📖 Berean Ministry
“…and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” — Acts 17:11
A searchable library of Brethren ministry writings, cross-referenced to the Bible — with search and summarized answers.
Reading, the Bible, hymns, and searching the whole library — no account needed. The summarized answers in Search just ask you to create an account.
About Berean Ministry
Berean Ministry brings the Darby and King James Bibles together with a library of more than 1,500 Brethren ministry books and the 1962 Believers Hymn Book — all searchable in one place, with real sources you can check for yourself.
How to use it
Search — one box does it all. Type a phrase or a Bible reference like John 3:16 for an instant search across the Bible, ministry, and hymns — or ask a question in plain words and get a short, summarized answer grounded first in Scripture (JND), then in how the ministry expounds it, with every point linked to its source. Auto picks the right mode for you, or choose Search · Find sources · Summarize yourself.
Read — browse the library and read any book in a clean, e-reader-style view. Scripture references are linked throughout — click one to open it alongside what you're reading.
Why this tool exists
I've wanted a faster way to cross-reference both the older ministry and the current living ministry with the Bible — in a simple, quick, easy-to-read summary. We've worked hard to proof the work on these pages and to remove mistakes introduced when converting old printed text into a modern digital format. The books here have been scrubbed for OCR errors and had cross-reference links to Scripture added throughout.
What's in the library
Beyond the older ministry books, we've added the complete A Word in its Season and Notes of Ministry — as well as all the volumes Andrew Burr has compiled from old ministry that was never published before.
What's new
- August 23, 2026 v88 — Reading offline, and nothing lost when the signal goes — This one is about being offline. Downloaded books, the Bible and the hymns now open properly with no connection, and the Search tab searches what you have stored instead of waiting half a minute and then saying it failed. More to the point, what you do offline is no longer thrown away: your reading position and any book you check out are held and delivered the moment you are back on. Before, a chapter read on a plane or down in a basement quietly reverted, and a book could reopen days behind where you actually were. The wording when you ask for a password reset is clearer too — particularly when you tap Resend and a code has already been sent, which used to promise a second one that was never coming.
- August 17, 2026 v87 — Search that follows what you meant, and sources that open the right page — Search has had the most work. Ask in your own words and the verse you want is likelier to be near the top: results are now ranked partly by what this ministry itself keeps returning to, drawn from the quarter of a million Scripture links already in the library. Name a book or chapter and the list leads with it — "woman in john 4" used to answer with Genesis. And a plural no longer loses the passage, so women finds woman, and brethren finds brother. Sources now open the chapter that actually holds the passage; some were landing on a book's contents page. Past verses show the verse itself rather than the summary, and open the chapter in one tap. Back now returns where you came from instead of closing the app. The verse of the day can be read with no signal. And your password manager can offer to save your sign-in.
- August 10, 2026 v85 — Word study in the Bible, and the ministry on the chapter you are reading — Two bigger additions this time. Ministry on this chapter: open any chapter in the Bible and you can see which articles in the library open on it, and which simply mention it along the way. Word study: turn on Strong's in the KJV and any word can be tapped to see the Hebrew or Greek behind it. Three things there. Every word now answers — around 3,400 words used to say no entry was found, mostly names like Abiathar, and those are all filled in. Darby on this word: where he left a note on the original word in his own translation, it now sits under the definition. Follow the root: a word's root is a button, so Elohim leads you to Eloah, and Eloah to El. Older volumes: some Greek was saved in a typeface nobody has any more and had been reading as nonsense — a good deal of it is proper Greek again.
- July 26, 2026 v77 — Clearer narration, and search that stays where you asked — Another batch across the app and website. Clearer narration: the reader used to stop mid-sentence — a word, a pause, another word — and a reference like Matthew 11:28 came out as loose numbers; hidden breaks in the text were causing it, and they are gone, so sentences finish and Follow along highlights the right paragraph. A chapter you have heard before is re-recorded once, so give it a moment. One honest note: the pausing still adds up to about the same, so tell us how it sounds. Search that stays where you asked: ask about Galatians 2 and it searches Galatians 2 — a spelling slip is fine — and if there is nothing there it says so, then widens the search and shows where it found something; quote a verse exactly and it gets its own Best match box. Asking questions: answers are no longer occasionally lost on the way to you. Verse of the Day: tapping the home-screen widget now opens that verse with its ministry note.
- July 21, 2026 v75 — Easier listening, better search, and a daily hymn — Another batch across the app and website. Easier listening: a small player now stays at the bottom of every screen, so what you're hearing keeps playing as you move around — from Home to Library, Bible and more — and a new "Follow along" button opens the book to the very chapter being read; tapping Continue Listening on Home now opens the book itself. Better, fuller search: when you use Find sources or ask a question, the answer now shows the Bible verses connected to it under "Relevant Scripture"; and a regular search now also finds teaching from the ministry by meaning, not just the exact words — watch for the ✨ Smart Search results — so you turn up related help even when you don't use the same wording. Select and copy: you can now select and copy a search answer along with its verses, handy for saving or sharing a quote. Hymn of the Day: a new hymn now sits on your Home screen, just below the Verse of the Day.
- July 19, 2026 v72 — Search by meaning, and your place on every device — Another big batch across the app and website. Search by meaning: search now finds Bible verses and hymns by what they mean, not just the exact words — look for "God's right hand" and you'll also find "Sit thou on my right hand"; watch for the ✨ Smart Search results above the usual list. Pick up on any device: Continue Reading and Continue Listening now remembers your exact spot — the verse, the moment in the audio — and stay in sync everywhere you're signed in. Better listening: your lock screen keeps up verse by verse with what's being read; closing the player no longer forgets your book; and the reader can read a passage's opening scriptures aloud first (turn it on in the player or Settings). Verse of the Day: each day's note now shows small numbered sources you can tap to open the passage, and you can look back over past days and share any day with a link. The screen also stays awake while you read.
- July 10, 2026 v61 — Everything you need, even offline — The last several updates (v55–v60) added a lot: you can now highlight passages in books, the Bible, and the hymn book — and remove one with a tap; keep your place and pick up exactly where you left off; and open Help on any screen from the button at the top. Biggest of all, the app now works with no internet — the Bible, the hymn book, and any book you keep on your Home screen save to your device automatically, so you can read and search them with no signal, and a first-time welcome tour shows you around. (The audio reader's voices are now simply American and English.) New in v61: you can download a book's narration for offline listening — open Listen and tap "Download audio for offline." Chapters you've already listened to are kept automatically, so you can play them on a plane, in the car, or anywhere with no connection.
- July 7, 2026 v54: Easier listening, and a few little touches — Player controls on your lock screen (Android): while you're listening, pause and resume now show up in your phone's notifications and on the lock screen — no need to reopen the app. If you had trouble with audio stopping when the screen was off, this update should help with that too. The app now asks about notifications right away — if you haven't already allowed them, you'll see the prompt the next time you open this update, no need to dig through Settings. Tap the page name to jump back to the top: the name at the top of the screen (Home, Library, Search…) now looks like a button — because it is one. Tap it any time to get back to the top of the page. See which version you have: at the bottom of Settings there's now an "App version" line. If you ever report a problem, that number helps us help you.