Thanks to the initial work of Bob Parsons and to continuing advances in technology, churches, pastors, nonprofit organizations, and individuals are able to preach, teach, and reach more efficiently using software products from FindEx.com. Today over one million certified copies of Findex's Bible study software, QuickVerse, have been sold since the product's conception.

After successfully launching Money Counts, a rival to the Quicken money management program, Bob Parsons started Parson's Church Division in the 1980s. In 1999, Parsons Church Division was purchased by FindEx, a retail, wholesale, and Internet supplier of software products consisting of Bible study references, inspirational Christian materials, and financial and data management references.

QuickVerse is available in three editions, each allowing the user to view side-by-side on the computer screen multiple reference material such as Bibles, dictionaries, and commentaries. The built-in "QuickSearch" feature allows the user to highlight a word or Bible verse and find all of its occurrences in a particular text. Its advanced search allows the user to search by word, phrase, or verse across multiple books. It even includes word pronunciations for those difficult to pronounce names and places from the Old Testament.

QuickVerse Standard Edition includes 8 Bibles and 46 reference titles and sell for around $100. QuickVerse Expanded Edition includes 11 Bibles and 82 reference titles and sells for around $200, and QuickVerse Deluxe Edition includes 16 Bibles and 142 reference titles for around $300. Various online books may be purchased and accessed through QuickVerse as well.

Study On the Go QuickVerse PDA 2005 Deluxe PALM is available for users of personal digital assistants (PDAS) and Pocket PCs, allowing users to study Scripture anytime, anywhere. FindEx recently partnered with Tyndale House Publishers to release the best-selling Left Behind series of novels as a new line of Pocket PC- and PDA-based products.

Other popular software products include the Bible Illustrator, which provides quick access to thousands of Bible-related stories, quotes, anecdotes, and sermons. Calendar Creator Christian Edition software allows the user to create custom, personalized calendars for church, classroom, and personal use. Clickart Christian Graphics Deluxe is a graphic program with over 13,000 high-quality illustrations and photographic images, along with fonts and alphabets.

The market for Findex products is basically split between Christian individuals and churches. "Individuals are from a wide variety of backgrounds and occupations," says Chad Gross-Rhode, vice president of sales and marketing. "They use the products for Bible research, church management, entertainment, and ministry planning."

Woody Adair, discipleship pastor at Kingsway Christian Church in Avon, Indiana, finds QuickVerse to be an awesome asset when trying to find just the right verse for a Bible lesson. "I use QuickVerse for almost all my Bible study lessons, especially for cross-referencing and comparing the various translations," he says. "The software is easy to use and, for someone like me, a real asset in discovering what others think of the same passages through the commentaries that are available. It receives an A-plus from me." Adair says he recently upgraded to QuickVerse Version 8.

Church Management Made Easier For churches and religious organizations, FindEx offers Membership Plus church management software that streamlines church office tasks and organizes church membership databases. According to Gross-Rhode, Membership Plus is used in over 50,000 churches, which is more than their top three competitors combined. Membership Plus makes it easier to produce targeted mailings, attendance reports, and irs-compliant contribution receipts. It also includes an optional financial management software package designed to give users a better understanding of church finances.

How is this company of 25 employees able to develop, test, and support the number-one-selling Bible study software program, in addition to many other software offerings? "Our products are made by Christians for Christians," says Gross-Rhode. "Our goal is to provide our customers with top quality products that enhance their Christian lifestyle."

Grosse-Rhode also attributes their high-quality products to the fact that everyone takes part in product testing and development. "Employees and customers alike provide insight into the features they are interested in and items that are not as user friendly as they should be," he says. "We have customers that volunteer to beta test our products because they like them so much and are interested in their success."

When shopping for Bible study software, Grosse-Rhode says people should make sure that the software has the book content that they need, as well as the features they need to make their studies more efficient. "They should look at product reviews to ensure that they are getting a good reliable product, produced by a company that will back its products."

Whether you are a Bible scholar, church administrator, seminary student, or simply interested in Bible study, FindEx has a product to help you do what you want to do.