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Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
As they lead people into deeper relationships with Christ, they want to direct them toward biblical resources. But, they don’t always have the bandwidth to create as many materials as they’d like.
That’s where YouVersion Plans come in. Bible Plans are daily portions of Scripture paired with devotional content. Plans are relevant, manageable, high impact, and low effort. With over 10,000 Plans covering topics such as relationships, anxiety, depression, and finances, you can find plenty of options that will help lead people to pursue daily intimacy with God.
City First uses Bible Plans to help them tackle a number of their ministry objectives. Plans create opportunities to equip new believers, extend the impact of their weekly services, and train their team.
Keep reading to learn three ways City First is integrating Plans on a regular basis, and consider using some of their techniques for your own ministry.
City First includes language about YouVersion in their first-time attender gift, helping ensure that someone new to faith (or to City First) has immediate access to a digital Bible and devotional content.
City First also includes information about Plans at the end of their online and in-person services, and during Growth Track, their next steps class. This offers people convenient, attainable ways to build a Bible habit, and Plans with Friends help them get plugged into biblical community.
For some sermon series, City First encourages people to go through a Plan together that reinforces the teaching points of each weekly message. For example, they recently used Life.Church’s 7-day Temptation Plan with a series about the same topic.
This approach helps their church get more from the message, engaging them with the content (well beyond one hour a week). It also serves as an accessible way for everyone—from new believers to people who have been Christians for decades—to get involved in City First’s community, since anyone can read the Plan and join in the corresponding discussion each week.
City First directs people to read Plans following both their online and in-person services, in addition to linking specific Plans directly on their app and website. That means that wherever, however, and whenever people are watching, City First is able to encourage them to take steps to immerse themselves in Scripture.
Recently, the staff at City First was going through Before the Cross: The Life of Jesus as a team. They read the daily Scripture and devotional separately, then discussed the content at their weekly staff meetings. City First uses Plans to foster meaningful discussion and personal growth among their church leaders.
We live in a world obsessed with technology and content. But, what if your ministry could capitalize on that to lead people to Jesus? Plans can help people feel seen, valued, and connected. They can help start meaningful relationships and conversations. And, Plans can do all of that with the devices we carry everywhere we go.
“It’s about helping people grow spiritually. People just need to grow in their relationship with Jesus. If we can provide the tools people need to develop that, that’s winning.”
