Behind the Screens: How a Global Creative Network Is Reaching Millions of Kids Through Story

What does it take to reach the next generation with God’s Word in a world filled with noise, distraction, and endless content?

For Jacob Betts, it starts with a simple belief: stories matter, and consistency matters even more. From his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jacob has spent the last six years helping shape one of OneHope’s most impactful digital discipleship tools for children: Kids Bible Experience (KBE), created in partnership with YouVersion. Designed specifically for tweens, KBE was born out of research showing a significant drop in Scripture engagement among children ages 10-12. The goal was simple but urgent: help children engage with God’s Word daily in ways that feel personal, accessible, and meaningful.

Today, Kids Bible Experience has grown into a global collaborative movement. Since launching in 2020, nearly 200 content creators from 28 countries, including churches, ministries, musicians, and storytellers, have contributed to the platform in English and Spanish. Together, they are helping millions of children encounter Scripture through videos, devotionals, Bible plans, and prayer.

But Jacob’s journey into this work didn’t start with a grand plan.

“I’ve done video and audio work for most of my life,” Jacob said. “Some of my earliest memories are using my family’s old tape recorder, making little movies with friends in middle school and high school.”

That passion led him to study music and theology, and later into children’s ministry and creative work. Still, he didn’t know how all the pieces would come together until one unexpected introduction. 

Through the nonprofit Think87, Jacob was producing a podcast when he was connected to OneHope. “He said, ‘You’re a video guy—I’ve set up a Zoom meeting for you.’” Within months, he was helping create early Kids Bible Experience content.

“Now, almost six years later, I’ve produced nearly 90 Kids Bible Experience videos,” he shared. “It’s been an incredible journey seeing what God has done through something that started so small.”

A Collaborative Community That Multiplies Impact

While Jacob creates content through Think87, his work is part of something much larger: a collaborative network united around one shared commitment of helping children know and follow Jesus through Scripture.

For OneHope, collaboration matters deeply. Challenges like declining Bible engagement among tweens are too large for any one ministry to solve alone. By partnering with churches, organizations, and creators around the world, OneHope is able to build richer, more culturally relevant experiences for children everywhere.

And the impact is deeply personal.

“They come up to me at grocery stores, church, concerts, and say, ‘You’re the guy from the Kids Bible shows,’” Jacob said.

But what stands out most isn’t being recognized, but seeing how God is transforming young lives through the prayer and Scripture shared.  

One of Jacob’s most-loved videos, based on Proverbs 11:25 and the theme of generosity, features a playful skit where his wife dumped five gallons of water on him to illustrate what it means to pour into others. Another popular episode on humility opens with Jacob playing both a proud king and a humble servant, helping children visually understand Jesus washing His disciples’ feet in John 13:5. For Jacob, moments like these are more than entertaining; they help children remember biblical truth in ways that stay with them long after the video ends.

“Every video ends with the same prayer… and kids tell me they pray it every day,” he explained. “Parents tell me their kids are excited to wake up and live generously, to serve others. That’s what it’s all about.”

That consistency is intentional. Inspired by Fred Rogers, Jacob has built a rhythm into every episode by always including a moment that grounds children in purpose.

“The prayer goes: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do today with all you’ve entrusted me with, to honor you and advance your kingdom?’”

When Digital Becomes Personal

One story in particular brought the impact to life in an unexpected way.

A mom named Sammi reached out from Utah after Kids Bible Experience became part of her family’s nightly routine. While exploring the app, she clicked on one of Jacob’s videos based on Ephesians 3:6, and her children, Arrietty and Beckett, immediately loved it.

They watched the episode again and again, quoting the skits around the house for days afterward. Soon, watching KBE together before bed became something they made time for, no matter how exhausting the day had been.

Eventually, Sammi reached out to Jacob with a simple request: would he be willing to surprise her children with a devotional Zoom call as a Christmas gift?

As they exchanged messages, Jacob realized something unexpected: he and his wife were already scheduled to travel to Salt Lake City later that month. Instead of meeting through a screen, they arranged to meet in person at a downtown coffee shop.

The children arrived carrying handwritten Christmas cards and letters thanking him for the videos. Sitting together, they asked honest questions about faith, doubt, prayer, and trusting God. For Jacob, it was a rare moment to step out from behind the screen and see the real lives being shaped on the other side of the videos.

“There have been plenty of times when I’ve struggled to find the words,” Jacob shared. “Or when the enemy has tried to whisper doubts to me that say, ‘this work doesn’t really matter…this is all pointless…you should give up.’ Sammi’s story is one that the Lord is constantly using to remind me that He is always at work, even when I can’t see it.”

The Power of Collaboration

Today, Kids Bible Experience continues to expand, and the impact continues to grow, with more than 16 million users engaging with God’s Word. Jacob sees a clear future ahead.

“Storytelling is at the center of how we learn,” he said. “Even in a short-attention world, there’s a hunger… for deeper, longer storytelling.”

Jacob’s story is a glimpse into what happens when creative gifts, spiritual vision, and collaborative partnerships come together. It’s not just one person creating videos. It’s a movement of OneHope, YouVersion, and partners like Think87 working together to help children encounter God’s Word in ways they can understand and carry with them for a lifetime.

And in a world where so many young people feel unseen, that kind of connection changes everything.

Share this story to celebrate the power of collaboration and how God is using creativity and community to reach the next generation.