YouVersion - More Than a Bible App with Nqobile Ngcobo | Opening the Way | Harvesters Ministries

What if the Bible could reach someone exactly where they are? 

Today on Opening the Way, we're joined by Nqobile Ngcobo from YouVersion to explore how technology is helping millions of people engage with God's Word every single day. 

From Bible translations in heart languages to reading plans that disciple believers across the globe, this conversation is full of hope for what God is doing through ordinary people and extraordinary partnerships. 

We talk about: 
Nqobile Ngcobo's Journey and how Jesus changed her life.
Why Scripture is more accessible than ever before.
How technology can become a tool for discipleship.
The heart behind the YouVersion Bible App.
Building partnerships to reach every tribe, tongue and nation.
How YOU can be part of making God's Word available to more people. 

Whether you've used the Bible App for years or you've never opened it before, this conversation will encourage you to engage with Scripture in a fresh way. 

📖 Watch the full episode now. 

Important Links:
If you would like to get involved

South Africa: 
Please email southafrica@youversion.com 
or visit https://youversion.com/hub/south-africa for more information

Other Countries:
https://www.youversion.com/
https://www.youversion.com/volunteers/localization-team

Harvesters Ministries is a church-planting organisation dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission. For over 25 years, we have been training pastors, evangelising the lost, discipling believers, planting churches and distributing Bibles. Operating in more than 90 countries, our vision is to plant 1 million churches by 2030, opening the way for the world to know Jesus. 

To learn more about Harvesters, visit our website: www.harvestersministries.com

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Discover stories of impact: https://www.harvestersministries.com/en/category/stories-from-the-field/

Transcript

Jade 0:30

Hello and welcome to the Opening the Way podcast. It's so good to have you guys back. And today in studio, I'm very excited for the conversation that we're about to have with a harvester's friend and a partner, Hung Bile, from UVersion. It is so lovely to have you here today. Welcome to the studio.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Thank you. It's so good to be with you guys. It's been great to get to know you guys and to be invited to speak a little bit more about what we do and how we partner together.

Jade 0:58

And we're going to get into that a little bit more today. But before we get straight into the real real questions, we're just going to have some fun with a little bit of icebreaker questions that will also help our audience to get to know you a little bit better.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Amazing.

Jade 1:14

So straight off the bat, mountain or beach?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

I'm going to say beach.

Jade 1:19

Okay. Beach girly.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yes. I grew up in Durban. Oh, lovely. So I'm definitely more of a beach girl.

Jade 1:26

Wonderful. Sun, sea, sand, all of the above. And then speaking of beach, but going a little bit more like South African based in terms of Cape Town or Joburg.

unknown 1:41

I don't know.

Jade 1:42

Which one do you prefer?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

This is a bit controversial because I'll say Joburg.

Jade 1:46

Really?

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Okay, so you love the beach, but you don't enjoy Cape Town. Yeah, yeah. No, I just love the vibe of Joburg, the energy. Cape Town is beautiful though, and it's home. But I do love Joburg.

Jade 1:58

It's true. Joburg's got that hustle and bustle city vibe. Things are happening. Nice. And so uh favorite food? Are you a foodie? Like, do you enjoy good food? What is your favorite spot? What is your favorite meal?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I don't know if I'm necessarily a foodie, but I do really love Asian food. So I'm gonna say ramen or not at the moment. Um, so I love going to different restaurants to try ramen, especially in Cape Town because there's so many different spots, such an international cuisine.

Jade 2:26

So absolutely like that. Oof, that sounds so good. Can we go for some afterwards? Definitely, definitely. Let's go, let's go. Vanilla or chocolate? I'll say chocolate. Okay. Yay! Chocolate. Nice. And then just going a little bit more into depth, what is your most listened to worship song right now?

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Um, you know, there's a song called Gratitude. There's different artists who've covered it differently, but at the moment, that's a song that I've listened to a lot. I really, really love it. Um, and then the other one is Flowers. I think it's by Samantha Eggbert. I was certainly wrong. But I just wanted so beautiful at the moment. So those are the two worship songs on Rapine at the moment for me.

