2023 Denison Ministries Mid-Year Investment Report

Transforming lives through Christ-centered Content

“I need awakening in my soul, and God’s strength to fortify my relationship with him, the steadfastness to prioritize my relationship after Him and the boldness to lead my children by my actions. To reignite and cast off that which has suffocated the authenticity of my salvation. Thank you for provoking me towards a renewing of heart and passion for my Creator, My Compassionate Advocator, my Father who exclusively knows my real name. Christ’s love to you all. Blessings .”

- Jim S

A Note From Our Chief Executive Officer

“To make the word of God fully known.”

“A personal mission statement becomes the DNA for every other decision we make” (Stephen Covey).

Paul testified that he had been called “to make the word of God fully known” by “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:25, 28). He fulfilled this calling by “struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (v. 29).

Denison Ministries exists to “make the word of God fully known” through digital, video, audio, and print technology that can literally reach the entire world. We are “warning” believers by engaging cultural issues and “teaching” them biblically redemptive truth. We are praying and working to “present everyone mature in Christ” as a catalyst for the spiritual awakening our culture needs so desperately.

And God is empowering us with “all his energy.” As you will see in this mid-year report, we are reaching more people than ever before in our history. By end of year, people will have downloaded and otherwise interacted with our biblical content more than seventy-five million times.

None of this is possible without your partnership in our work. Your intercession is vital as we battle “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Your endorsement of our content by sharing it with others extends our reach to people we might not otherwise engage. And because we are 100 percent donor based, your financial support enables everything we do. Every person we reach with God’s word is an extension of your faithfulness.

I am deeply grateful for the privilege of leading and serving alongside you in this ministry. Together we are making God’s word “fully known” and “planting trees we’ll never sit under” to the glory of God.

All the best,

Dr. Jim Denison Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

A Note from our Chief Marketing Officer

There are many ways that a non-profit organization like Denison Ministries could measure success. For example, metrics like audience size or financial growth can be helpful tools in understanding the reach and health of an organization. Yet as we seek to transform lives around the world through Christ-centered content, we know the best way for us to measure our impact is by looking at how often people are engaging with each piece of content. We call this engagement “Content Experiences.”

We already have so much to celebrate as we look at the first few months of 2023. In just the first two quarters we tracked over 49.8 million Content Experiences as more and more people engaged with content like Denison Forum’s Daily Article, the First15 Devotional, the Christian Parenting Podcast Network, and the Foundations Bible Studies. As a reminder, we’ve included brief explanations of how we define Content Experiences, as well as each brand’s share of Content Experiences, in the next few pages.

We are honored and grateful to you for your partnership in this critical time in our culture. We truly believe that God is on the move, and we will continue to follow his lead as we seek to make him known throughout the world.

Josh Miller Chief Marketing Officer

Monthly Facebook Engagement

• A like, comment, or share on a post. Active interaction with the content.

Monthly Email Opens

• Emails that are actually opened, not just delivered.

Monthly Website Pageviews

• Unique pageviews of our websites, minus the homepage.

Monthly Podcast Downloads

• Individual episode downloads using the new industry standard IAB as of January 2023.

Monthly YouTube Views

• Unique video views each month per Youtube’s reporting.

Monthly Instagram Engagement & Reel Views

• A like, comment, or share on a post. Active interaction with the content.

Monthly Twitter Engagements

• The number of engagements on any given tweet, including likes, retweets, and replies.

Monthly Spotify/Apple Music Streams

• The number of times a song was listened to (at least 30 seconds).

Monthly App Sessions

• How many times the app was opened by a user.

Monthly YouVersion Plan Completions

• The number of people that have completed a Youversion reading plan.

Monthly Event Videos Watched

• How many videos were watched within an event or Bible study course.

Monthly Books Distributed

• How many books were shipped through a donation on our websites.

Content Experiences Q1/Q2

23,781,760 emails were opened across all brands of Denison Ministries.

3,684,747 pages viewed across all websites and microsites.

11,513,043 podcast episodes downloaded across the Christian Parenting Podcast Network, and 8 Denison Ministries brand podcasts.

9,057,022 social engagements across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. This includes engagements and video views on Instagram Reels.

49,758,185 total content experiences during Q1 & Q2 across all Denison Ministries’ brands.

