“A hackathon is a time for developers to come together and think about problems that are on the horizon, technology that’s on the horizon, things that are coming right now that the programmers have been curious about,” explains Birch Champeon. “In our case, a week of time dedicated to just focusing on a tough problem and coming up with software solutions for that particular problem.”

The Hackathon will explore solutions to four different problems:

1. Delivering translators the information they need, when they need it: “We would give them the answers and resources that they can refer to without them having to wade through a large amount of information—that it would be filtered in such a way that it’s readily available and exactly what they need.”
2. Multi-modal drafting: Bringing together the work of different translators, whether typed or audio translations, so they can easily be compiled and checked together.
3. The feedback bottleneck: During trial editions of a translation, the drafted and checked text will go out into the community. “However, getting the information back, getting it into a useful form, and applying it to the translation is has always been a very difficult process, because sometimes it comes back as handwritten notes, sometimes it comes back as audio recordings, sometimes it comes back through a response on a phone. And so, how do we take all that disparate information, bring it together, and then make it into actionable items, so that the translators can improve their translation?”
4. Distribution lag: Creating easy-to-use and nearly instantaneous ways of distributing and publishing scripture, so there can be “more publishing happening, and happening more frequently, so that there’s this continuous delivery of Bible translation.”

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

“These are key tools in the translator’s toolbox, whether it helps with drafting or with checking or with publishing,” says Champeon.

However, these problems can vary in complexities and nuance across regions—a solution that would work perfectly in one area of the world may not solve things in another area.

“That’s why we need developers from around the world working on these problems. If you have developers on the ground that are in these churches, that are currently translating the Bible, then they know the problems that the team is facing. They know the specific problems of their region and challenges there. So that’s why we want a global hackathon of developers coming in and preparing these tools to make them available to Bible translators around the world.”

Pray that this ministry of software development focused on getting the Word into people’s hands would continue to grow—that more software developers would hear about programs like the Hackathon and choose to contribute to the work.

Interested in getting involved? unfoldingWord is still accepting registrations.

“If you are a software developer that would love to work on this and help us, we would love to have your time and your skills applied to this ministry,” says Champeon. “There are many developers worldwide, sitting in churches, not knowing how their skills could be used for the kingdom of God.”

Register for the Hackathon at hackathon.technology.bible.

Header photo courtesy of unfoldingWord.

Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used this strategy elsewhere in China, apparently with success in locating house churches.

Photo courtesy of Timothy Eberly via Unsplash

“House church movements don’t have permits. They’re not registered. So they [the government] would call that ‘illegal’ and then something that they need to clamp down on,” says Brobbel. “But really, it is an attempt to control the Church, to contain the Church and its growth.”

This is no small task for the government because it’s no small number of Christians. There are estimated to be tens of millions of Christians outside of state-controlled, Three-Self Patriotic churches. For the CCP, in its push for sinicization and control of religion, that’s deeply concerning. 

This fall, one underground church known as Beijing Zion Church has been hit hard. On November 18, eighteen pastors and staff were formally arrested after being detained in a coordinated crackdown back in October.

Please pray

Even with the difficulties, Brobbel says there are things to celebrate in China. It is a nation “where we recognize that after so many years of oppression and persecution, the church has just exploded,” he says.

Yet the pressure on Christians in China isn’t going to go away anytime soon. Please let this report lead you to sober prayers for believers.

“[Pray] that certainly the house church leaders would continue to be bold but be wise in how they meet. [Pray] that the Lord would use this clampdown and this continued hostility against the church for another massive explosion of growth,” says Brobbel. 

“We pray that these house church leaders and even Christians in the Three-Self Patriotic churches would remain faithful and continue to present the gospel.”

Header photo: China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Baiyun, 白云山 (Photo courtesy of Zheng Xue via Unsplash).

First, technology enables believers to complete work they would otherwise struggle to do.

“They’ve taken technology tools that our folks created, most notably the one called translationCore, and they have turbocharged it,” Dane with unfoldingWord says. “It serves as a checking tool, which is essential in Bible translation, [and] an initial drafting tool as well.”

Secondly, tech tools from unfoldingWord help believers work efficiently, completing more work in less time. “They’ve translated the New Testament faster than anybody we’ve partnered with,” Dane says.

“They have completed 10 New Testaments, text versions. They have completed one New Testament in audio, and two more audio New Testaments are underway for 2025. They also have 10 Old Testaments underway; those would be text versions.”

When God’s Word speaks your language, it speaks to your heart. This is why unfoldingWord equips local believers to translate the Bible into the languages they know best.
(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

Finally, technology fosters key connections. Team members collaborate on projects using digital means, and some believers discover the Lord’s leading through technology.

