Newsboys partner with Zondervan and NIV Student Bible

Newsboys, Zondervan, and Sparrow Records have announced a partnership to promote biblical literacy starting this fall on the Newsboys’ Thrive Tour. The multi-faceted campaign will incorporate tour, retail, radio, and Internet promotion all focused on the central theme, “Thrive - It’s All In the Word.” The plan is designed to encourage youth to commit to Bible reading as the source strength, wisdom, and inspiration essential to growth as a Christian. The word thrive means to grow stronger, to endure. The means to thrive as a Christian is God’s Word.

The importance of getting youth involved in Bible reading is something church leaders know very well, a need documented through data from Barna Research Group:

• Only 35% of teens read the Bible each week, not including when they are in church (1999).
• Two out of three teens (65%) say that the devil is not a living being but is a symbol of evil. (2000)
• Three out of five teens (61%) agree that “if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven." (2000)
• Slightly more than half (53%) say that Jesus committed sins while He was on earth. (2000)
• 30% of teens believe that all religions are really praying to the same God, they are just using different names for God. (1999)
• In total, 83% of teens maintain that moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only 6% believe that moral truth is absolute. (2001)
• Only 9% of born again teens believe in moral absolutes. (2001)
• The “Thrive - It’s All In the Word” campaign will feature Zondervan’s NIV Student Bible using its study helps and reading plans to increase teen Bible reading. Newsboys front man Peter Furler, a longtime NIV Student Bible reader, takes this opportunity to encourage Bible reading as more than a campaign, but a calling.

“I’m a great believer in reading the Word of God, “ says Furler. "Without reading and knowing the Word, you can’t know the voice of the Good Shepherd.”

As part of “Thrive - It’s All In the Word,” Sparrow Records will provide radio stations with special public service announcements voiced by Furler, incorporating a devotional message with a challenge to thrive in the Word.

Throughout the Thrive Tour, Newsboys will encourage young people to www.newsboys.com to begin their journey as a student of the Word. Concertgoers will receive a free Book of Romans from the NIV Student Bible, courtesy of Zondervan. The giveaway will also direct teens to the Newsboys website.

John Sawyer, Vice President of Bible Marketing at Zondervan: “Bible reading is essential for spiritual growth. The Newsboys have experienced the power of God’s Word to transform their own lives and now have a personal passion to get the young people who attend their concerts into Scripture. We are thrilled to partner with them on this effort. We pray that many students will 'thrive' by getting into God’s Word.”

At www.newsboys.com, visitors can link to a special Thrive - It’s All In the Word page where they can sign up to join others in a commitment to read their Bible daily. All that will be required is their name and city. Once they register, their name and city will be added to a national list of those who have already registered. Having signed the commitment, they will be allowed to download tools for study, including a reading plan from the NIV Student Bible.

To further promote the impact of the campaign through retail, Sparrow Records and Zondervan will cross promote Thrive music and the NIV Student Bible in appropriate product promotions and through in-store merchandising.

"Through the years, I've been privileged to work with music that is Christ centered and firmly rooted in God's Word,” says Peter York, President of Sparrow Records. “As a label, we truly support the passion of the Newsboys to get people reading God's Word. It was clear with their album Thrive that God was doing something fresh with these guys, and it was equally clear that their music reflected time spent in the scriptures. Working in concert with Newsboys and Zondervan to promote biblical literacy is not only consistent with our corporate mission, it is the core of our calling as people of God to take His Word to the uttermost places."

The driving force behind the campaign is the desire of Newsboys, Zondervan, and Sparrow Records is to inspire, encourage, and challenge those they reach with a message that encourages them to read the Bible and ultimately grow in Christ. Combating biblical ignorance can only be done when teens find truth in scripture.

Tour dates and locations are available at http://www.newsboys.com.

Author Brennan Manning said, “The Gospel will persuade no one unless it has so convicted us that we are transformed by it.” Conviction comes from confrontation. Confrontation only comes from a conscience that hears the voice of the Good Shepherd, and that, the Word of God.