Discovery Bible Guide students can now use their cell phones to learn more about God during downtime at the bus stop or on the subway.

The Discover Bible Guides—produced since 1942 by Voice of Prophecy, a supporting media ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church—are now formatted for access by mobile Web browsers, a first for the church, says Kurt Johnson, the ministry’s Bible School director. 

The lessons are expected to find their niche not only with time-strapped commuters, but also in regions where computer access is limited but cell phones with Internet capabilities are widely used, such as Africa, Johnson says.

By capitalizing on new media, the lessons will help keep the church from becoming “obsolete in [its] approaches,” Johnson says, adding that he hopes they resonate with the “text-messaging generation.”

Banking on convenience, the cell phone Bible studies may connect with people who wouldn’t sit down and fill out a traditional paper Bible study or even a computer-based lesson, he adds.

The Bible study guides available on cell phones are currently self-grading and text only for easier reading and quicker download times, but future development will include interactive grading between student and instructor and graphics, Johnson says.

To access the first lesson, enter biblestudies.com/cell into your cell phone browser and follow the prompts.