By Carol Pipes
She Reads Truth, created by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams, is an online community with one goal: women to be in the Word of God every day.
She Reads Truth began in 2012 with a handful of friends reading the Bible together and connecting over Twitter with the hashtag #SheReadsTruth. It quickly grew into a thriving community of women from around the world.
Every day women check in on the app, email, or website (SheReadsTruth.com) for daily Scripture readings and devotionals. Others connect with She Reads Truth through social media. A quick scan of their Instagram feed turns up beautiful, stylized photos with Scripture verses—a great memorization tool.
More than 3 million women have engaged with She Reads Truth since its beginning four years ago, and about half a million of those are actively engaged in reading God’s Word daily.
Myers and Williams have taken their heart for women reading the Bible and developed a book, She Reads Truth (B&H), and Bible study called Open Your Bible.
Facts & Trends caught up with the duo to find out more about their online community and about the new book and Bible study.
F&T: What motivated you to start She Reads Truth?
It’s funny—the honest answer to that question is that we weren’t motivated to start anything. She Reads Truth truly grew out of the needs of individual women who were connected by God’s good providence and the Internet. We all wanted to spend more time in God’s Word. We wanted direction, accountability, and encouragement to read Scripture every day. So, we began reading the Bible together and keeping in touch via a hashtag on Twitter.
We didn’t start She Reads Truth. The Holy Spirit did. We’re still just trying to keep up!
What has surprised you about the She Reads Truth community?
We spend a lot of time on this side of the computer screen. When we have the opportunity to meet and talk with the “shes” who read Truth with us, we’re always floored by how amazing they are.
These are gracious, honest, kind, smart, beautiful women. To imagine them all over the world—opening their Bibles in their homes, churches, and workplaces—astounds us. These women lead us to worship God and give thanks every day. We’re so grateful to them.
We’re also somehow surprised—even though we’ve known it in our heads to be true all along—how very living and active God’s Word truly is. When we’re reading our Bibles for research, the Holy Spirit meets with us personally.
And when one passage teaches us something new, the Holy Spirit is faithfully ministering to another woman in a different way. It shouldn’t surprise us at this point, but God’s Word is surprising.
Why is it important for believers to engage Scripture in community?
We believe the Church is one of God’s sweetest and most important gifts to us as believers. God created us for Himself, but He has also given us to each other—to walk together and grow together and, yes, read God’s Word together.
Engaging Scripture in online community is a unique opportunity we have as Christians in this generation. We’ve seen firsthand the way God can and does work through communities like She Reads Truth to draw people to Himself.
At the same time, we know nothing can take the place of real-life, in-person community. The local church is so important, and it’s our dream to one day help connect all our “shes” who don’t have a local church with a body of believers where they can live, work, and grow in the gospel.
The Christian life is personal, but it’s not private. Whatever that community looks like, we believe one way to know God more deeply is through the testimony of His saints.
What happens when believers come together to dig into God’s Word?
Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is living and active, and we’ve seen it to be true. When we open God’s Word together, and invite the Holy Spirit to illuminate the words He has already inspired, He does that. God shows up. And when God shows up, anything can happen.
Who is the mastermind and creator behind the beautiful photos and word art used on your website and social media?
We love every chance we get to brag on the incredible She Reads Truth team. As the ministry has grown, God has faithfully filled every role, and now we have a team of a dozen talented men and women who work hard every day to invite people to read the Bible.
Our creative team is, as you’ve already mentioned, truly remarkable. Their goal is to give the inherently beautiful gospel the aesthetic beauty it deserves, and they chase hard after that goal.
Our creative director, Ryan Myers, has been with us from very early on, insisting on excellence with every image, book, and email we publish. He also happens to be married to our CEO, so that’s handy.
How do you think publishing a book and Bible study will add to or complement your already strong online community?
Going down this road of traditional publishing was not a decision we arrived at quickly or lightly. For a long time, we held off on this big “could” because it did not yet feel like a “should.” Eventually, the Lord made this calling crystal clear and led us to our incredible publishing partners at Lifeway and B&H.
Our prayer is that these additional resources will allow the growing online community to spill over into off-line, real-life community. And for the women who discover She Reads Truth for the first time through these resources, they’ll find an amazing community of women exists beyond that Bible study or book—and they’ll be invited in to continue reading God’s Word with us, every day.
CAROL PIPES ([email protected]) is editor of Facts & Trends.
