Christian book publisher Zondervan is acquiring BibleGateway.com, a popular nonprofit Bible search engine, from Gospel Communications Inc. of Muskegon, Mich.
The sale includes the Bible search engine, which averages 6 million users each month, and Gospel.com, a central website for more than 250 Christian groups.
Eight employees involved in BibleGateway have been hired by Zondervan.
Zondervan CEO Moe Girkins commended Gospel Communications “for being ahead of the curve” in the mid-1990s. “They first had the vision to create a free, online Bible search tool that would include content from all of the key Bible publishers, would be functional and user-friendly, and would meet a felt need of those looking to explore God’s Word,” Girkins said.
Owned by HarperCollins, Zondervan expects to expand the Bible search site to incorporate more reference materials and study resources. (RNS)
