BIBLE TRANSLATION
CREATING GOSPEL ACCESS FOR ALL PEOPLES
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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BIBLE TRANSLATION WORKS IN PROGRESS
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PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS
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Translation has been described as the art of the impossible and the challenge of the possible. Translation is possible because languages are similar and translation is difficult because languages are different. Those themes, similarity and difference, are what translators wrestle with day after day. How do you take a word in one language and find the best equivalent in the receiving language?
For example, the Greek word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 13 to denote “love” is agape . Apparently, it was a little-used word in the Greek lexicon alongside three other words for “love” ( eros , fileo , storge ) that Paul invested with Christian content. Paul fashioned it to mean “servant love” or “self-sacrificial love” and linked it to Jesus’ great atoning sacrifice.
The entire Bible—first written in Hebrew, Greek and a smattering of Aramaic— has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament into an additional 1,617 languages, and smaller portions of the Bible into 1,248 other languages (Wycliffe Global Alliance, September 2022). Thus, at least some portions of the Bible have been translated into 3,589 languages.
Of course, a translation that will be published in print must include typesetting, printing and distributing the Scriptures. Sometimes people need to achieve literacy so they can read the Bible. Twenty-first-century technology offers many ways of sharing the Bible’s message. Translations in audio and video formats provide Scripture access to oral cultures, as well as non-literate, blind and deaf communities. The inclusion of Bible teaching, Bible study and preaching combines to strengthen the crucial work of Bible engagement.
Frontier Fellowship has championed such translation efforts from our earliest years. We have been privileged to facilitate partnerships supporting Bible translation projects in Ethiopia, Egypt, South Asia, Central Asia and more. We have also helped support the translation of Christian literature and resources, notably, the Arabic, French and Spanish versions of the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement missions course.
We are pleased to feature in this magazine the various ways our partners worldwide are helping create Gospel access through Bible translation efforts. Please pray with us for all peoples to gain access to the Good News of Jesus.
“So
—Romans 10:17
faith comes by hearing and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Do you remember when you got your first Bible? I do. Growing up, my church presented Bibles to third graders, and I remember feeling so proud standing with my peers in front of the whole congregation to receive my very own copy. It even had my name inscribed in gold lettering on the front cover.
Before that, I had several Bible story books at home. One in particular captivated my imagination, its vivid illustrations and short stories drawing me into the big story of God’s love for the world. Today, my bookshelves hold numerous versions (NIV, NRSV, NASB, KJV, The Message) and translations (Mandarin, Swahili, Arsi Oromo, Somali). Decorative versions, study versions, illustrated versions and even the big, very solemn-looking “family Bible” my dad kept on the coffee table during my childhood. Between these and the 60+ English versions available online through apps like Bible Gateway and YouVersion, one might say I enjoy an excess of access to God’s Word.
Frontier Fellowship’s work on the frontier centers around Gospel access for all peoples. We believe every person on earth should have the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus within the context of their culture and in their preferred language—the language they dream in, think in and talk to their Creator in. Bible translation is one of the ways followers of Jesus, including many of our partners, are actively working to create Gospel access for the world’s 2+ billion least-reached peoples. What was once relegated to a few specialist organizations is now a networked partnership of ministry organizations, denominations, local churches and indigenous communities.
Among the world’s 8 billion people, it is estimated that more than 7,300 languages are spoken or signed. Of these languages, nearly half have at least some Scripture. One might wonder, how did translation efforts begin?
In his essay titled “The Translation Principle in Christian History,” Mission historian Andrew Walls reflected,
“Incarnation is translation. When God in Christ became man, Divinity was translated into humanity, as though humanity were a receptor language. Here was a clear statement of what would otherwise be veiled in obscurity or uncertainty, the statement ‘This is what God is like.’”
In the centuries since “the Word became flesh” in Jesus (John 1:14), the story of God’s love for humans and all creation has been documented in written and oral forms, preserved for the ages into the holy book we now know as the Bible. From its
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original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the full Bible or portions of Scriptures have now been translated into nearly 3,600 languages, fueling the expansion of Christianity, enriching lives and bringing spiritual depth and understanding to churches and Christ-followers around the world.
