A reviving interest in the Great Commission is driving an unprecedented pace in Bible translation.
It took 67 years for Wycliffe Bible Translators and other Bible translation partners to complete the first 500 full translations of the New Testament into indigenous languages, and just 17 to complete the next 500.
Technology and surging interest in the work has meant that translating the Bible is moving faster than ever before. But part of what’s so interesting about this moment in Christian history is that the people doing the translation are changing.
Kyle Willis, Vice President for Advancement at Wycliffe, says they are working with about 3,000 partners globally to take on the task of translation together. In fact, these partnerships with local churches, mission organizations and like-minded ministries are the primary reason these translations are getting started — and finished — at all.
He says that’s due in part to a reviving interest in an age-old Christian mandate, the Great Commission.
“The Great Commission is a command,” said Willis. “It isn’t known as the ‘Great Suggestion.’ Carrying the good news of Jesus to everyone in the world is a core and compelling part of our faith as Christians. And today, more and more people are actively responding to this command.”
For someone to return again and again to Scripture throughout their life, they need access to a Bible in the language they know most intimately. So, churches all over the world have begun to address precisely that critical spritual need.
Many churches benefit from additional financial support, tools, and training in their pursuit of Scripture in their heart language, and there has been a complementary surge among donors to empower them accordingly. Willis says there is growing momentum for lay Christians, Christian leaders and donors to come together in an effort to see all people with access to the Bible in their own language.
Translating the Bible used to take a team as many as 30 years to complete a single New Testament. But thanks in large part to technology and the impassioned involvement of local church communities, translations are happening at an unprecedented pace.
“This is a really unique situation,” Willis remarked. “Enthusiasm is rising at the same time that local translators’ ability to participate in the work is growing. In some countries, there are children going around their neighborhoods to share about their church’s translation work. Churches are starting new translations at a surprising rate. Energy is really high, and it’s coming from younger and younger people.”
Wycliffe and their partners hope to start a translation for every language currently in use by the end of 2025. It’s a daunting goal, but Willis is optimistic. That’s likely because he sees this surge in translation work as part of a larger and deeper spiritual movement, one at the heart of which lies generosity.
“There is joy in giving,” Willis said. “And giving takes many forms. You can give time, talents, energy, influence, and resources. These churches are giving all of that. And what greater gift could you give, really, than the Bible in someone’s heart language. But we’ve also seen an incredible surge in generosity from donors interested in supporting this work.”
People desire to respond to what God is doing through the acceleration of Bible translation around the world, he says, and this has led to many opting to contribute toward the efforts financially. “We’re immensely privileged to partner with generous Christians who want to help fund what God is doing with and through people all over the world.”
He’s seen growth across all donor portfolios, with the most significant growth in major giving which has almost tripled in the last five years alone. And Willis isn’t just grateful for the growth. He’s encouraged to see more people sharing in what he considers to be an important manifestation of Christian joy.
“God wants us to be generous,” Willis said. “It’s part of how he invites us into the joy of creation, the joy of stewardship, the joy of service. It’s really humbling to see how profoundly generous people really are, at every level, with every part of their lives.”
Wycliffe’s ultimate goal is for people from every nation and of every language to have access to the entirety of Scripture, and there is still massive work to be done. About 980 languages have a Bible translation yet to be started—translations that would impact 35 million people. Only 750 languages out of the known 7,400 in use today have a fully translated Bible.
