The Gideons Keep Spreading the Gospel One Bible, One Room at a Time
Ever met a Gideon? Know anything about their core beliefs? Their religious ambitions? Their impact?
In a world virtually awash with often in-your-face religious groups intent on showing the weary the way, Gideons stand out for being the only ones sung about by The Beatles in "Rocky Raccoon" who still somehow remain divinely unsung.
"Most people are not aware of who we are or what we do, and I think people would be surprised to learn the global impact of the Gideons on behalf of the Lord," said Jim Seluta, a former Eastman-Kodak traveling salesman who in 1977 became a Christian and a Gideon because of a Bible he'd overlooked hundreds of times.
"That Gideon Bible in the drawer at the Sheraton Inn in Sturbridge, Mass., room 312, saved my life."
The Gideons are likely the most influential religious movement that is based not in a soaring house of worship but in a former tire manufacturing headquarters.
Bibles, Not Blimps
Since their founding by Christian traveling businessmen in 1899, Gideons have distributed more than 1.6 billion Bibles to 193 countries in more than 90 languages.
And they're just getting started.
"We'll likely reach the 2 billion mark within the next few years," said Gideon International spokesman Woody Murray, from the old Bridgestone-Firestone headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., the organization has occupied since 2003 (tours available).
Each Bible costs the Gideons about $5.
Operating purely on donations, with no advertising or vast Internet outreach -- there's no Gideon blimp -- the Gideon way works precisely because Gideons ignore a golden rule of sound business practices.
"Most marketers are seeking a return on investment that's far higher than what the Gideons accept," said Seth Godin, a marketing expert and author of 13 bestselling books. "They are using a different sort of balance sheet, so they can overspend and be delighted with a .1 percent 'conversion' rate, if you'll excuse my use of the word 'conversion' in this case."
The Gideons make no bones that their idea of conversion rates differ vastly from that of a typical accountant.
Bibles and pocket-sized New Testaments are given away to hotels, motels, prisons and hospitals at a rate of 2.5 every second of every day -- 1.5 million per week -- with the hope that souls are bound to be saved.