Jade 3:08

Wonderful. Obviously, gratitude, also family favorite for me. Love it. Never heard flowers before. So I'm just immediately checking it out after this. And then, as you are the lady from you version and it's all about the word, it's scripture. I need to know. I'm dying to know. Yeah, what is your favorite scripture?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Really good. Uh, my favorite scripture is John 3, 16. And it's one of my favorites because it for me it really encompasses kind of the mercy of God, but I also love the context that the verse takes place in, where Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. And when I think about that entire interaction of Nicodemus coming to Jesus and him saying, you know, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that we would not perish but have eternal life. I don't know, for me, it constantly strikes me as a powerful moment of Jesus speaking directly to me about his sacrifice, but also think about how transformative that statement of that moment is in the life of the church as a Christian. So that's my favorite.

Jade 4:14

That's so insightful. And I think a lot of people, John 3.16, we all know it, but your approach to why that scripture means a lot to you, the fact that it's within the context of Nicodemus kind of having this revelation of who Jesus the Son is. That's so amazing the way you describe it. Because I think a lot of us love taking scripture sometimes out of context because it is personal, the Bible is also personal and it can have personal meaning, but it's wonderful to see how that scripture is both personal and within context, so meaningful to you, and that's amazing. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, if you could be a Bible character or if there's a Bible character that you say you would relate most to, who would it be?

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Um, sure. I think there's so many different characters and different moments of my life that I would relate to. Um but uh as I was thinking about what character I relate to at the moment, I think it's that um when Andrew is sort of uh Andrew, Peter's brother, sorry, Peter's brother, but how he is sort of seeking Jesus in such a um beautiful and vulnerable and authentic way. But what I love more is like his interaction with Jesus and Jesus like come and see, you know, that kind of approach of like just come and see. Um, and also we think, you know, if it wasn't for Andrew, would it would that moment with Peter have happened? And just that idea of like we just have this opportunity to invite people to know to come and see Jesus. So that's who I'll I'll share today. But tomorrow I'm probably gonna relate to somebody else.

Jade 5:56

Well, that's perfect for today. And speaking of what he did and Jesus meeting with his brother, um, and kind of what that would mean for his brother Simon later, who is Jesus to you?

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Sure. Um I think Jesus is just you know, my savior, but in a real sense of like I really connect with the mercy of God through the person of Jesus. And Jesus for me is the embodiment of how much how how much I'm loved by God. Um, you know, so yes, the the kind of character definition appears the savior, the lord of all, the son of God, but in a real way, when I think about Jesus, I think about the love of God looking upon me with mercy, and that's who Jesus is to me. Sure.

Jade 6:54

Beautiful speaking of Jesus. Tell us a little bit about who Kombile is and how Jesus found you. How did he's mercy on that love you speak of? Because obviously there's a story behind that, right? But tell us a little bit about who you are, what your story is, and how Jesus found you.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Thank you. Um I Mobile and I grew up in Durban, um, as I shared before. I I was really fortunate in that I grew up in a Christian home. Uh it's a real blessing. I say that the first gift uh my family gave me was the gift of faith. And so from a young age, I always knew that God loved me. Um but I and I loved church and I loved um kind of saying and then you know, um, but it was real community for me, church, you know. I think sometimes it's more going for like the people, you know, friends than the people you'd see. But I will say that when I was 16 years old, um, we moved to a new city. We actually moved to Pretoria, and it was the first time I was taken out of my environment of comfort, and I had to make new friends and build a new life, and it was really a season of like figuring myself out. And um, I ended up going to a church camp that year and in Pretoria, and there were these amazing young leaders on the camp, and it wasn't so much just how great they were, it was the fact that they were talking about how much Jesus loved them in a personal way, and I think for the first time it was like, wow, like it's not only that I'm loved by God, but that God really wants to know me and that He does know me and He's inviting me in a personal way. And so how I describe it is it went from you know, someone saying, you know, God loves you to hearing God say, I love you. Beautiful. And that was really a big shift for me. And I was 16 years old. And from then I just was like, whatever God wants me to do, I'll do it, I'll be on mission, I'll I'll go and and preach this to the to the ends of the earth. Um, and so that was really a huge turning point moment of really being deepened in my prayer life, in my love for scripture, and in really wanting to discover how it is that I could serve God in my life. Um, so yeah, that's that's kind of my faith journey. And since then, it's a continued journey of growing and learning and figuring out how to be a disciple through the ups and downs of life. Um, but continuing to be grateful for the fact that I was able to know the love of God and how much he loved me from a young age.

