What if generosity wasn’t meant to be practiced alone?

Two families discovered that giving together not only multiplied their impact in Bible translation — it deepened their friendships, shaped their children and strengthened their faith.

Nick and Rachel Wolverton have cared deeply about Bible translation for years. But over time, they began wondering what it might look like to invite others into that passion too.

A few years ago, they asked some of their closest friends, Josh and Kaitlin Saenz, to join them in supporting Bible translation together.

The two families already shared much of life side by side. As they pursued intentional community in everyday life, they began to ask another question: “What would it look like to practice generosity in community too?”

Why These Families Chose to Give Collectively

For both families, generosity became more than a personal decision; it was an extension of the community they were already building together.

Rather than giving separately, they decided to combine resources and support a Bible translation project together, believing they could make a greater impact collectively than individually.

“We’re linking arms together and bringing our daily lives into more alignment — not only in the places that we worship and serve in but also the strategic ways that we can give,” Josh shared.

Teaching Children Generosity Through Community

They want their children to grow up seeing generosity as a natural part of following Jesus and participating in the Great Commission.

That passion for helping children understand God’s global mission has shaped the way both families talk about generosity at home.

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“To instill generosity and a love for the Bible for all people in our kids at a young age meant a lot to us,” Kaitlin shared.

“[We want] our boys to get to know that the Bible is not something that we want to take for granted but something … to cherish — not only for ourselves but for people around the world who don’t have that access.”

Teaching kids about living generous lives is important, but the Wolvertons and Saenzes want their children to see the value of being in community with others.

Hebrews 10:24 reminds us: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (NLT).

“Because of the individual nature of American culture, generosity and money in general are topics that aren’t on the table. And we don’t want that to be the case,” Nick shared.

He and Rachel want to model a different way of life for their children. He continued: “[Generosity] is, in fact, another part of the Christian life that gets discipled through community and through relationships.”

Both couples would encourage everyone else to do the same in order to forge deeper community with one another.

“For people who are thinking, ‘How do I find this community that expands beyond one portion of my life?’ It’s taking risks in conversation and putting out an ask and asking people to pray and join you,” shared Kaitlin.

How Collective Giving Expands Impact

Both the Wolvertons and the Saenzes agree that the blessings of practicing generosity together are incredible. God has entrusted them with resources — their time, talents and treasures — that they have the opportunity to steward. And they’re seeking to steward them all well, for God’s glory and the good of His people around the world.

Giving in community provides people with the opportunity to give what they can; combined with others, that support can fund a translation effort that would otherwise be difficult to fund alone. Josh shared:

He continued: “We can actually blow the ceiling off if we are inviting others into [giving]. That’s been one of the strategic ways that we’ve been thinking of how we can continue to be generous: by inviting others into [it] with us. And that’s been a huge joy because God’s already got the plan for how He’s going to accomplish His purposes.”

“Our joy gets to grow because we’re with one another,” Kaitlin said. “We can celebrate [what God is doing] individually, but when we come together, the celebration feels larger.”

For both the Wolvertons and the Saenzes, giving alongside one another has become about far more than just finances.

As a result of giving in community, their friendships have deepened and their children are discovering what biblical generosity looks like in practice. The experience reminded the Wolvertons and the Saenzes that God often works through community to accomplish things far bigger than any one person or family could do alone.

And as both families continue inviting others into the work of Bible translation, their prayer is simple: that more people would experience the joy of participating together in what God is doing around the world.

Multiply Your Impact Together

You don’t have to make a difference alone. Rally your friends, family, church or small group to support Bible translation through prayer, advocacy and generosity — together.

Explore Giving Circles