A leading Christian streaming platform for children seeks to break down barriers that prevent deaf children from easily accessing God's word and help their parents initiate those spiritual conversations.
The Christian media platform Minno, dedicated to inviting children to experience the story of Jesus, will launch ASL versions of its flagship series, "Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids," on Aug 8.
The company appears to be the first to launch a Bible series like this one, according to Erick Goss, CEO and founder of Minno.
"Within Christian children's media, there really aren't any shows that are set up with ASL," Goss told The Christian Post. "The deaf community is probably one of the most underserved communities in regard to Gospel resources."
The ASL version of "Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids," which guides children through animated Bible stories, will be a partnership with Bridge Multimedia, which has helped corporations and networks like PBS Kids and Google enhance ASL.
Because Bridge Multimedia is not a Christian organization, Minno is also working with Christian members of the ASL community to ensure the translations align with Christian theological standards.
Goss said there is usually a lot of nuance when it comes to ASL, but the platform wants the translations to be age-appropriate.
"It's true with any translation that you do," Goss said. "The challenge is that there are little translations, and then there's what people actually say and do in practice."
"[Bridge Multimedia doesn't] necessarily have the same Christian context," Goss said. "And so, there were certain words or concepts where we had to say, 'There's probably a different way to do that,' based on our discussions with the ASL community."
Minno seeks to launch more ASL versions of its programs as more support becomes available. Minno is a for-profit corporation with a tandem nonprofit, and the CEO revealed that the Christian media platform has been "incredibly blessed" with donors who have helped fund Minno's translation efforts.
"To the degree that resources are available, we want to put them to work to make sure that we can make as much of our content as accessible to the world as possible," the Christian CEO said.
The company will also offer "Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids" in Spanish and Portuguese. Adapted from the bestselling book of the same name in 2022, the series has over 40 episodes and three 30-minute specials.
Minno is also launching a dual-language Spanish-English preschool series in the fall titled "Guillermo & Will." The creator of the series is the Emmy-nominated puppeteer Donna Kimball.
All shows featured on Minno's platform have passed a 53-point checklist evaluating them based on their entertainment value and educational content. When reviewing shows to ensure they are theologically and doctrinally sound, Goss said Minno works with a company that performs sermon research for pastors.
The review process is part of Minno's goal of helping children understand the Bible while still offering content that they find entertaining.
"So while our main mission is to help kids experience Jesus every day through media and technology, we are in the business of selling trust," Goss said.
"And so, we have to make sure as a company that we put processes in place in such a way that, whenever a parent turns on Minno, they can rest assured that we have gone the extra mile to make sure that we're ensuring the content that their kids see is both entertaining, but also completely aligned with a Christian worldview," he added.
The company's subscription video-on-demand platform experienced triple-digit membership growth from 2024 and into 2025, launching Minno into the top 1% of direct-to-consumer subscription companies, the company said in a statement.
With over 1 million subscribers on YouTube, Minno is one of the most subscribed-to channels on the platform.
One of the reasons for this growth, Goss believes, is that there is an unmet demand in the marketplace for wholesome, Christian programming. While platforms such as YouTube and Netflix may offer some Christian content, Goss said parents cannot always trust that the material aligns with their values.
He hopes that the platform can offer some relief to parents, as the material has already been vetted, so parents don't have to constantly look over their children's shoulders to monitor what they're viewing.
Many parents are often unsure about how to have conversations about faith and spirituality with their children, but Goss is hopeful that shows like "Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids" can help them start those discussions.
"What we've found is when parents discover us, they're like, 'Wow, I can't believe I haven't heard of this sooner. This is exactly what we need,'" Goss said. "And in many instances, we have the opportunity to help parents be the spiritual heroes that they want to be in the lives of their kids."