Content Experience Definitions:

Monthly Facebook Engagements

Monthly Email Opens

Monthly Website Pageviews

Monthly Podcast Downloads

Monthly YouTube Views

Monthly Instagram Reels Views

Monthly Instagram Engagements

Monthly Twitter Engagements

Monthly Spotify/Apple Music Streams

Monthly App Sessions

Monthly YouVersion Plan Completions

Monthly Event Videos Watched

Monthly Books Distributed

Denison Forum Mid-Year Update

2023 has been a year of impact at Denison Forum. Our generous and abundant donors are making the vision to ignite the next Great Awakening in our nation an increasing reality.

The flagship resource of Denison Forum is The Daily Article. Email opens are the strongest indicator of engagement with our biblical content. So far in 2023 we have recorded a monthly average open rate of 1,773,413 Daily Article emails. That’s a total of 10,640,480 through June 2023! Through these daily, biblical, and insightful essays, believers are learning to think, pray and respond to the events of our times in holy ways.

We also measure our influence by web traffic to denisonforum.org. We count those who “click through” to content so they can read or listen. We added an audio option to all of our website articles earlier this year. Through June 2023 our website had 2,604,288 total pageviews beyond the homepage.This number also reveals that we had 732,931 users to our site through June 2023.

We are excited about the impact of our podcasts. The Daily Article was downloaded as a podcast 1,515,768 in the previous six months (January - June 2023). The Denison Forum Podcast saw over 10,000 downloads each month during February and March of this year. Two of the popular episodes were “The true story behind “Jesus Revolution”: Director Jon Erwin shares how the Holy Spirit moved on set” had the highest downloads this year at 4,286. “Women in ministry and leadership: A conversation with Alex Kondratev and Steph Thurling” had 2,219 downloads. Total downloads so far this year for the Denison Forum Podcast are 54,862.

Other Denison Forum Highlights this year:

• Strategic Podcast Guests: David French, Mary Jo Sharp, Tara Leigh Cobble, Calev Meyers, Russell Moore.

• 25 radio interviews and 11 speaking engagements.

• Books: The Fifth Great Awakening, re-released Empowered (SOLD OUT!), Path to Purpose, re-released The Coming Tsunami.

• Building Strategic Partnerships with: Colson Center, Movement DFW, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Austin Baptist Association, Proclaimers Place, Grace Life International, West Texas Pastor Network.

• Created Gen Z Resources, Transgenderism & other LGBTQ Resources.

Mark Turman Executive Director, Denison Forum

“Thank you for your articles and your hard work in studying the scriptures in order to bring a biblical perspective to the times and events of the day. They are always a great reminder to turn our face toward Christ!”

- Roxanne D.

15,271,760 total content experiences for all Denison Forum platforms through Q2, 2023.

10,690,206 emails have been opened, which include The Daily Article and A Pastors View newsletter.

2,604,288 web pages viewed on denisonforum.org.

352,851 social media engagements, which includes Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter impressions.

1,570,630 podcast episodes downloaded across The Daily Article and Denison Forum Podcast.

28,100,046 total content experiences for all First15 platforms through Q2, 2023.

11,615,533 emails have been opened, including the daily devotional in English and Spanish.

1,395,505 sessions through First15 devotional app.

6,428,297 podcast episodes have been downloaded.

761,767 resources have been read online, including the daily devotional and going deeper resources.

First15 Mid-Year Update

First15 has always sought to help people connect with God in a deep and meaningful way. In the six years since its inception, over 2 million people have enjoyed reading and listening to First15 as an aid to connecting with God, the lover of their soul.

By donating to First15, your partnership with us has aided us in helping even more people, all around the world, spend transformative time with God.

People around the world have been impacted by First15 and your giving helps the First15 team develop fun, new ways to help people meet with and learn about Jesus. We continue to produce our daily devotional, and have launched over 20 Guided Prayers, a new devotional book titled Rhythms, and two children’s devotionals that will be released later this year based on First15 content!

Believers all around the world are waking up to the goodness and presence of God thanks to your generous support of First15.

We are so grateful for your partnership that makes First15 possible!

