A vicar in Walsall has said “evangelism has never been so easy” after giving out almost 3,000 Bibles in less than a year, thanks to a TikTok video.
Rev David Sims posted a video on the social media site last spring showing him dancing in his office waving a Bible, and saying “If you want one, I’ll send you one for free”.
Rev Sims who is also known as the ‘Tik Tok Vicar’ said he was used to sending out two or three Bibles a week, but after the video he had hundreds of requests. He now has a team of volunteers to help send out the Bibles, which he said mainly go to non-churchgoers in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
The vicar of St Thomas’s, Aldridge told Premier Christianity Magazine last year that his phone had lit up with messages from people including: “Hi Vicar, I don’t know where to start, but maybe reading the Bible would be a good place…”
Another read: “Can I request a Bible?…I need some verses to help me know that I am not alone…”
The Bibles are usually the New International Version and are sent with an accompanying “Why Jesus?” booklet produced by Alpha International.
Rev Sims told Church Times: “I’ve never seen evangelism be this easy…But there is also a sense that I am becoming a bit bolder. . . We are not going out doing big evangelistic campaigns. It must be a work of God, which is really exciting.”
The Tik Tok Vicar now holds a short Sunday online service at 8:30pm.