June 23, 2025

Jennifer Holloran, President & CEO of the American Bible Society, on the Life-Changing Power of the Bible to Heal Communities (Ep. 144)

1 hour 2 minutes

Jennifer Holloran, President and CEO of the American Bible Society, is an avid lover of Scripture and an expert in strategic leadership, operational excellence, and innovation. Jennifer was raised in a Christian home with lots of exposure to the Word, but it was in college that she learned to approach Scripture as a source of grace instead of condemnation. Jennifer’s career took an unexpected turn after college when God led her to combine her professional skills and love for the Scriptures at Wycliffe Bible Translators. She spent over twenty years there, starting as a typist and eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer before taking over as CEO of the American Bible Society.

The American Bible Society has a rich history dating back to 1816, and is involved in nearly every aspect of Bible work, from translation to global distribution to engagement and advocacy. Jennifer has an amazing perspective on the power of God’s Word, how it is moving in the world today, and how the Church can help people everywhere be transformed as they get more engaged with the Scriptures.

Major Topics Include:

Jennifer’s faith and career journey

How she fell in love with Scripture

Her surprise introduction to Bible translation through Wycliffe

Leadership principles in unexpected Bible stories

How God prepared her for work at American Bible Society

An overview of American Bible Society’s 209 year history

Helping people engage in the Scriptures

ABS’s framework of access, engagement, and advocacy

Various aspects of Scripture access

Their “end-to-end” process—a multimodal approach to Bible access and engagement

The story and heart behind the ABS Trauma Healing Institute

Helping people overcome barriers to Scripture

Finding solutions to inspire younger generations to engage with Scripture

AI as a tool for Bible engagement

How to move from Bible engagement to advocacy

Creativity in Bible distribution in hard-to-reach places

Effectiveness of a collective impact alliance in reaching Bible distribution goals

QUOTES TO REMEMBER

“It wasn’t long after I finished college that God brought me to Wycliffe Bible Translators, and that opened up a whole world of understanding Scripture in a completely new way.”

“I found that the more that I began to dig into Scripture, the more there was to discover.”

“We want to move people from that place of just having access to the Bible and have them step into engagement, and that starts with curiosity.”

“Today, we at the American Bible Society still get to be involved in translation and distribution, but we’re looking at the whole Scripture engagement journey and how we can come alongside the Church to support the ministry of helping people to take the next step with Scripture.”

“We need to understand where Gen Z and Gen Alpha are coming from and what speaks to them as unique groups with unique values, preferences, and barriers that might keep them from Scripture. Then we can work together with the Church to help co-create solutions to reach that generation.”

“There’s something amazing about having the Bible as a foundation that we can come together and have conversation around and learn from one another across faith traditions.”

“Our vision is ‘God’s Word transforming all people.’ That’s what I want to see happening, and I think the more we can get the Church engaged and we can work together on this, I believe that it’s possible.”

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)

American Bible Society

Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)

The Digital Bible Library

Audio Video Translation Tool

Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)

LUMO Project Films

Faith Comes by Hearing (see our interview with VP Morgan Jackson)

Talking Bibles International

Trauma Healing Institute

IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)

ETEN Innovation Lab

The Finish Line Community Facebook Group

The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW

Matthew 13:1-23 | Parable of the Sower

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By The Finish Line Team

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