Hearing launched an interactive Bible application for children.

• 2012

  Deaf Bible app introduced

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  The organization added a Bible application intended for the deaf community.

• 2006

  MP3 Bible distribution begins

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  Audio Bible MP3s were introduced, allowing a complete New Testament to be stored on a single disc.

• 2004

  Proclaimer introduced

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  The organization began distributing the Proclaimer, a rechargeable audio device intended for group Bible listening and use in areas with limited infrastructure.

• 1991

  International office opened in Ghana

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  Faith Comes By Hearing opened its first international recording office in Ghana.

• 1986

  First international Bible recording project

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  The ministry began international Bible-recording work by collaborating with Haitian missionaries on a Creole translation.

• 1972

  Hosanna founded

  [1]Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org

  Jerry Jackson and Anet Jackson established the ministry that later became Faith Comes By Hearing, initially operating a Christian cassette-lending library.

A global Christian Scripture-access ministry positioned around free, multilingual audio Bible distribution, especially for people and communities underserved by printed Bibles or conventional literacy-based access.

• Audio Bible playback device · 2004

  Proclaimer

  The Proclaimer is a durable audio device designed to play Bible recordings to groups. It can be recharged through an electrical outlet, solar energy, or a hand crank, supporting use in locations where electricity and digital connectivity are limited. Faith Comes By Hearing has distributed it as a free resource in developing countries and other communities requiring robust offline access.

• Personal audio Bible device

  BibleStick

  BibleStick is a compact digital device for personal listening to recorded Scripture. More than 900,000 units were donated to United States soldiers overseas. The military version was designed to reduce visibility in low-light conditions. The separate Military Bible Stick program was discontinued in 2025, while the product’s broader current availability is not specified in the available sources.

• Mobile Bible application

  Bible.is

  Bible.is is Faith Comes By Hearing’s mobile listening platform for Apple and Android devices. It provides access to recorded Scripture in many languages and extends the organization’s audio-first model from dedicated playback hardware to smartphones and other consumer devices.

• Accessibility-focused Bible application · 2012

  Deaf Bible

  Deaf Bible is an application introduced for the deaf community. It forms part of the organization’s effort to adapt Bible distribution to the needs of specific audiences rather than relying solely on printed text or standard audio delivery.

• Children’s Bible application · 2014

  Bible.is Kidz

  Bible.is Kidz is a children-oriented application launched with interactive games and activities intended to help younger users engage with biblical material. It extends Faith Comes By Hearing’s digital strategy beyond straightforward audio playback.

• Bible content API

  Bible Brain

  Bible Brain is an application programming interface operated by Faith Comes By Hearing for Bible-based applications. It is intended to help developers and digital services incorporate Scripture resources into software and other distribution experiences.

• 2025

  End of the Military Bible Stick programStrategy

  Background

  Digital access to audio Bible content had expanded, reducing the distinctive need for a dedicated physical playback device for service members.

  Action taken

  Faith Comes By Hearing sunset its Military Bible Stick program.

  Aftermath

  The program ended, with the organization pointing to advances in technology and broader digital access as the rationale.

  Source

• 2006

  Shift toward MP3 distributionProduct launch

  Background

  Cassette and multi-disc CD distribution made audio Scripture more cumbersome to transport and distribute.

  Action taken

  The organization began producing audio Bible MP3s, placing an entire New Testament on a single disc.

  Aftermath

  The change reduced the physical media burden and supported the ministry’s broader move toward digital delivery.

  Source

• 2004

  Launch of the ProclaimerProduct launch

  Background

  Many target communities had limited access to electricity, internet services, or personal playback devices.

  Action taken

  Faith Comes By Hearing introduced a rechargeable group-listening device that could use electrical, solar, or hand-crank charging.

  Aftermath

  The Proclaimer became a principal technology for distributing recorded Scripture in infrastructure-constrained environments.

  Source

• 1986

  Move into international audio Bible recordingStrategy

  Background

  The ministry’s founders had identified audio as a way to serve communities where written Bibles were inaccessible because of limited literacy. The organization then sought to apply that model across language communities.

  Action taken

  Hosanna began recording a Creole Bible translation with Haitian missionaries and subsequently expanded into additional languages.

  Aftermath

  The project became the foundation for the organization’s international recording and distribution network.

  Source

1. 1Faith Comes By Hearingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Faith Comes By Hearing official websitefaithcomesbyhearing.com