Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 12:1 (Spring 2015)
Article: Global Church/Bible Agency Partnership: A Proposal For Twenty-First Century Bible Translation
Author: Larry B. Jones

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JBTM 12:1 (Spring 2015) p. 37

Global Church/Bible Agency Partnership:
A Proposal For Twenty-First Century Bible Translation

Larry B. Jones

Larry B. Jones is Senior Vice President of Bible Translation at The Seed Company in Arlington, Texas.

Introduction

Bible Translation as part of the missionary enterprise has changed profoundly in the last fifty years. In 1999, the Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) adopted Vision 2025, which states, “Linking with partners worldwide, we aim to see a Bible translation project begun in every language that needs it by 2025.”

The adoption of this vision statement as the organizational aspiration of the global fellowship of Wycliffe organizations marked the beginning of a remarkable acceleration in the number of Bible translation projects, as illustrated in this graph:

https://globalweaver.wordpress.com/tanzania-bound/

JBTM 12:1 (Spring 2015) p. 38

Also, in God’s providence, an ever-widening circle of church and mission leaders are affirming the foundational place that Bible translation has in God’s global kingdom cause.1 The illustration below provides a snapshot of the current status of Bible translation.

http://www.wycliffe.net/resources/scriptureaccessstatistics/tabid/99/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Accessed on 16 March 2015.

Completing The Great Commission

JBTM 12:1 (Spring 2015) p. 39

Interpreting these figures, there are potentially about 4,055 languages where Bible translation work is going on or is likely to start in the foreseeable future. In addition, some portion of those people groups who have full New Testaments are using them vigorously and need an Old Testament. For the sake of a conservative estimate, we will assume that 645 of the people groups having a New Testament will need further Old Testament translation. That yields a round sum of potentially 4,700 Bible translation projects which will need the support of God’s people in the coming years. This potential need, combined with the accelerated pace at which new Bible translation projects are starting, suggests that the demand for technical support for Bible translation projects around the world is reaching crippling proportions for the agencies tasked with providing that support.

The Role Of The Bible Agencies In Bible Translation

Historically, the Bible agencies (principally WBT and the affiliates of...

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