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, my understanding of Bible translation efforts was informed by the stories and slideshows of Western missionaries who moved to faraway places, spending decades—sometimes lifetimes—engaging in this detailed, painstaking work. It takes time, after all, to understand a people group’s culture and language well enough to accurately contextualize a Scripture translation in the people group’s “mother tongue / heart language.”
While that traditional model of Bible translation still occurs today, organizations such as Wycliffe Global Alliance and SIL International paint a much broader picture, reporting significant growth and a wonderful evolution of the practices and methods employed in making God’s Word accessible to all peoples. Remarkably, over 60% of the languages in which a Bible or New Testament has been published have happened in just the last 30 years! A few factors drive this growth:
Technology: Without a doubt, technological advances have revolutionized the world of Bible translation. Computer software, linguistic databases, platforms for sharing resources and other digital tools have enabled faster, more accurate translations.
Collaboration: Thanks to the world’s greater connectedness, more accessible training resources and the growth of the global Church, it is much more common today to see Bible translation teams composed of many more partners than in years past. Scholars, linguists, Bible societies, mission organizations, churches, indigenous speakers and more contribute to translation efforts. In many places, new projects are initiated and led by local committees, churches and communities with related languages. These teams are breaking barriers and overcoming historical differences to do Bible translation together. Collaborative efforts like these foster greater transparency and community confidence in Bible translation and help ensure a clear, concise, accurate and accessible translation for the culture it will serve.
Orality: Roughly 45% of the world’s 7,300 languages do not have a written form. Oral Bible Translation efforts are addressing the particular translation needs of oral cultures and non-literate people. Where traditional Bible translation methods might span 25 years (from the creation of an alphabet to literacy training for language speakers), audio and video translations can be produced relatively quickly, released immediately and distributed widely. Another benefit of oral translations: they aid in the preservation of language and culture.
Accessibility: The growth of translations available in audio and video formats is helping previously under-served deaf and blind communities access Scripture that can be heard, seen and touched. Other Bible translation efforts are aimed at readerfriendly versions, updating existing difficult-to-read translations into the current language of respective people groups. And global migration, whether forced or voluntary, is bringing previously “inaccessible” peoples to regions of high accessibility, opening many doors for the Gospel to be shared.
This is but a brief overview of the centuries-long field of Bible translation. To learn more, browse the many resources available online from Bible translation-focused organizations and partnerships like Wycliffe Global Alliance, SIL International, Seed Company and ProgressBible.
Frontier Fellowship’s passion is to cultivate and nurture frontier mission partnerships between indigenous leaders and churches around the globe. When followers of Jesus partner together, God’s Kingdom grows in ways we could not imagine. Associate Director Jim Truesdell recently shared the beautiful impact of a partnership between Eastern Wind (South Asia) and Covenant Presbyterian Church (Huntsville, Alabama).
Earlier this year, Jim visited a Christian retreat center in the foothills of the Himalayas, where a small team of church planters was gathered to begin oral Scripture translations in several South Asian languages. Sevanand (Eastern Wind’s founder) reflected to Jim, “Is the Gospel only for the literate?” The obvious answer is “no,” but the practical implications of that answer for creating Gospel access are astounding.
How will Eastern Wind begin Scripture translation on 11 languages, five of which don’t have a single word of Scripture? And how will they make it accessible for those who need or prefer oral rather than written communication?
They begin with bilingual followers of Jesus who are currently leading movements to Jesus among unreached peoples. They have been learning about Jesus in their second language but are proclaiming Jesus in their mother tongue!
Through a careful process, they digitally record a Bible story, review it with other speakers for accuracy, edit it to produce good sound quality, format a SIM card and make duplicates of the recording on additional SIM cards. The SIM cards fit in any cell phone. Most people—including the poor and the non-literate—have cell phones. Now they can listen to Scripture in their mother tongue on their cell phone anywhere!
Back in the US, Covenant Presbyterian Church (CPC) of Huntsville, Alabama, places Bibles on their communion table every Sunday. They pray, “God, help us lead someone to faith in Jesus and let one of these Bibles be for that person.” Sevanand has prayed over these Bibles on previous visits to the US. When CPC heard the story of God working through Eastern Wind’s translation project to create Gospel access for non-literate people, they immediately drew a connection to their own work and the Bibles on the communion table.
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"IS THE GOSPEL ONLY FOR THE LITERATE?"
