A Letter from Our Founders
Our Annual Impact Report contains an overview of the many ways our free Bible study resources are equipping Christian women to explore the beauty of God’s design for their lives. The Bible illuminates the way to the Father, reveals the gospel of Jesus Christ, and teaches us how to make the most of the time we have on earth.
We are on a mission to build a bridge between God’s people and God’s Word by providing accessible Bible study solutions for the digital age. But we can’t do this on our own. In order to continue to freely give our Bible studies away, we have to humbly ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to faithfully support the mission and vision of Living by Design Ministries.
When you financially support Living by Design Ministries, you’re partnering with us to equip women all over the world with free Bible study tools. We hope this report gives you insight into who we are and an understanding of how God is using this ministry for His glory.
We consider it our supreme privilege to cultivate a community that is committed to studying the Word and living out the truth of Scripture in their everyday lives. We pray the stories, statistics, and strategy you see in this report inspires you to join us in this important work!
Ryan & Sarah Koontz
Our Core Values
know the truth
We believe that God's Word is our ultimate source of truth, guiding us on the path of freedom (Jn 8:31-32). Our free Bible study resources equip women to diligently study and faithfully apply biblical truth to their lives.
be transformed by the truth
We believe that the Bible is an effective tool for the sanctification and the transformation of God's people (Jn 17:17). Our free Bible study resources encourage women to experience the life-changing power of God's Word.
share the truth in love
We believe that the Bible gives us wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15b). Our free Bible study resources help women grow in maturity and equip them to lovingly share their faith with others.
66% of our readers are from the USA
13.8% are from African countries, 8.14% are from Canada, the Uk, and Australia combined
77% of our Readers are women
According to the Barna Research Group and the Pew Internet Project:
between 2011-2018, the number of people searching for biblical content online increased by 15%.
Women are more likely than men to seek religious information online.
Women are enthusiastic online communicators and use e-mail in a more robust way than men.
Because of our Donors
30,386
free bible studies
have been delivered to inboxes around the world
13,361
soulfood e-mails
are sent to subscribers each week
145,500
readers from 165 countries
found biblical content on our blog in 2019
New Resources
january 2019
word30 challenge
WORD30 is 30-day cleanse of the things that distract us from spending time with God—a sacred invitation to break away from the status quo and make room for Jesus in our everyday lives. Our free 20-page challenge kit is packed with resources to help women grow their faith.
April 2019
RescYOUed Study
This is a free 30-day Bible study exploring the many ways God rescues His people from physical, emotional, and spiritual bondage. Each day we will study a different name of God and meet new biblical characters who experienced God’s divine rescue.
june 2019
Pray Like David Study
In the same way that children absorb and acquire language from their parents, participants learn the language of prayer by studying the Psalms of David during this free six-week Bible study. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the prayerbook of the Bible.
september 2019
Bible Study Challenge
This interactive challenge is packed with tips and resources to help women successfully commit to a Bible study routine, courageously invite others to join them for the journey, and actively seek to unite their hearts with other Christians.
2019 Financial Report
thank you for your donations!
We view our donors as partners and ambassadors of Living by Design Ministries. Thank you for joining us in the fight for Bible literacy around the globe. In 2019, we received financial donations from 216 families. Your faithful financial gifts came from 37 states and six different countries. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise 45% of our full operating budget this calendar year.
In 2018, we could only afford to pay 10% of staff salaries. In 2019, that number jumped to 45%. We are thanking God for the 83 individuals who decided to join our Discipleship Team by setting up a new monthly recurring gift in 2019. It is our hope and prayer that we will continue to see growth in this area in 2020, as we seek to inspire many individuals to invest a small amount each month into this vital ministry.
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What's Next for Living by Design Ministries?
Our Leadership Team has prayerfully committed to three areas of strategic focus over the next two years:
we will build systems to leverage our digital influence and reach more women with the powerful truth of god's word.
we will continue to develop and deliver high-quality, digital bible study resources to inboxes around the world.
we will seek to establish a light-weight, sustainable ministry model that will allow us to grow and flourish.
2019 Bible Literacy Projects
Giving by Design is the mission arm of Living by Design Ministries. Our goal is to invest 10% of the donations we receive from our Discipleship Team in Bible literacy projects around the world.
April 2019 – Asifiwe Lema, a school teacher in Tanzania, Africa, uses our free Bible study materials to teach religion to 800 students at Isaiah Samaritan School. Sadly, only eight of the eighty members of his church have personal Bibles, and there are no Bibles at school for the students to read for themselves. With the help of Asifiwe, Erick, and Pastor Sondus Sigallah, we were able to purchase and distribute several Bibles and Christian teaching resources to the local church and school.
August 2019 – We announced our financial partnership with Open Doors USA to provide persecuted Christians with much-needed Bibles—along with the training to read Scripture, preach from it, and tell others about Jesus!
November 2019 – We partnered with Bridges of Hope’s South Dakota-based education team to provide eighteen study Bibles for the teaching staff at Hope International Christian Academy in Liberia, West Africa.
If you would like to support this outreach of our non-profit ministry financially, we invite you to join our Discipleship Team by setting up a monthly recurring gift today.
Join Our Support Team
People are desperate for biblical truth, they just don’t know it until they experience it! We ask you to become an ambassador for this ministry, not only in word but also in deed. Here are three vital ways you can support the mission and vision of Living by Design Ministries.
Give
Even a small donation helps us in our mission to deliver free Bible studies to inboxes around the world.
Pray
We need your help in praying a hedge of protection around all our study participants, staff, and volunteers.
Grow
Grow with us by participating in our free Bible studies and help us grow by sharing our free resources with your friends.
Living by Design Ministries is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations beyond the value of the thank you gift are tax-deductible. 501(c)3 public charities are highly regulated entities. Strict rules apply to both the activities and the governance of these organizations. No part of the activities or the net earnings can unfairly benefit any director, officer, or any private individual.
