Next Step is a minitry service of American Bible Society.

• Use of this site by churches or partners does require affirming the power of God to speak to every generation through the Bible but does not otherwise indicate an endorsement of the beliefs of American Bible Society (Section 2).
• Inclusion of a product on this site does not necessarily indicate the endorsement of the product by American Bible Society.
• Content posted to the site must adhere to the standards below in Section 3. All postings are subject to review and material in conflict with these standards may be removed at the sole discretion of American Bible Society.

The mission of American Bible Society is to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so all people may experience its life-changing message. American Bible Society carries out its mission by:

• Affirming the power of God to speak to every generation through the Scriptures.
• Providing translations and editions of the Scriptures that are faithful to the wording of the original language biblical texts.
• Working in partnership with Christian churches and other groups for whom the Bible is a unique and sacred document.
• Producing materials that invite people into an encounter with the Bible but that do not endorse any doctrinal position or interpretational approach.
• Using appropriate communication platforms, from print to digital and social media, that allow the Word of God to come alive in individual and public life.

In creating and developing Scripture resources, American Bible Society is not dependent on any specific creed, confession, or theology and affirms that it is the mission of the churches to explain, interpret, and apply the meaning of the Holy Scriptures. The Society seeks to be a faithful servant of the whole church, the Body of Christ.

At the heart of the Society is the belief that the Bible is an authoritative disclosure of God’s character and will, redemptive acts, and mandate for mission. To be understood, the Bible’s message must be applied in real-life situations. The Bible’s message is expressed through many different forms of writing and through the faith perspectives of the writers; therefore, Scripture resources, Bible helps, and Scripture engagement resources should illuminate literary forms and contexts as well as the author’s message.

The Society seeks to work with all Christian faith communities at the points where they use the Scriptures. The Society endeavors to help people understand how to draw an interpretation from Scripture without mandating any preferred conclusion. The Society sees this non-doctrinal stance as a significant strength in the pursuit of its mission.

In its own publishing, the Society refrains from endorsing the distinctive tenets of a particular denomination or theological tendency and, while it can suggest contemporary applications, does not prescribe any specific interpretations. Material that involves doctrinal issues is asked to reflect the generally accepted interpretations of texts among the churches and consideration of the best biblical scholarship.

Given the breadth and diversity​ of its audiences, American Bible Society will develop and endorse only products, publications, and communications that can be summarized as:

• Audience-appropriate. Addressing a general audience, or else addressing clearly identified target audiences with materials that are framed or adapted to reach each audience effectively and at an expected level of quality.
• Accurate and responsible. Maintain high standards of Scripture use, scholarly integrity, and responsible interpretation (in line with what could be called “generally accepted interpretations of the text”). Materials will open the Bible for people to encounter and will invite people to engage with its message.
• Interconfessional. Sensitive to and always respectful of the diversity of views within the Christian community regarding doctrine, theological stances, tone, and ways of approaching, interacting with, and applying the Bible.

American Bible Society does not endorse the doctrinal positions of any partner, but we do encourage and expect our partners to be candid about and confident in their own interpretive traditions as we all work to learn from each other and grow deeper in our encounter with the Bible and the God who speaks in its pages.

Partners are thus welcome to recommend products that feature approaches to the Scriptures that are informed by and aligned with their own tradition (Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Messianic, Anabaptist, and so on), even if they are potentially controversial.

Partners are asked to post only products that comply with these standards.

• Audience appropriate. Product descriptions and tags make it easy to identify the target audiences (age, sex, reading level, tradition) and especially any doctrinal emphasis or interpretive approach that is not generally accepted by all Christian traditions.
• Bible focused. Products posted are focused clearly on the Bible and its application, and only secondarily on theology, history, sociology, or other themes.
• Accurate. Promoted materials use the biblical text accurately and in context.
• Reading Scripture. Promoted content sustains confidence in the Scriptures as God’s Word and affirms the reader’s ability (with God’s guidance, over time, and in community with other believers and church leaders) to learn to understand and apply the Scriptures.
• Respectful. Products do not feature content that is unnecessarily divisive or in any way derogatory of adherents from any Christian tradition, nor of people who hold to various positions in doctrinal or political controversies.