Jim facilitated a conversation between CPC and Sevanand, asking about Eastern Wind’s leadership capacity and the cost of expanding the oral language translation project. After more conversation and prayer, it was determined that, over the next five years, work could begin in 45 language communities that currently have no Scripture translated into their language.
CPC immediately made a significant financial donation, with a promise of additional support over the next three years. Jim shared,
“The funds are simply an expression of the deeper relationship that is growing between CPC and Eastern Wind, illustrating so many Frontier Fellowship values: relationships first, indigenous leaders setting priorities and strategy, self-sustaining ministry, engaging frontier people groups in their heart language and mobilizing relationships that are healthy and mutual.”
We asked Pastor David Kling how the partnership with Eastern Wind is impacting the CPC congregation. He said,
“We’re so honored to partner with Frontier Fellowship and Eastern Wind in bringing God’s Word to unreached people groups. We see this as a strategic partnership for our congregation—to not only make disciples by providing resources overseas, but also to have the opportunity to learn from indigenous pastors on how to better share our faith here in America. We feel inspired that if they can do this work of sharing Christ in South Asia, then we can do it, too! Each time Frontier Fellowship brings a partner to visit us in worship, we ask them to pray for the evangelism happening in our own church, and we are seeing young people come to Christ as a result of their prayers and teaching.”
God’s Word is living, active, illuminating and fruitful (Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 55:11). It is key to discipleship (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And Bible translation makes God’s Word accessible to you, me and the countless people on earth who have Scripture in their first language.
Revelation 7:9-10 invites us to envision an epic gathering— members of every nation, tribe and tongue worshiping Jesus together. Imagine a worship service in which more than 7,300 languages are expressed and translation is no longer necessary. God makes all things new, removes barriers that divide and draws us near—fellow citizens in the community of God’s Kingdom—to see, hear and know Him face to face (Ephesians 2:11-22, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Revelation 21:5).
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GLOBAL PARTNERS’ BIBLE TRANSLATION EFFORTS AND HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED, SEE PAGE 10.
Earlier this year, our South Sudanese partners began translating Bible verses into the dialects of six people groups living near the border of Sudan and South Sudan, helping them reach least-reached peoples with the Gospel and also disciple and train new followers of Jesus. They have completed translation of 30 Scripture passages so far.
Last fall, Light of Hope Ministry Ethiopia (LOHME) completed a translation of the full Bible in the Arsi Oromo dialect, a project nearly 15 years in the making. They are currently distributing printed copies and hope to have the translation available on a Bible app soon. You can read one Arsi woman’s inspiring story on page 12.
Our colleague Dr. Taliilee Fiqruu, an Arsi Oromo woman, is a modernday psalmist. She is composing worship music in the Arsi language and musical style as part of LOHME’s Ethno Music project. The Scripturebased lyrics teach listeners about God’s love and how to grow as a follower of Jesus. To date, Taliilee has recorded three albums, with another one in development, and has trained numerous choirs, songwriters and musicians, multiplying Gospel access through music.
In South Asia, Eastern Wind is training bilingual church planters—who are also experienced Disciple Making Movement leaders—to translate and record Bible stories into the languages of multiple least-reached people groups in their region. Bible storytelling is a critical tool for church planters and is having a significant impact in introducing Jesus to frontier peoples from oral cultures around the world.
The South Asian Bible Translation team completed a translation of the Gospels and Acts in a language spoken by 200+ million people, many of whom are Muslim. They hope to complete the full Bible by 2026. They’ve also begun field-testing Mark’s Gospel in three other dialects spoken in the region.
Indopartners is creating digital Gospel resources in major Indonesian languages and sharing them on social media platforms, making the Good News easily accessible to least-reached peoples. Last year, over 400 curious seekers asked to meet with a Christian to learn about Jesus, and at least 175 chose to follow Him.
The Central Asian Bible Translation team recently completed the New Testament in a language spoken by tens of millions of people worldwide. They hope to have typesetting and printing complete soon.
The Bible Society of Egypt (BSOE) is working on a colloquial Arabic translation of the Bible and has already digitally released Matthew’s Gospel. This translation, sourced from the original Hebrew and Greek, is hoped to be widely received and have a far-reaching impact.
