we be church

[Sore Thumbs] The Greenfingers Edition

Every week I link to resources and sites that stand out and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs, “it stood out like a sore thumb”.

Why Church Plant?

“The Great Commission was actually given at five different times in separate locations. On each occasion the Lord added to the previous command, and so we need to think about the total picture to understand the full implications of the Great Commission…” (read the study at Adventures of a Church Planter)

Newfrontiers Church Planting Website

“Since the time of Abraham, God has been intent on filling the world with his glory (Gen 12:1-3) and we believe that the very best way to do this is by the starting of new churches” This new site has been built to encourage the goal of seeing 400 church plants in the UK. It is full of case studies, information about current and future plants and information about a conference in Autumn 2009. Embedded below is one case study by Stef Liston who is planting a church in Camden, London. (view the Newfrontiers Church Planting website)

The preparation phase: Stef Liston – Revelation Church, Camden (London) from Newfrontiers Church Planting on Vimeo.

Song: More Than a Conqueror

Artist Mali has a blend of smooth RnB and passionate Gospel that is refreshingly honest lyrically. His song More Than a Conqueror is based on Romans 8 and particularly verse 37, “Cos God’s covenant with me I always have the victory”. (Mali on Myspace, Mali on iTunes)

Over 4,100 languages needing Bible translation

Jesus is pretty clear that all nations will hear the gospel of the Kingdom before the end of the world.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

So what are the stats? How many languages still need the Gospel translated? Here are a few figures from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

How many languages have Scripture?

2,454. Of these, 438 have a complete Bible, another 1,168 have the New Testament. 848 others have at least one book of the Bible.

How many languages still need translation?

In addition to more than 1,900 active projects, work needs to begin in over 2,200 languages.

How many people have no Scripture?

196 million speak these languages where translation still needs to begin.

How many languages is Wycliffe currently involved in?

About 1,415 languages (around 73% of all translation work currently being done)

In how many languages have Wycliffe been involved in the completion of a New Testament?

721. Over 80 million people speak these languages.

Wycliffe do an amazing work coordinating an effort to reach nations with the gospel. I would really recommend reading a book called Unafraid of the Sacred Forest: The Birth of a Church in an African Tribe to see how their work can practically be done alongside planting churches. I will do a proper book review in the weeks to come.