“One of the brothers, a key leader, shared how God called him into ministry, not through a pulpit,” Dane says.

“Pastors preach sermons, and God calls people to ministry in a church. This guy came to his call to ministry through technology.”

However, the authorities are also highly skilled with technology, so pray for believers to have wisdom and discernment.

The government’s “surveillance apparatus is really powerful,” Dane notes. “They are concerned that the translation of the Bible and the truths that it teaches might foment a rebellion.”

Help unreached people groups receive Scripture in their heart languages here.

“We’re equipping our partners and aiding them in any way we can so they can translate the Bible into all of the languages represented there, especially the ones that are unreached,” Dane says.

“This country has [several dozen] unreached people groups out of a total of 119, so that is over 9 million people.”

Header image is a representative photo courtesy of fancycrave1/Pixabay.

Though the Gospel has a historic presence in this particular country, the spiritual needs are still staggering.

Dane with unfoldingWord says, “The Joshua Project lists about 195 million people in that country that are unreached with the Gospel. The Gospel has been there a long time, and so there are Christians in the country — but still, 250 million people do not have God’s Word in their heart language.”

The country is home to more than 700 language groups. But despite decades of faithful effort, only 100 New Testaments and 34 complete Bibles have been translated. Dane adds, “The demand for Bible translation far exceeds the capacity of traditional methods and organizations.”

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

The Whole Bible, Whole Nation project by unfoldingWord focuses on using the national language as a bridge to translate Scripture into minority languages.

“We used to call it a gateway language,” Dane explains. “Now we call it a strategic language. If you can get all of our translation tools into that strategic language, then they use them and they can translate the Bible for those…250 million people in that country that do not have God’s Word.”

UnfoldingWord recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a large church in Islands-Asia to integrate translation tools into local training.

“Already, the church’s Bible translation ministry is utilizing our technology,” Dane says. “God is moving in a very powerful way.”

Local leaders recognize the urgency. Dane shares the story of Birhan, a former forensic auditor turned Bible translation advocate. Birhan is from a local tribe still waiting for a complete Bible. “People will come to him and say, ‘Oh, you just need it in the national language.’ But he says, ‘No, that will never be enough — because of how the devil has tricked my people with false teachings.'”

As Birhan says, “We’ve been waiting 170 years for the Bible in our language. Finally, we are working on it.”

You can support this Whole Bible, Whole Nation initiative by visiting unfoldingword.org to pray, donate, or learn more.

Header photo courtesy of Tim Wildsmith/Unplash.

A recent Pew Research study shows that the technology usage gap between Americans under 30 and those over 65 has significantly narrowed over the past decade. However, within the Bible translation community, a digital divide still exists.

Dane, a spokesperson with unfoldingWord, a ministry dedicated to enabling church-centric Bible translation, says traditional translation methods often require high-tech infrastructure, formal training, and external oversight. This creates barriers for many language communities that need God’s Word in their heart language.

One of the biggest challenges, Dane explains, stems from a common misconception: “The question goes like this: ‘I thought only experts with PhDs could translate the Bible. How can we know church-based Bible translations are trustworthy?”

This perception and a global decline in the number of qualified Bible translation consultants created a bottleneck. “It drove the creation of unfoldingWord’s software toolset that we call translationCore,” Dane says.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

translationCore is a suite of open-access digital tools designed to empower local churches and translation teams with quality control, accuracy checks, and collaboration support. More about that here.

The impact is already visible. “This team [in Myanmar] is working on a translation that will reach over 600,000 people who have never heard the story of Jesus in their language,” Dane shares.

By streamlining the translation checking process, translationCore drastically increases efficiency.

“They tell us, ‘When we have to check a Bible translation by hand, manually, we can get through maybe 10 verses a day. When using translationCore, we can check 100 verses a day,’” Dane reports.

unfoldingWord provides these tools free of charge to the global Body of Christ, but continued development depends on support. “We share these tools… without charge, but they aren’t free,” Dane notes.

“Every gift helps get them fully developed and out to the people that need them most.”

You can find your place in this unfolding story — and be part of accelerating Scripture access for the world’s least-reached — by supporting unfoldingWord here.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of John/Unsplash.

“We have profound respect for the accomplishment of our brothers and sisters in the traditional Bible translation world,” Dane with unfoldingWord says.

“Several of our founders spent 30 or 40 years in that movement. We couldn’t do what we do without their shoulders to stand on.”

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

While traditional methods have made a significant impact, they simply can’t keep up with the growing global demand for Scripture in more languages. That’s where unfoldingWord comes in.

unfoldingWord’s innovative software, translationCore, is transforming how translation happens – putting powerful tools directly into the hands of the global Church.

