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“The Paradigm Is Changing”: Bible Translation and the Church of the Southern Continents

By Kirk Franklin

 Wycliffe International Overview

Over the past thirty years Wycliffe International has
encouraged and assisted with the development of
more than twenty national organizations in Africa,
Asia, the Pacific, and Central and South America. All
of these organizations, as member organizations
within Wycliffe International, participate in setting
the overall direction of the global operations. They
are autonomous self-directing organizations that
seek to lead Bible translation activities in their own
nations as well as work with national churches in
promoting and developing the Bible translation
ministry. Each has taken on a local identity and
assumes some degree of responsibility for sharing
the vision for Bible translation within their borders.
WBTI and its member organizations also work with
a wide range of other like-minded partners.

Wycliffe Organizations in the Southern Continents

  • Burkina Faso—ANTBA
  • Cameroon—CABTAL
  • Central African Republic—ACATBA
  • Chad—ATALTRAB
  • Ghana—GILLBT
  • Kenya—BTL
  • Nigeria—NBTT
  • Brazil—ALEM
  • Papua New Guinea—BTA
  • Indonesia—Kartidaya
  • Philippines—TAP
  • South Korea—GBT
  • Wycliffe South Africa
  • Wycliffe Caribbean
  • Wycliffe Hong Kong
  • Wycliffe Japan
  • Wycliffe Malaysia
  • Wycliffe Singapore
  • Wycliffe Benin
  • Wycliffe Togo
  • Wycliffe Taiwan
  • Wycliffe Thailand  

“God, by the Holy Ghost, is saying, ‘The paradigm is changing.’ Africans must not just stay on the receiving end. They must give and go.” Pastor Daniel Mbiwan of Cameroon represents the new face of the missional Church today. It’s a global, inclusive, dynamic Church of believers from around the world who are recognizing that God’s mission of reaching the whole world is a mission for the whole Church.

A part of that mission is making sure all people have access to scripture in a language that speaks to their hearts. Pastor Mbiwan shared,

"As a pastor, I've gone to different parishes in the country. I think one of the best moments before I preach is to stand up and greet the people in their language. They feel a bonding; they are open to what I have to say. If I could go to such a community and I could speak the language, it would be very impacting. I would counsel Bible students. They should know this is another strategy: The Lord wants to put scripture in the hearts of people—the language—the language from the heart. And it's vital that every Bible student, every Bible teacher, should realize God is putting at our disposal another instrument to reach out. Transformation will come through the gospel, and people must hear the gospel in the way that it will affect their culture and their thinking—and that is in the mother tongue."

Hearing words like these from friends around the world, Wycliffe Bible Translators International (WBTI) has a passion for seeing more of the Church in more of the world involved in Bible translation. WBTI’s immediate desire is to become a greater catalyst for Bible translation among the Church of the southern continents. We want to see movements within the Church taking ownership and involved in completing the urgent work of Bible translation in their nations.

Many people, if they know of Wycliffe Bible Translators, know the Wycliffe organization in their own country. Or, if they know something of Wycliffe’s founder, Cameron Townsend, and the early history of the organization, they may think of Wycliffe as an American-sending organization. But Wycliffe International is actually an association of forty-eight national organizations in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. Some of these Wycliffe organizations not only recruit and equip people for Bible translation work around the world, but also have Bible translation programs in their own countries. With more than 2,200 languages still without any scripture, the challenge is significant.

Pursuing Vision 2025 Together
Each of these organizations, along with other partner organizations, has embraced Vision 2025: “Together, in partnership, to see Bible translation in progress by the year 2025 in every language that still needs it.” Jose de Dios, Wycliffe Americas area director, has said, “The greatest missiological emphasis is not on ‘by the year 2025,’ but on ‘together.’ God has charged the Church—local, denominational, and universal—with the responsibility to translate, teach, and reach all people with the Bible. The church that is envisioned will participate, no matter how small or poor. They will give sacrificially and out of generosity.”

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Kirk Franklin is executive director/CEO for Wycliffe International. He grew up in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, the son of American Wycliffe linguist-Bible translators. He became involved with Wycliffe in 1980 and has served in media-communications and leadership roles in Papua New Guinea and Australia. Franklin is based in Melbourne, Australia.