The Iranian Church is one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. Persian followers of Jesus and curious Muslims are hungry to learn more about Jesus. Even with 100,000 printed copies of the Bible distributed through the efforts of Persian Network Development, demand remains high and supplies short, so Farsi speakers must figure out creative ways to share access to God’s Word. Oftentimes, for example, small groups of people arrange to meet together in order to take turns sharing and reading a single copy of the Bible.
TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN COME ALONGSIDE THESE BIBLE TRANSLATION EFFORTS, VISIT OUR PARTNER + PROJECT PAGES AT FRONTIERFELLOWSHIP.COM/PARTNERS
Bareedu longed to hear God speak her language. But there was no Scripture in her Ethiopian Arsi Oromo dialect. Nearly a decade ago, Bareedu attended a Christian conference where she heard the Bible read in numerous languages. Though she enjoyed the event, she was sad that her language was not represented. Imagine having a deep love for God but never hearing the Good News of Jesus in your own language. This woman—and so many other men and women in this region of Ethiopia—depended solely on verbal preaching and teaching to hear God's Word.
Bareedu believed God's desire was for all people to know Him. She began praying that God would call someone to provide the Arsi Oromo people with a Bible in their own dialect. She prayed faithfully for ten years, but Bareedu began to wonder if God heard her prayers.
Bareedu had no idea that Urgessa Biru—founder of Light of Hope Ministry Ethiopia (LOHME)—shared her vision. In time, LOHME staff started the New Testament translation project. A few years later, LOHME partnered with Talking Bibles to record the translated New Testament so audio files could be distributed throughout the region. Finally, work began on the Old Testament.
This translation was made possible through countless prayers and hours of hard, faithful work by many people. After many delays, the completed Bible was printed and shipped to Ethiopia in late 2022.
I was honored to attend the three Bible dedication events LOHME hosted in Ethiopia to commemorate this new translation. These celebrations were a testimony of God's faithfulness to LOHME through the long years of this project. It was amazing to see how many people gathered in the cities of Addis Ababa, Shashamane and Ziway to thank God for His grace and mercy and the gift of His Word. My friend and colleague, Taliilee Fiqruu (who co-leads LOHME) said she was overwhelmed with joy at what God had done and the impact this Bible was having on her people.
“WE ARE WITHIN SIGHT IN OUR GENERATION OF BRINGING THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST INTO EVERY LANGUAGE ON EARTH. TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH FRONTIER FELLOWSHIP IN BRIDGING THIS FINAL GAP ACROSS THE LAST REMAINING UNREACHED LANGUAGES FEELS LIKE WE ARE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN OUR OWN CHURCH. IT INSPIRES US TO DO THE HARD WORK IN OUR OWN BACKYARD OF BRIDGING CULTURE GAPS TO SHARE CHRIST WITH OUR OWN NEIGHBORS.”
—PASTOR DAVID KLING
COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA)
Amidst ongoing political unrest in Ethiopia, Light of Hope Ministry Ethiopia teachers, students and families have experienced economic and social challenges. Ask God to provide for every need and protect our partner as they share the Good News of Jesus with least-reached peoples in Oromia and beyond.
Instances of violent extremism have increased in the West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Ask God to bring peace and stability to the region. Pray for Eglise Evangélique de la République du Niger (EERN) as they share God's hope and love with least-reached peoples in the region.
In mid-April, an attempted coup in Sudan brought new tumult, unrest and violence to the capital city of Khartoum and its surrounding region. What began as a conflict between two warring generals has resulted in a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Millions of people have been impacted, including our partners. Pray that God’s mercy will be with all who are suffering in Sudan and the surrounding region.
Many Sudanese are fleeing to Egypt and South Sudan. Pray that our partners— and all followers of Jesus in the region—would welcome these refugees with the love and hospitality of Christ.
Springs of Water recently sent five church planters into least-reached communities. Equipped with water filtration systems, each church planter will be able to provide clean water to the communities at a low cost while also having opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus, the Living Water!
Rise Development (Rise) opened a health clinic serving university students, staff and faculty in a Central Asian region where quality health care is in short supply.
Women's Shelter: City (WSC) hopes to add IT jobs to their vocational training program for at-risk women in Central Asia. The program already includes cooking, baking, sewing and the production of jewelry and crafts.
Women's Shelter: Mountains (WSM) recently offered domestic violence prevention training in 42 Central Asian villages throughout their region, and leaders from these villages have referred women to their shelter for services.
