en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gideons_International
3 corrections found
As of April 2015, Gideons International has distributed over 2.5 billion Bibles.
This date and total do not match the organization’s own timeline. Gideons said in April 2015 that it had just passed 2 billion Scriptures, and said it did not surpass 2.5 billion until fall 2022.
Full reasoning
The organization’s own April 28, 2015 post says it had "just surpassed the two billion mark" in distributing Bibles and New Testaments, not 2.5 billion. A later official Gideons post titled "Celebrating 2.5 Billion Seeds Sown" says "This fall, we officially surpassed 2.5 billion Scriptures placed and distributed worldwide" and is dated December 13, 2022. That means the article’s statement that the group had already distributed over 2.5 billion by April 2015 is off by roughly seven years.
So the problem is not merely that the figure is outdated; it is chronologically impossible according to Gideons’ own published milestones.
2 sources
- Gideons Distribute Historic Two Billionth Scripture
By: Admin | 4/28/15 ... The Gideons International has just surpassed the two billion mark in distributing Bibles and New Testaments.
- Celebrating 2.5 Billion Seeds Sown
Published Dec. 13, 2022 ... This fall, we officially surpassed 2.5 billion Scriptures placed and distributed worldwide.
Two of them continued with the distribution of the Bibles.
This sentence places Bible distribution in 1899, but Gideons’ own history says Scripture distribution began in 1908. The group says its first hotel Bible order was placed on November 9, 1908.
Full reasoning
The article’s sentence appears in a paragraph about events in 1899, so it implies Bible distribution was already underway then. But Gideons’ official history says otherwise.
On the organization’s official history page, the 1899 milestone is that Nicholson, Hill, and W.J. Knights chose a name for their new association. The 1908 milestone is the start of Bible placement: "The first order for a Hotel Bible to be placed by The Gideons is made ... for the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana."
An official Gideons blog post is even more specific: "On November 9, 1908, Bailey placed the first order for hotel Bibles with The Gideons International." So the claim that "Two of them continued with the distribution of the Bibles" in the 1899 section is historically incorrect; Gideons’ own timeline says Bible distribution began nine years later, in 1908.
2 sources
- About | Gideons International
1899 ... Nicholson, Hill, & W.J. Knights choose a name for their new association: The Gideons. 1908 ... The first order for a Hotel Bible to be placed by The Gideons is made ... for the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana.
- 105 Years Of Placing Bibles In Hotels
This week we celebrate the 105th anniversary of our first order for hotel Bibles ... on November 9, 1908. That first placement was funded by Archie Bailey ... at the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana.
As of 2025, The Gideons reported having 269,500 members in 190 countries and territories.
The 2025 member total is overstated. Gideons’ 2025 annual report says total worldwide membership was 244,139, not 269,500.
Full reasoning
The article attributes a 2025 membership total of 269,500 to The Gideons International. But Gideons’ own 2025 Annual Report gives a different figure: "244,139 Total Members Worldwide" for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025.
That makes the article’s 2025 membership number too high by 25,361 members. A separate current overview page from Gideons also describes the organization as having "more than 240,000 Gideons and Auxiliary members," which is consistent with the annual report and inconsistent with the article’s specific figure of 269,500.
2 sources
- The Gideons International 2025 Annual Report
2025 ANNUAL REPORT ... 244,139 Total Members Worldwide ... For the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025.
- About | Gideons International
With more than 240,000 Gideons and Auxiliary members dedicated to this mission ...