Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus called the whole Church to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:18, NLT). It is in and through the Church that God will build His Kingdom, including local churches in every corner of the globe.

And that’s exactly what’s happening today! God is on the move, and His Spirit is being poured out upon the earth in ways that we’ve never seen before, particularly in the history of Bible translation.

For so long, the Church has been viewed as having the deepest roots and strongest influence in the West, and it was the West sending out Bible translators. That’s changing.

Johnstone Ndunde, SIL area director for Anglo-Lusophone Africa and a partnership facilitator with Global Partnerships, shared: “In the world where we serve, we have many churches that have discipled, educated people [who] are able to serve the Lord as well. God’s mission is no longer from the West to the rest. It is from everyone to everywhere.”

He has called all people — from every language and community around the world — to experience His redemptive power through the blood of Jesus, leading to life transformation. Translated Scripture plays a key role in that, so people can encounter Jesus through the gospel in a language and format that speaks directly to their hearts.

Today the Great Commission is being advanced by the global Church, and local churches are taking ownership of seeing their communities, countries and even entire regions reached with Scripture.

• In Papua New Guinea, local churches are seeking to address Bible translation needs for 80 languages through the Wanbel Cluster project.


• In Nigeria, Bible translation organizations and churches are meeting together to collectively find ways to engage the majority of the approximately 110 remaining languages that still need projects to begin.


• In Eurasia, Deaf churches and partners are strategizing ways to bring God’s Word to all sign languages across nearly 50 countries.

These are just a few examples: Behind each new language engaged or translation completed, countless lives are impacted — for God’s glory and the good of His Church everywhere!

In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one — as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (NLT).