“It is our goal to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end Bible translation tool chain that’s self-service,” Dane says. “It provides self-service capabilities for drafting, checking accuracy, and even publishing translations.”

The impact has been dramatic. According to partners working with unfoldingWord, “‘When we have to check a Bible translation by hand, we can get through maybe 10 verses a day. When using translationCore, we can check 100 verses a day,’” Dane shares.

“They have all the tools right there. They don’t have to be a PhD consultant to do this.”

As the global Church increasingly takes the lead in translating Scripture for their communities, tools like translationCore are essential. However, developing this kind of technology takes resources. You can help by giving.

“It costs several hundred thousand dollars per year to develop these tools,” Dane notes. “We really need people to step up and help us to equip the global Church to translate the Bible for themselves.”

Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord. 

Storly and Kate Michel serve with 4VEH, a ministry partner of Trans World Radio. 

Storly serves as the station director for 4VEH. “People tell me I don’t look 75,” he jokes. “But the reality is, it’s the proof that it’s not me. I wasn’t there [at 4VEH’s beginning]. It’s been God using His servants over time … Haitians and non-Haitians, people coming from all over the place.”

Pray for endurance as believers broadcast critical updates and the hope of Christ.
(Photo courtesy of Radio 4VEH)

Kate says 4VEH was started by an American missionary named G. T. Bustin who felt God leading him to start a radio station, even though he knew nothing about radio. That’s how La Voix Evangélique d’Haïti, or The Evangelistic Voice of Haiti was born.

“People thought he was crazy for even trying to do this, but he was faithful to what God called him to,” Kate says. “And 75 years later, generations of Haitians have come to know the Lord, have grown up serving Him, have become more like Jesus, and are making a difference in their communities and around the world.”

Haitians know how to celebrate! Special church services across Haiti and also the U.S. this summer will be full of lively praise and worship. In Haitian communities they’re even planning soccer tournaments with some of the best teams in Haiti. 

Kate shares another reason they’re excited for these upcoming celebrations: “because we know we’re going to hear from people who are listening, people who are watching 4VEH, and we’re going to hear just how God has moved in their lives.” 

As 4VEH looks back, the team also looks forward. There’s much more ahead as they move to harness digital technologies for wider gospel reach, by God’s grace. 

“We started as a radio station, and we’ve been doing radio for 75 years, but over the years, the way we see it is to use technology as a tool to reach people. So whether it’s radio, television, digital, we will use whatever [is] available and good to reach people where they are,” says Storly. 

“The future for us is exactly that: What do we use today to reach people for Christ?”

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with 4VEH’s mission? Learn how at their website, 4veh.org/en (English). 

“That gift will be used to broadcast the gospel across Haiti and beyond, and broadcast the gospel in a way that is Christ-centered, is compelling and is culturally relevant to the people who are listening,” Kate says. 

“So God will use that to reach people, to disciple them to become more like Jesus, and to help them serve Him in their communities where they are.”

Header photo courtesy of 4VEH.

Mark Stedman, Vice President of Information Technology, explains, “The Deaf have largely been overlooked by the church, not through any sort of lack of care. I think it’s more just an ignorance and not understanding of the need.”

Screenshot of the Sign Language Bible app by Wycliffe Associates.

For example, Stedman says that hearing people may assume that the Deaf can read the Bible in the majority language where they live. However, this is not always the case.

“Around the globe, many Deaf people actually are illiterate in the wider language because it’s a huge lift to move from being hearing impaired into actually learning how to read in the language of wider communication,” says Stedman.

“So really, the best way to hear Scripture, and to hear preaching, and to worship is in a sign language environment.”

One of the greatest needs for Deaf believers is the Bible in their heart language. There are hundreds of sign languages officially recognized around the world, yet only one (American Sign Language) is known to have a complete Bible.

Stedman says, “We have been assisting Deaf churches around the globe with creating sign language Scripture now for close to a decade.”

Wycliffe Associates trains Deaf believers in the 11 steps of Deaf Owned Translation to produce a Bible in their own sign languages. Following this method, the translation teams have completed the New Testament in seven sign languages of African countries. The video translations were then published online at SLBible.com. By request of the Deaf churches, this year the ministry also launched an app to watch and download the translations.

Stedman says, “We have Benin sign language, Cameroon-Anglo sign language, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania and Togo. So those seven countries have all completed their sign language New Testaments, and they’re all available in the app.”

Get the app on the App Store or Google Play. Over 30 more sign language translations are already in progress.

“Our goal is always the same, which is that every single person on earth can hear and read and watch scripture in the language that speaks to their heart,” says Stedman.

“It’s important that anybody be able to encounter Christ in their own language.”