Ryn Tomlinson Brand Manager, First15

“My relationship has grown deeper with God through First15 and all books I have gotten. I am reading the Rhythms 4 week devotional and I have begun to hear God speaking to my heart more often.Each devotional or book I receive helps me grow in ways God needs me to for the path he has for my life.” - Elizabeth G.

3,511,209 podcast episodes have been downloaded across the podcast network.

223,865 resources have been read online.

Christian Parenting Mid-Year Update

Christian Parenting started 2023 with the release of two new courses in the Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters series. These courses are: She is Confident in Healthy Relationships, which was created for 5th and 6th grade girls and their moms, and She is Confident in Her Story, which was created for 9th and 10th grade girls and their moms. These courses provide moms with a clear, credible, and biblical guide to raise their daughters to be confident in who God made them to be.

Our team released a brand-new podcast, The Christian Parenting Podcast, hosted by myself. Each week, I discuss practical tips and spiritual guidance for the parenting journey with our guests. We want listeners to leave encouraged, equipped, and ready to raise their kids to know and love Jesus. Some of our guests include Heather MacFadyen, Craig Groeschel, Beth Moore, Laura Wifler, and Phylicia Masonheimer. Our audience has really enjoyed the addition of this show to our thriving podcast network. Additionally, the Pardon the Mess podcast successfully transitioned to a new host, Courtney DeFeo! Listeners have had a fantastic reaction to Courtney and we look forward to seeing where God takes the podcast in this new season.

Steph Thurling Executive Director, Christian Parenting

“I LOVE all the podcasts and resources that Christian Parenting is producing. It truly is an answer to prayer to have God’s truth shared through the various platforms. I am sharing this information with many friends and fellow Mommas here in Tyler.” - Christy

Foundations Mid-Year Update

Our Bible study library has grown!

Foundations with Janet Denison kicked off 2023 with a project that has been in the works for over a year and half! Wisdom Matters, an evening devotional, is a culmination of the wisdom God has imparted to Janet over the almost 40 years she has been teaching Bible studies. This devotional helps listeners spend a few minutes at the end of each day meditating and reflecting on a few verses from God’s word. Each short message is a truth from Scripture that can be applied to daily life.

Our team has created several different ways to access the Wisdom Matters of which is a new Bible study app for Foundations! We want to make engaging daily with the Lord as easy as possible, and with this new app, people not only have easy access to Matters, but they can also study God’s word through many of our available Bible studies, as well as Janet’s weekly blog post—all on the app.

People can also subscribe to Wisdom Matters and receive each day’s entry directly to their inbox every evening. And for those who enjoy listening to the devotional instead, we have also created a daily Wisdom Matters podcast.

The response to the devotional and the app has been remarkable, and our prayer is that God will continue to meet anyone with a desire to study and meditate on God’s word through any of the Foundations with Janet Denison resources.

We are also continuing to grow our Bible studies library, releasing volume 2 of Studies on Prayer early in Q1 and most recently, a podcast exclusive study that highlights women of faith. Our team is finalizing the design and production of our in-depth Bible study, The Life of Matthew: Lessons on Discipleship from the Book of Matthew, and will release in the fall.

“Whether I listen to this devotional in the evening or the next morning in my normal quiet time, the topics are unique compared to devotionals I have enjoyed in the past. The thought-provoking topics, tied to a specific Scripture help me think about God’s word in a new way. It is a bonus to hear Janet’s calm and soothing voice explain God’s Word with current cultural examples.”

- Cynde

Foundations with Janet Denison

Trace Kennedy

338,041 total content experiences for all Foundations platforms through Q2, 2023.

156,744 emails have been opened, including weekly blog updates and new Bible study releases.

9,780 Wisdom Matters devotionals read through the Foundations app.

94,827 resources have been read online.

Denison Ministries’ New Digital Impact Report

Check out our new Digital Impact Report launched in January.

At Denison Ministries, every dollar donated by our generous partners is used to accomplish the mission and vision to which God has called us. Through God’s provision and responsible stewardship, Denison Ministries has maintained healthy financial growth since its founding, allowing the impact of our mission to grow as well. Ascribing to a value of transparency and as an ECFA Accredited organization, our financial statements are audited each year. To request our latest audited financials, visit denisonministries.org/financials.

DENISON MINISTRIES

6/30/2023