When Brian Chung got his first Bible, he found it strange and intimidating. The paper was super thin, the text was dense, and it was difficult to know where to begin, Chung recalled in an interview.
He thought to himself, “There’s got to be a better way to make this.” Unlike many who have great ideas but never act on them, Brian set out to make a better Bible.
In 2016, Brian Chung teamed up with Bryan Chung (yes, their names are confusingly similar) to create Alabaster Co. through a Kickstarter campaign. The concept was simple: Nearly everyone is attached to their smartphone, and people these days are responding to visual mediums more than written mediums.
“We wanted to take that reality and bring it into the faith-based space. Art can create dialogue on topics like religion, which are often seen as taboo,” said Bryan.
The duo took their backgrounds in graphic design and youth ministry to revolutionize the way the Bible was presented. The photos and typeset are carefully curated. Alabaster products are clean, simple, and remind you of a hipster coffee shop vibe.
“Instagram is a powerful visual platform, which is why we think Alabaster has gotten a lot of traction there,” said Brian. “Ultimately, utilizing Instagram well is about telling a good story. We strive to do that through the various images and content we put out.”
The books are perfect for an Instagram generation and are one of Christianity’s last hope for revival. In 2015, a Pew Research poll found that only half of millennials say they believe in God, and only 27 percent attend a weekly service.
Alabaster sells individual books of the Bible at a steep price. Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John sell for $30 each; Romans and Psalms for $35 and $38 softcovers and $70 for hardcovers; sets of books start at $100 and can cost as much as $155.
This price model seems to be working for Alabaster, however. Last year, the company sold more than 10,000 products and made $300,000-plus in sales, The company projects its 2019 sales to hit nearly $900,000. The majority of their sales are in the 21-to-35-year-old range in major cities, and they’ve got an in with the megachurch Hillsong.
The Bryan/Brian duo have just committed to working on Alabaster full-time, but they’re still operating like a millennial startup, doing photoshoots in their garage and working from home.
“Our ‘office’ is a room in one of our apartments,” Brian explained.
You can find them on Instagram (@bryanyechung and @brianchung). But with less than 2,000 followers between them, they don’t consider themselves social media influencers. Instead, they’re influencing a generation to reconsider faith through their Bible products with beautiful imagery.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
