IBS-STL enters third century of ministry as Biblica

|PIC1|IBS-STL, the merged ministry of the International Bible Society and Send the Light, is moving forward into its third century with a new name – Biblica.

"Because the Bible is central to our ministry purpose, we felt it was essential to expressly mention it as being the heart of our organisation – in our name, our mission, our vision, and our values," explained the organisation’s global president and CEO, Keith Danby, in the announcement.

"The name Biblica clearly reflects an emphasis on the Bible, and it communicates our focus on helping transform lives through the power of God's Word," he added.

According to the organisation, the new name is part of a rebranding process that began with the 2007 merger of International Bible Society, one of the world's largest translators and distributors of Scripture, and Send the Light, a leading global distributor of Christian literature,.

The two organisations had merged based on the realisation they could do more together to further the cause of the Bible than they could independently.

"The blending of these organisations is a powerful combination," Danby had stated when IBS and STL announced their intention to merge in January 2007.

Now, after 18 months of planning and developing a vision for a third century of ministry, Danby says Biblica – the name and the organization – is well-positioned to engage and evangelise people and to help equip the global Church with biblical resources.

Along with the new name, Biblica has adopted a new logo and new slogan, which now states “Transforming lives through God's Word".

All the changes are coming as the ministry celebrates its 200th anniversary, which it sees as a springboard to a new era of Bible ministry, according to Danby.

"We look forward to carrying God's Word to people everywhere under the Biblica banner as we enter a third century of ministry," he said.

Founded in 1809, International Bible Society has served individuals and organisations through Bible translation, publishing, distribution, and outreach. It is also known worldwide as the translation sponsor and copyright holder of the New International Version (NIV) Bible – the most-read contemporary English translation today, with more than 350 million copies in print worldwide.

Send the Light, meanwhile, grew over the past five decades to become one of the largest distributors of Christian resources, with distribution centres in the United Kingdom, India, and the United States. STL was established more than 50 years ago by Operation Mobilisation founder George Verwer with worldwide Bible and Christian book distribution as its vision.