24.5 million

That’s how many audio and video files were downloaded from our website in the first 10 months of this fiscal year (July 2010-April 2011).

That’s almost 1 download per second 24 hours a day for 304 days.

To give you some perspective, from the day DG started in 1994 until the day in 2006 when we put all of our audio and video messages online for free, we did not even distribute a total of 500,000 tapes, CDs, and DVDs.

That’s less than 2% in 12 years of what we distributed in just 10 months of this year.

Two Reasons For This Rise

Why the exponential increase? There are two primary reasons.

First, the Internet is far more accessible to more people around the world than mail order or even radio ever was. This is why we invested in the Internet as our principal spreading medium.

Second, and this is the primary reason for the size of increase, these resources are free!

In deciding to offer these resources free online we took our cue from the Apostle Paul. He said,

What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge… that I might win more of them (1 Corinthians 9:18-19).

In order to avoid looking like a “peddler of God’s word” (2 Corinthians 2:17) and ensure a wider hearing, Paul resolved to do everything he could to present the gospel free.

And that’s why we love doing it, too. The vast majority of our resources are available free, and we have a whatever-you-can-afford policy for everything else.

God makes it possible for us to do this, just like he did for Paul, mainly through the generosity of others who believe in our mission. As John Piper says, “Generosity from Christians who believe in the free preaching of the gospel is the means of making the gospel free.”

Support Our Mission

As we approach the end of our fiscal year on June 30th, we need about $200,000 above projections to meet our budget. So we’re praying and simply putting out the word to our friends, knowing that God will, as he always does, supply our needs.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting us in this mission to present the gospel free of charge?

Thank you so much! Grace be with you.

Jon Bloom, President

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A Few Other Stats (YTD July-April):

  • 3.6 million website visitors (up 31% previous YTD)
  • 25% of website visits now coming from outside the US (232 countries & territories)
  • 409,000 books distributed
  • 850 translated online resources now available in over 40 languages
  • 4 new language DG websites released (Chinese, Czech, Spanish, Swahili)

To read more about our approach to ministry and finances, read Money, Markets, & Ministry: Giving and Selling in the Mission of Desiring God by John Piper & Jon Bloom.

Topic: Events & Announcements