unfoldingWord

Whole Bible Whole Nation (WBWN): The Whole Bible for the Whole Nation (WBWN) portfolio is designed to equip and empower church networks to reach underrepresented people groups by expanding ministry efforts, training leaders, and facilitating Bible translation. Its primary focus is on building capacity, enabling churches to continue planting new congregations and developing maturity through the translation of scripture. Supporting holistic development, the WBWN strategy addresses various needs and promotes ownership and sustainability. It aims to reduce reliance on external support by providing stewardship training and encouraging long-term planning. One of the Organization's objectives for this portfolio is to demonstrate that Church-Centric Bible Translation (CCBT) is an effective strategy across the world's major regions. There are seven active WBWN programs: Sudan, Islands-Asia, Southeast Asia, Benin, Chad, Iran, and Colombia. In 2025, the Whole Bible for Whole Nation (WBWN) portfolio advanced a scalable, church-led model for Scripture engagement and translation. WBWN phases were formally defined and used to evaluate progress across seven active programs, including a new one this year. A key achievement was the completion and presentation of the Sudan case study at the Bible Translation conference, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating theological formation into the Bible translation process in the context of an unreached people group. The Organization expanded its global partnerships with new field partners in Myanmar, the Islands-Asia, and Colombia. The Organization increased its reach by engaging in 52 additional languages, bringing the total to 405. Of these, 183 were All-Access-Goals languages for which no current Bible is available. The Organization engaged 44 additional Unreached People Groups (UPGs), totaling 203, and expanded into 19 new countries, bringing its overall reach to 50.Scripture access outputs also increased, with 10 additional Open Bible Story (OBS) sets completed, bringing the total to 193. These activities strengthened local church capacity and expanded access to Scripture and discipleship resources in underserved language communities worldwide.

Strategic Language Resources: The Strategic Language Resources (SLR) portfolio aims to address the resource gaps and challenges that impede Bible translation, particularly in unreached communities. It provides open-licensed and accessible resources and tools to empower local church networks to lead translation efforts. This approach ensures sustainable access to Scripture in the languages that resonate most with these communities. The portfolio focuses on several key needs, including equipping church networks with resources to reach unreached people groups and translate the Bible into their heart languages. It also aims to enhance accessibility by providing unrestricted access to Bible translation sources and training materials in languages the global church understands. Additionally, it seeks to overcome barriers, such as reliance on all-rights-reserved English resources.In 2025, the Organization continued to expand and strengthen its Strategic Language Resources to support church-led Bible engagement and translation worldwide. The Organization completed English Book Package entries covering 21,102 verses, representing 67% of Scripture, and finalized 30 additional Book Packages, bringing the total to 318. The Organization also added one new Strategic Language to the Book Package process, bringing the total to 16.The Organization completed the First Principles of Bible Translation video series and presented it at the Eurasia Distribution and Media Consultation (EMDC), equipping church and ministry leaders with foundational translation concepts.In 2025, the Organization developed and tested a new training suite, Foundations of Bible Translation (Foundations BT), designed specifically for oral-preference and first-time translation teams. This suite includes six instructional videos, a simplified Bible translation framework, and AI-powered access to unfoldingWord's core translation guides. Foundations BT introduces a clear, visual, and community-based process built around three core principles: Understand, Translate, and Check, with practical guiding questions that help teams apply these principles in their own cultural and ministry contexts. The Organization successfully tested this approach in 17 countries, demonstrating its effectiveness in equipping local churches to engage Scripture translation in sustainable and accessible ways.