Pray for Wycliffe Associates to connect with more Deaf churches that are willing and able to engage in Bible translation. Pray for the Deaf translators working on the current projects as well. Stedman asks for prayer that the translation teams stay encouraged, focused, and filled with strength from the Holy Spirit.

Is God leading you to get more involved? Stedman says, “I would love for folks to download the app, check it out, tell their friends about it, and then think about becoming a prayer and financial partner in the work of Bible translation with Wycliffe Associates.”

Header photo is a screenshot of the Benin Sign Language Bible at SLBible.com.

Church Centric Bible Translation

unfoldingWord is a catalyst for Church Centric Bible Translation (we’ve written more about that, here). The ministry trains local Christians how to use software tools to keep translation work theologically sound and locally relevant.

(Photo, courtesy of unfoldingWord)

This has exponentially increased the number of people who can contribute legitimate Bible translation work to the pot. Dane*of unfoldingWord says that when humans are given the tools and the knowledge to do something for themselves—and they succeed— they tend to value the work even more. It’s no different with Bible Translation.

“When a people group starts to translate the Bible for themselves, they get really excited about it. And so you have a little bitty house church, or you have a network of house churches and they get real excited about ‘wow, this is God’s word, we can actually do it ourselves, it’s in our language.’ So they own it, it’s not something that’s been brought in from the outside. And they just spontaneously share it with their friends.”

Gospel moving in Iran

Not long ago, Dane interviewed an Iranian Christian woman, Grace*. This woman started her translation work in unfoldingWord’s Open Bible Stories (see here).

Photo courtesy of Mohsina881018 via Wikimedia Commons.

“She got so excited when she heard the name Jesus. She said ‘Joy came in my heart the first time I heard Jesus.’ Islam had never done that for her. And so, she became a Christian a little over a year ago. And in that time, she’s gone out twice a day and shares the Gospel with her Iranian friends and family members. She’s shared the Gospel with over 600 people, and she’s led over 80 of them to Christ.

“And that is the power of Church-centric Bible translation. When they’re translating it for themselves, and they’re hearing God speak their language for the very first time, they get so fired up they can’t help but share it. And the people around them see the change, and they want to know more.”

In countries like Iran, Christians risk their lives every time they talk about their faith. The fact that they still do is an amazing testimony to the hope and new life they’ve found in Jesus. And, they are confident that God will make a difference through them.

Partner in prayer

There are many ways you can support this amazing work happening all over the globe. To begin with, you can pray. unfoldingWord updates their prayer requests, here, weekly. You can also sign up for their monthly prayer calendar, here.

If you want to learn more about their work, head to their website here for some helpful publications.

*Name withheld for security reasons

Header Photo by Iman Soleimany via Unsplash. 

(Graphic courtesy unfoldingWord via Facebook)

Five decades is long enough for things to change drastically! The field used to look like missionaries traveling cross-culturally to work with local people groups and languages. Today, technology and communication have accelerated the process to more than we can keep up with.

Dane* with unfoldingWord says local churches around the world may have caught the vision for God’s Word, but they still need equipping. He points to a massive need for Bible translation consultants — but unfoldingWord’s proposed solution isn’t what you might think. 

“These (translation consultants) are the people that come in after the first draft has been made. They help the local people check their draft,” Dane explains.

“There are not enough of those people in the world to handle all of the translation demand that is out there. We cannot train them fast enough.” 

To help with this need, unfoldingWord and other ministries have compiled open-license resources they hand to church-based teams of translators.

One unfoldingWord team member described this strategy like this: “If we can make specialized Bible translation resources available to the global church, then we won’t need a [Western] missionary force that takes decades to train and decades to deploy. We can equip the church to do it for themselves, and the church can do it forever!” 

Learn more here about unfoldingWord resources for translators.

“People who wanted to make a translation, without a theological education, were able to achieve their goal due to the fact that the tools were prepared by unfoldingWord specialists and their employees who speak Russian.”
–Pastor Ivan K.
(Photo, caption courtesy of unfoldingWord)

But don’t leave this article with misunderstanding — PhD linguists and translation consultants are still needed. It’s just that they were needed yesterday! The point is that there are many ways to serve in Bible translation today. 

“(If you’re interested in Bible translation) I would really research the Church-Centric Bible Translation approach. God is doing some amazing things in the world, and they’re new things. So we need content developers, we need software developers, we need people who want to dedicate themselves to training [others],” Dane says. 

“I would encourage you to study all of those things and be open minded about where God would lead you in terms of your ministry.”

Learn more here about the Church-Centric Bible Translation (CCBT) approach that unfoldingWord and other ministries advocate. Would you prayerfully consider what your role in this critical field might be? 

*Name withheld for security

Header photo courtesy of unfoldingWord.