Jade 9:30

And tell us a little bit about um your work and your calling. So obviously, you know, we know now you are working with you version, but was ministry always something since that age, since the time when you felt the Lord speaking to you, saying, I love you, I have purpose for you. Was there something that just clicked inside of you that went, This is what I want to do? Or was it a gradual journey to where you are now, working with the word, working with people, you know, I mean, in his kingdom, sharing the word, showing people Jesus, that relationship with them, very much like the example you used. Um, how did that come to be?

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Yeah, it was definitely gradual. Uh, people are always surprised, but I went to university and I studied geology. So cool! Have a degree in geology. Nice. Um, I come from a family of real academic people. And so for me, that was just like that's what you do. You're gonna go and do like something in science and or something academic. And so I did a degree in geology, but while I was at university, I began to volunteer in our church's youth ministry program, and I fell in love with youth ministry and journeying with young people, which is so interesting because I remember in high school, if you'd said to me, Would you ever like want to be a high school teacher? I would have been like, No, never. But uh, when I was at university, I just loved being able to journey with uh the teenagers um in our church and our community and really uh introduce them to Jesus, but also empower them to invite their friends to church and to disciple their friends. And so when I graduated, I actually went into youth ministry. Um and so that was really where ministry opened up for me. And I was a youth minister for a number of years at our church, and then that just led me into God really giving me a heart for okay, how did how can we equip people uh to be better at inviting their friends to church? And so that led me to a ministry that was more around evangelism, and then you know, how is it that we can journey with people as they do ministry? And that led me to a different uh kind of ministry in the Christian world, um, until getting to this point where it is the coming together of my love for the word of God and equipping people uh to disciple that led me to stepping into this role as the Hub Leader for You version.

Jade 11:56

Beautiful. Oh my word, and so stunning. I definitely share love with the youth uh with you. That is something that just truly makes my heart tick. And I think a lot of people misunderstand the youth, yeah, especially the youth of today, you know, and it's so great to just hear a fellow sister in Christ being passionate about just, you know, being being a it's like being a big sister for them, and they are really inclined to hear what people have to say, if people would just be more willing to to kind of just invite them in, yes, hear what they have to say and share stories. And so it's so great. And this tool, U-Version, I mean, what an incredible 21st century tool on how to evangelize, how to get people to the word. Uh, I think not a lot of people realize how incredibly important it is to have modern technology integrated with the Bible and how this opens up the word for the whole world and especially connecting with a lot of the younger generation in a way that is attuned also to them. Um, so just hats off incredible and wonderful. Congratulations on this role and you know, this position that you're in. And I I do believe you guys also recently opened up a branch in Cape Town. Were you always stationed here, or did that mean you had to kind of pack a bag and also come cross country for for this?

SPEAKER_00 13:26

No, I mean, I think in in God's wisdom, he moved me down to Cape Town a few years ago. So I was in the I was in the right place at the right time, as he will did. But you're absolutely right. We were able to to open up an office here in South Africa um a few months ago. And so we've been together, building a team and building up partnerships here, which I think we're gonna we're gonna get into as well.

Jade 13:48

And speaking of partnerships, so you actually joined us at our recent office opening with Harvester's Ministries here in Cape Town as well. And so we kind of share that, you know, building up uh, you know, teams within um certain areas and not that uh Francho would say this as well. You've you've met and spoken with Franchot, that's how the connection started. But you know, not that an office is ever meant to kind of um limit people to a certain place or a building, that the mission is still always out there. But amazing to hear that you know, you guys have started this team in South Africa and you're building up this new team together with UVersion and Life Church. And it's it's incredibly exciting and encouraging, and I'm very excited to hopefully have you here uh, you know, maybe a few months later, and yeah, all the things that you guys have just achieved in this um, you know, move and opening in Cape Town alone. But speaking of partnerships, how important are partnerships to UVersion and the work that you do? Does it go hand in hand with your mission and your vision? Um tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Yeah, that's so good. Partnerships are incredibly important for us as UVersion. I think we we can't exist without partnerships in many ways. Number one, I think this is how we build the kingdom, right? Is by working together. Um and we really have that as a strong value, but also because at the end of the day, like we're just a platform, right? Without partners, um, we we won't have the ability to have Bible translations on the app or amazing reading plans from around the world. And we want to build partnerships locally because we know that there are people in churches and ministries and individuals who are on the front lines of engaging with people. They know what's happening in their local community, in their local environment. Um, you know, a youth minister in um Fridahook will have a much better understanding of what the young people in their community are thinking and wrestling with than we can, uh, being removed from there, or someone who says, Hey, I really have a heart for creating reading plans in Zulu or Posa, and really is able to break open the scriptures in their heart language that will speak so much more deeply to a native Zulu speaker or Posa speaker. And so partnerships for us is how we build the kingdom and how we open up the accessibility of the app to more people. Because at the end of the day, one of our big key aspirations is for people when they engage with scripture through the app, for it to really feel personal, right? God is speaking to you. So imagine if you're able to open it up and you're able to read the Bible in your home or heart language, you're able to do a reading plan that is speaking to the specific uh situation that you're going through. And so we've already started building partnerships with yourselves and other churches and individuals in South Africa who are saying, Yes, I'm so excited about this. You want to figure out how we can also use this tool to reach more people so that more people can engage with God's word every day.

Jade 17:10

Beautiful. Really bringing home the concept of the fact that the word is for every tribe, tongue, and nation. Absolutely. So is Jesus. And it's wonderful that you guys are a core part of bringing the word, like you said, breaking it open in every person's tongue across the globe, which is very, very exciting. So, what would you say do people need to know about UVersion and new technologies like that? Is it something that people should be intimidated about, or is there actually so much value behind uh, you know, the Bible on your phone? And is it just the Bible or is it more than that?

SPEAKER_00 17:56

I mean, I think the incredible thing about technology today is that in our pockets we have the ability to do so much, right? We can do banking trans uh trans um, what is it, transitions, or you know, we can uh we can uh look online, we can research things, we can shop, but we can also access scripture from our pockets by taking out our phones. And that's the incredible advancement of technology is that it's allowed us to reach people in a different way, but also importantly, it allows us to take a tool that can be a tool for distraction and turn it into a tool for discipleship. And that's the real power of technology. Um, it can be intimidating for some people, but I think it's really about embracing the fact that if we have the opportunity to use this tool to reach more people, reach more widely into context that we couldn't even imagine. Let's make use of it. And so for us at UVersion, um, the Bible app was really about uh answering a question. Uh, you know, what if you were sitting in the airport and you wanted to read the Bible? Imagine if you could just do it through your phone. And that's really been the journey of the Bible app for us is to say, how can we make it easy to access scripture, easy to access reading plans, and easy to create a habit of daily engagement with scripture. This is not to replace any other form of discipleship, it's to enhance discipleship. Um, and so when we partner with churches and ministries, what we're saying is here is a way for you to connect with your community online through the app, and here's a way for you to journey in discipleship, to deepen discipleship through scripture on the app and reach people who already are using this every day. Yes. Um, let's allow them to also use it as a way of growing closer to Jesus through the word of God.

Jade 19:48

So good. And um, your mic drop moments just in that sentence alone. One thing that's really becoming clear to me, and I really would love for our audience to grasp this as well, is just how truly engaging it is, and that it's not something that we necessarily need to fear, but you were using the word multiple times in your sentence, and that's the word discipleship. And I think a lot of people misconstrued or misunderstand that this is not meant to be something that keeps you alone in your room in a corner, it actually can encourage discipleship, it can encourage your growth with Jesus as one of his disciples, right? And even help friends connect because, on a plan, you can do a plan with your friend or your friends for that matter. So it's just wonderful to kind of look at it in that perspective and kind of realize well, you know, people sometimes fear the new, people sometimes don't know how this thing called the Bible is going to be integrated with this modern day and age. Is there going to be a need for the Bible? Is it falling away? Is the phones replacing it? No, it's enhancing it. You said it so beautifully. And speaking of being a global organization, connecting with global partnerships in all kinds of different languages and people within their communities, which is amazing to hear, I'm sure you have a lot of global challenges too, right? So let's be real for a moment and talk a little bit about what are some of those challenges that you guys do face as an organization and how you navigate them.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yeah. Such a good question. I mean, obviously, we're an app and so we are a uh you know technology platform that needs data and access to internet. And we know that that's not as widely accessible around the world and an equal measure around the world. And so, you know, one of the things that uh we did as an organization is we created a kind of low data, low connectivity version of the Bible app called the Bible. And actually, it's the kind of engagement and research on it in South in Africa that led to its creation and its enhancement and now it's serving the world. And it's available for Android users. But that's one of the ways in which it's around saying, okay, how can we listen to the user, listen to what are the challenges they're facing, what are the barriers to accessing scripture there? And let's come up with a solution that can serve people so that our mission, which is to see everyone everywhere engaging with scripture every day, can truly be lived out. So that's just one example. And I think that it's it's really exciting to be able to serve users in that way. So that nothing becomes a barrier to accessing the word of God in this way.

Jade 22:45

This is fantastic. And I think this is some of the things that we've seen in some of our partners globally as well. Is there's yes, we live in a modern era, but not everyone always has connection and access. And how do we overcome that? So it's so incredible. I mean, I I didn't even know about UVersion Light. And it's so encouraging to hear that we have these things that are being developed right from uh, you know, research done within our continent, and to know that it's like you said, it's becoming more and more access accessible for everyone for everyday use. And it's wonderful to note that it doesn't need to just stop with um the app and its usage, but it can also develop whatever challenges there are, let's find a solution, let's let's do something about it. So speaking of you know, global connection, improving, advancing, and all the partnerships, right? But if people want to get involved with u version, how can they do that? If it's about truly being, you know, connected to people within their communities who understand context and culture and language and tongue. How do people get involved with you guys? And is there is there a real need within u version for that?

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Yeah, it's such a great question. I mean, we are here as a team to build partnerships. Um, you know, in South Africa alone, we have just over 30 million installs of the Bible app.

Jade 24:19

Brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

So people are seeking. And so what we want to do is build partnerships locally so that we have more local content. And there's a number of ways people can partner with us. Whether you're a church or a ministry, you can have a presence on the app so that you can have uh your congregation or people who follow your ministry be able to follow the page. You can become a content partner and create plans. Um, so you'll know on the Bible app you can access scripture, but you can also do different reading plans that help you maybe dive deeper into a book of the Bible or into a topic that you're wrestling with. And if you're able to use scripture to journey through that, um, but even for individuals, I mean, there are so many amazing people who are in the business world or who are musicians or creatives, or you know, just uh a parent navigating what it is to parent well with the heart of Christ, who through their prayer, the Lord is inspiring them to create reading plans that that might serve even just one other person navigating that. And so those are different ways that we can partner with people who want to help us create content on the app to journey with people. But ultimately, even if you are a user of the app and you use it every day, you know, there is an incredible opportunity for you to invite another person into scripture and into the word of God, whether that's sharing a verse or inviting them to do a plan with you. Maybe you do it with your small group or a few of your friends at work. Um, and so there's so many different ways in which you can uh share scripture, share that journey with those around you. So we really encourage people, you know, get in touch with us, get in touch with our team. If you want to partner with us, um we are really passionate about building up partnerships here. Um and again, you said, you know, people know their local context and local languages. So if you are passionate about creating content in your own home language, uh currently the Bible on the app is available in all the South African languages. And we need more plans in those languages as well. So whether you uh speak Afrikaans, we sure's vendor, whatever it is, and you have a heart and feel a stirring, or you know someone who you go, that person would be great. Uh, it really encouraged them to get in touch with us and create some plans on the app.

Jade 26:39

Yeah, this is incredibly exciting. Just hearing you speak makes me kind of want to jump out of my seat and say, let's go. Yeah, let's go get the people. Where are they? No, but this is wonderful and um very, very exciting too, because there's so much room still for growth. And people might look at this app and think, oh, okay, everything that this company needs, they've got it, it's all figured out, all of the content is just being made by them and it's all done and they've got what they need, they've got all the resources. But you might be sitting there today in South Africa speaking one of our official languages and going, Oh my word, well, I never knew it's actually so partnership integrated. And if the Lord's really unctioning you in your heart right now, if you you know really feel him speaking to you, get in touch. You know, we'll we'll add those details in our descriptions for those who partner with you guys. But man oh man, how cool is it that um you version is actually a community, yeah, because there's all these different people in all these different countries and all these different languages coming together for a collective mission to spread the gospel, to make disciples, to teach others what Jesus taught us. And essentially, there's a whole U version community out there that's just um, you know, waiting for more to come in and be part of this community.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

Absolutely. And I and I just want to add, you know, I've spoken a lot about South Africa because obviously I leave South African hub, but we have global teams being formed around the world. And I know that your network and people here around the world or know people around the world. And so I would encourage you in the same way that if you're sitting in another country and you go, Wait, how can I take part? It's in the exact same way. If you want to create plans or if you want to create plans in that language, uh, get in touch with us and we'll connect you to the either the relevant local office or you can do it through our team as well. And so I just wanted to add that to make sure that you know everyone knows that uh we were wanting to build an app that feels personal to everyone everywhere.

Jade 28:52

Brilliant. Thank you so much. And I I really want to just you know give you an opportunity before we end of the conversation. I mean, if we had unlimited time, we could sit and talk all day. Um, but if there's one thing that you really just want to leave with others, one word of advice or a word of encouragement, um, please, you know, we'd we we really just want to give you the opportunity to do that today.

SPEAKER_00 29:18

Oh, thank you. I mean, I think really is to say that the the word of God is alive and active and it's growing, and people are seeking the word of God. Um, you know, in 2026, South Africa, we've had the highest days of engagement in this year alone on the beautiful, and actually the highest day of engagement was Good Friday. Amazing. So people are seeking the word of God. Yes, they're they're asking questions, they're searching around anxiety and peace. Um, and that's really exciting. And we have the opportunity to respond to that uh by number one, creating content that meets their need or simply sharing a verse with someone in a moment of encouragement. Um, so for you personally, I would say if you haven't opened up scripture today, do it. This book breathes life, and the Lord is waiting to breathe life into you through those words, but also the Lord is inviting you to share it with other people. And so really take that step, as simple as sharing a verse or doing a plan with a friend, um, to invite somebody else into the fullness of what it is to live with God through his word so that they too might be able to experience that in their own lives. Yeah, beautiful.

Jade 30:29

Thank you so, so much. It's been an absolute joy having you here today. And I'm sure we'll see each other again, you know, with all of the partnering and everything that's going on, which it's just been fantastic having you in studio today. And um, we're excited to welcome you or the team back anytime soon. And hopefully we can come visit you guys sometime, you know. So we're we're looking forward to that. And so for all of you guys who joined us today, thank you so much for listening to this conversation. And as you've heard, if you're sitting somewhere in the world going, wow, the Lord's really knocking on my heart to get in touch, to share plans, to share in my language uh resources that could really help advance the kingdom. We'll put some links in the description below and how you can get in touch. And if you'd like to know a bit more about Harvester's ministries, we also have some information down below that will share a bit more about our vision, our mission, and how we can advance the kingdom together in partnership. Bless you. Have a wonderful day. Thank you for joining us on opening the way. If this conversation meant something to you today, please take a moment to like and subscribe the channel on whichever platform you're listening from. So you never miss a conversation, whether it be from the field or with various professionals. And if you'd like to learn more about harvesters, the work we're doing, or even the guests that we had on today, check out the links in the description below and visit our website. Until next time, trust that the Lord is opening the way.