Central Asian Christians who are part of Migrant House Church Movement's (MHCM) network in Russia were granted Russian citizenship, but it now seems they are being called disproportionately into military service on the frontlines of Russia's war in Ukraine. Pray for their safety and for peace to come to the region.
Central Asian Youth Outreach team members will attend a regional youth conference, opening opportunities for them to share the Gospel with attendees.
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For many years, the Bible Society of Egypt (BSOE) faced a great challenge: how to provide blind and visually impaired persons access to God’s Word, because printing in Braille is very expensive. God answered BSOE’s prayers when a friend of their ministry gifted them with a specialized Braille printer! Their translation team reviewed and revised the Biblical text in Braille and began printing and distributing these copies of Scripture. It takes 16 large volumes to contain the Old Testament in Braille and another 5 volumes for the New Testament.
Magdy, one of the volunteers reviewing and packaging the Braille Scriptures, remarked that “ Making the Bible available in Braille actually serves the whole family, as the visually impaired person is often the only literate person in the family that is able to read the Bible to their non-literate household. ”
In addition to the Braille translation, BSOE also distributes devices that hold audio recordings of the Bible. About these devices, an Egyptian pastor who is visually impaired said:
“The presence of this small cassette means the presence of God in our lives and our homes. It might be even better than the printed Braille Bible, because when I listen to it, my neighbor, my parents, my brother, sister or wife listen too. This is a privilege! Its small size makes it easily available to me all night and day. It reminds me of David’s words when he said, ‘ I have set the Lord always before me. ’ (Psalm 16:8)”
The gift of God’s Word is not just a gift for some; it is Good News for all peoples. We’re grateful for our partners who are faithfully making the Gospel accessible to the world’s least-reached peoples in creative and innovative ways. Pray that through their work, many more would soon have an opportunity to hear or read about God’s love made known through Jesus.
• THE ENTIRE BRAILLE BIBLE IN ENGLISH SPANS 36 VOLUMES + TAKES UP TO SIX FEET OF SHELF SPACE!
• BRAILLE IS NOT A DISTINCT LANGUAGE, BUT A CODE.
• 133 LANGUAGES HAVE A BRAILLE CODE, BUT ONLY 40 HAVE A BRAILLE BIBLE.
IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS, BIBLE TRANSLATION IS THE KEY TO GOSPEL ACCESS AMONG THE WORLD'S LEAST-REACHED PEOPLES.
1 of 360 DEAF LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES HAS ACCESS TO A SIGNED BIBLE
5.9 billion PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO THE FULL BIBLE IN THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE
2 billion ORAL COMMUNICATORS ARE WITHOUT A FULL BIBLE
Data accessed June, 2023, from
As part of their vision to train leaders who will transform the Persian-speaking world, Pars Theological Centre (Pars) is hosting 15 Formation Conferences this year. Pray that each event will provide participants with deep refreshment and encouragement as they gather together. Ask God to bless Pars’ staff with wisdom as they facilitate these events throughout 2023.
Teams of ministry workers from Kasr el Dobara Evangelical Church (KDEC) and Jossour are working together to serve Yazidi refugee women in Middle Eastern nations. These women often suffer from high rates of depression and self harm as a result of trauma and abuse. Pray for KDEC and Jossour’s teams as they share God’s hope and love, asking that these refugee women would know their worth as image-bearers of God.
Earlier this year, the Bible Society of Egypt attended the Cairo International Book Fair, the oldest and largest book fair in the Arab world. They sold more than 15,000 copies of Arabic Bibles, New Testaments and other Christian resources. Pray that readers will come to know, understand and love Jesus through these resources.
Indopartners shared Gospel resources in a recent social media ad. In April, after viewing an Indopartners video online, 50 Indonesians requested more information about how to learn more.
As Light of the Islands continues sharing the Gospel and forming house churches in Indonesia, they request prayer that God would add six or more field workers to their team, enabling them to expand into three new regions.
Fifty-two South Asian followers of Jesus recently graduated from a six-month residential course facilitated by New Life South Asia, where they were trained on the Bible, the life of Jesus, church planting and more. Thirty-seven graduates have already planted churches in least-reached communities! Another residential course began in June.
As part of ECO Global Engagement's Summer Mission Mentorship program, Eastern Wind—a church-planting network in South Asia—hosted a summer intern from the US.
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