Exam Week at Mekane Yesus Seminary

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1 year ago

Evangelism at the Heart of Growth

A Pastor’s Reflections on Ethiopia’s Church and Bible Translation Movement

Several years ago, Pastor Michael Pottschmidt of St. Paul’s Concordia traveled to Ethiopia with Lutheran Bible Translators. “I saw a church absolutely dedicated to reaching more and more people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he remembers, “[their] evangelism outreach is not a tacked-on piece, an afterthought to the work that they’re doing, but it is built into how they view themselves, how they are looking at reaching new communities and new people groups. It is certainly tied in with the multitude of translation projects that are taking place there.”

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) is the largest Lutheran church body in the world – and still growing!

“I was looking for the secret sauce that’s there. What are they doing that created this exponential growth? And what I saw consistently was intentionality when it comes to outreach and evangelism. It is built into the fabric of the work that they are doing.”

Lutheran Bible Translators wants all people to experience the hope, life, and transformation of the Gospel, just like Pastor Pottschmidt saw with EECMY.

Praise God for the joy of evangelism in Ethiopia. Prayerfully consider hosting a Bible Translation Sunday and ask God to multiply your efforts to share the hope, life, and transformation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in your community and beyond.

Listen to the full interview with Pastor Pottschmidt.

Watch interviews with current Mekane Yesus Seminary students discussing their hopes for the future of the church and Bible translation efforts in Ethiopia.

1 year ago

Friday Field Notes

GATHERING TOGETHER – Dr. