Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation

What Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation does

The Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation is a U.S. private nonprofit foundation founded in 2017 by Rosemary McEachern Jensen to place Bibles and theological commentaries in the hands of African pastors, church leaders, seminary students, and children who otherwise cannot afford them. The foundation is single-purpose — Bible distribution — and does not sell product; instead it raises charitable contributions from individual donors and ministry partners to procure and distribute Scripture. It partners with Ligonier Ministries (since October 2017) and Crossway (since 2022) for publishing and sourcing of Bibles and study Bibles, and partners with the Rafiki Foundation for on-the-ground distribution logistics across ten African countries (Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia).

The foundation's distribution model is channel-driven rather than technology-driven. Bibles flow through three primary channels: 30+ African Protestant denomination networks, the Rafiki Training Villages in the ten operating countries, and 35+ African seminaries. As of April 2026, the foundation had distributed more than 525,000 Bibles through this model. The foundation has no proprietary technology platform, no app, and no API; its primary digital surface is its informational website (rosemaryjensenbiblefoundation.org).

The foundation's revenue model is donations and charitable contributions — there is no commercial pricing because Bibles are provided at no cost to recipients. The foundation's scale is small operationally, and its headcount, financials, and donor pipeline are not publicly disclosed. Rosemary Jensen served as President until 2023 when she became President Emerita; she passed away on May 31, 2026, and the foundation continues to operate.

Name

Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation

Legal name

Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation

Website

https://rosemaryjensen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation is a 2017-founded U.S. nonprofit that funds and distributes Bibles and theological commentaries to African pastors, church leaders, seminary students, and children across ten African countries, sourcing through Ligonier Ministries and Crossway and distributing via the Rafiki Foundation network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Nonprofit / Bible Distribution Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Bible distribution
• Religious nonprofit
• Theological resources
• Pastoral education
• Charity ministry

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation raises funds from individual donors, ministry partners, and supporters to purchase and distribute Bibles and commentaries to African churches and seminaries. Revenue comes entirely from charitable contributions rather than product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation is a charitable ministry that raises donations to purchase and distribute Bibles and theological commentaries to pastors, church leaders, seminary students, and children across African Protestant denominations. The foundation partners with Ligonier Ministries and Crossway for Bible production and with the Rafiki Foundation to leverage established distribution networks in ten African countries. Over 525,000 Bibles have been distributed since its founding in 2017.

Product overview

The Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation is a single-purpose ministry focused on Bible distribution. It works in conjunction with the Rafiki Foundation to deliver Bibles and theological commentaries to African church partners. The organization sources Bibles through partnerships with Ligonier Ministries and Crossway, and leverages Rafiki's existing shipping and distribution infrastructure across ten African countries to reach pastors, seminary students, and church leaders who otherwise cannot afford personal Bibles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation Bible Distribution Program A charitable Bible distribution program that places Bibles and theological commentaries in the hands of African pastors, church leaders, seminary students, and children through partnerships with Ligonier Ministries, Crossway, and the Rafiki Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 525,000+ Bibles distributed across Africa
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CrosswaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Crossway, a Bible publishing organization, joined the partnership in 2022 to help produce and distribute Bibles throughout Africa. Together with Ligonier Ministries and the Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation, Crossway contributes publishing expertise for Bible production.
• Ligonier MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Partnership announced in October 2017 for joint Bible distribution to Africa. Ligonier Ministries, founded by R.C. Sproul, provides theological expertise and publishing support for the Bible distribution efforts. Rosemary Jensen had a long-standing friendship with R.C. Sproul and Chris Larson, Ligonier's current President.
• Rafiki FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation works closely with the Rafiki Foundation to distribute Bibles across Africa. The foundation leverages Rafiki's established network of Training Villages, church partnerships, and shipping infrastructure to deliver Bibles to recipients in 10 African countries. Over 525,000 Bibles have been distributed through this partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Crossway: Bible and Christian book publisher that is both a current strategic partner of RJBF (since 2022) and a comparable organization in the evangelical publishing space; included here because it is functionally a partner as well as a peer in Scripture production and dissemination.
• Rafiki Foundation: The parent-organization analog and distribution backbone for RJBF across 10 African countries; functionally an operational partner rather than a competitor, but the closest comparable faith-based educational and orphan-care ministry that shares the same African footprint.
• Ligonier Ministries: Reformed theological teaching ministry and publisher that has partnered with RJBF since 2017; comparable as a doctrinally aligned evangelical organization that produces theological resources distributed alongside Bibles.

Direct peers

• Biblica: Bible translation and distribution ministry that provides Scripture in hundreds of languages; directly comparable to RJBF's Scripture-distribution mission, though at a much larger global scale.
• Pocket Testament League: Faith-based nonprofit that distributes pocket-sized New Testaments and Bibles free of charge; closely comparable to RJBF in distribution model and evangelical target audience.
• Gideons International: Faith-based nonprofit that distributes Bibles worldwide, particularly targeting pastors, students, and travelers; shares RJBF's model of placing Bibles free of charge into the hands of specific recipient segments globally.
• American Bible Society: One of the largest U.S.-based Bible distribution and translation nonprofits with global Scripture access programs; directly comparable to RJBF in mission (placing Bibles in hands of those who need them) and donor-funded operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Larger established global organization focused on Bible translation and literacy; comparable Scripture-access mission to RJBF but operates upstream in translation rather than distribution, with broader geographic and language reach.
• Tyndale House Publishers: Christian Bible and book publisher that supplies Scripture translations; comparable to RJBF in the publishing-and-distribution ecosystem and overlapping with partner publishers Crossway and Ligonier.
• Bible Society (United Bible Societies): Global fellowship of Bible Societies engaged in translation, publishing, and distribution of Scripture; a much larger incumbent serving a broadly similar mission of making Bibles accessible worldwide.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation