If it were up to you to choose the pew Bibles ...

I’d have everyone bring their own

 

Nkjv

 

NIV

 

If it was in print KJV-NKJV parallel Bible.

 

I would get rid of the pews and install theater seats.

 

If it were up to me I'd survey the active members. I don't want the headache of being the guy that picked for everyone.

 

Niv 1984 as that was one used for a long time!

 

NKJV without a doubt.

 

KJV.

 

I would forego purchasing pew Bibles and instead use the funds to purchase a couple cases of Bibles to give away to visitors and during outreach events. My church has hundreds of brand new CSB pew Bibles and I have yet to see anyone actually use it. They are a pretty blue hardbacks for sure, but nobody uses them...

Another thing to think about is the after effect from COVID-19...nobody is going to want to use a communal Bible sitting in the pews. Folks will either bring their own Bibles, look at the passage projected on the screen, or use their smart phones in those moments.

BUT...since you asked I would say it depends on the culture of the church. If old-fashioned Baptist then perhaps the KJV or NKJV. If you've got a vibrant younger congregation that is less fundamentalist and more non-denominational in flavor then maybe the ESV or NIV. It all depends. I typically don't recommend selecting whatever the preacher primarily uses because the next gentlemen behind the pulpit might come in with a different translation preference.

FWIW.

 

No,no and no. A thousand times no. It's oxymoronic to pair "a vibrant younger congregation" with "the ESV."

I always use a translation other than the one my pastor preaches from. It is insightful to get the import of a text from various angles. In the past two decades under the ministry of various pastors I have found that helpful. It has not my experience for a pastor to preach from the current NIV. However, if that were the case I would still not want to use that particular version while he's preaching. I have a variety of other translations to choose from. I'm old school in that I don't use electronic devices, preferring to use physical copies of Bible versions.

 

All of the younger congregations near me (and by younger I mean a medium age of 30-40) have shifted to the ESV. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but Crossway has done a phenomenal job getting this translation into people's hands. The OP wasn't explicit in what type of church his question was directed towards, which left me generalizing a good bit in my response.

But you have me curious. Why do you feel pairing a younger congregation with the ESV as "oxymoronic"?

All of what you've written resonates with me as an individual, but the question in the OP is regarding the purchase of pew Bibles meant for the entire congregation. Not sure of the size of the church, but that could reasonably mean purchasing a hundred or more copies. Unless a congregation decides to be prescriptive on what translation everyone is encouraged to use I think pew Bibles are a waste of money and most will not use them.