American Bible Society’s New President Wants Bible on Smartphones and Social Media

As a former missionary for the Presbyterian Church in America, then as the trainer of pastors throughout Asia, Douglas Birdsall learned the power of staying quiet.

He arrived in Tokyo at age 26, a newlywed sent by the Presbyterian Church USA to evangelize in a Buddhist land growing in economic might. At first Mr. Birdsall had to stay mum because he didn’t speak Japanese. In time he learned the language, as well as the strength to hold still, letting others say their piece, especially when people were upset.

When Mr. Birdsall was at a conference in Thailand in 2004, a man approached him full of fury. Instead of being defensive, Mr. Birdsall said he did what came naturally at that point: He bowed and repeated, “I’m very sorry.”

“I realized the most important thing was not factual information. He was feeling a sense of offense,” Mr. Birdsall, now 59, recalls. “What that demonstrates is a capacity, a desire, to honor another person and obviously a spirit that elevates another person.”

He is about to use the cultural knowledge acquired from his decades spent living and traveling in Asia in a new way: In March he will become president of the American Bible Society, a Christian ministry that strives to make the Bible available to every person in the world. He will succeed Lamar Vest, president since 2009, who announced his retirement a year ago.

Pieter Dearolf, chairman of the society’s board, says Mr. Birdsall was a unanimous choice because of his global experience and his theological depth. “He is well recognized in the global community that we serve,” Mr. Dearolf says.

Mr. Birdsall will be expected to reach out to major donors as well as to write articles for direct-mail appeals and the charity’s Web site. With an annual budget of $80-million, the nonprofit’s 200 employees work to translate and update the Bible into every language and distribute editions especially to people in Africa, China, India, and the Middle East. The Bible has yet to be translated into 2,000 languages, he says.

Leading by Example

But that doesn’t mean that the charity is solely focused on international work, he says.

“One of the priorities is to make sure every language has the Bible, that every nation has access,” Mr. Birdsall says. “In this country, where the Bible is less and less read, it’s important to join with churches, with youth organizations, and with publishing houses to make the Bible more accessible to young people.”

One of the nonprofit’s newest priorities is to ensure that the Bible is available on tablets, smartphones, and social media. The society recently began broadcasting Biblical messages on a Jumbotron in Manhattan.

He sees his work as more than just handing out reading material. Being a Christian, he says, means he has to lead by example. “When I was a young missionary, I knew the way I conducted myself had a greater impact than what I said,” Mr. Birdsall says. “When you see humility, striving, integrity—that commands people’s respect.”

He will be moving to New York, a place where quiet is at a premium. He will miss hiking in the woods of Massachusetts. But there’s one hobby he might take with him: In Japan, he learned the art of bonsai from a neighbor. The Japanese, he notes, “could create beauty in very small spaces.”

Douglas Birdsall, president, American Bible Society

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Wheaton College; master of divinity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; master of theology, Havard University; doctoral candidate, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, in England.

Career highlights: Executive chairman, the Lausanne Movement; founding director, the J. Christy Wilson Jr. Center for World Missions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Trained pastors for Asian Access, an evangelical organization. Served as a missionary in Japan for the Presbyterian Church USA.

Salary: Mr. Birdsall says his pay has not yet been determined.