International (MNN) — Over the past 75 years, Wycliffe USA has celebrated several major milestones. The ministry celebrated its first Bible translation in 1951 and its 500th in 2000.
Around that time, Wycliffe and its partners took a bold stand, one they called “Vision 2025,” Executive Vice President of Partnerships Andy Keener says.
“This is the desire to see Bible translation begun in every community where it’s needed by the year 2025.”
(Graphic courtesy of Wycliffe USA)
Bible translators have made tremendous headway in the past quarter century. More language communities have access to God’s Word today than ever before, but serious needs remain.
Roughly 22 percent of all the world’s languages still need to start a Bible translation, and the clock is ticking. Only two years remain before we cross the threshold into 2025.
“A few years ago, there were parts of the world we looked at and said, ‘Well, I just don’t think it’s going to happen there.’ The ones that are left are the hardest to get to; these are some difficult places, but we’re seeing momentum,” Keener says.
For example, “almost 600 languages in the Pacific still have needs. But in the last 12 months, we’ve been able to begin work – with the Church taking the lead – in more than 200 languages.”
The remaining needs seem daunting. At the same time, God is raising a new generation of workers. Local churches in the “Global South” are “taking the responsibility and stepping forward to address those needs, and we’re joining them in that effort,” Keener says.
“Churches are [saying,] ‘This is our ministry space; how could it be that people are separated from the Gospel because of the language they speak? That’s just not acceptable.’”
There’s more to the Bible translation movement than linguistics. Find your place in the story here!
“We’re working in other parts of the world with similar groups of people to say, ‘what are the needs in our backyard and how do we address them?’ Sometimes they (local people) know how to do it. Sometimes, they’re saying we want to, but we want you to walk with us in this journey,” Keener says.
Header image depicts a Bible translation team in Madagascar. (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe USA)
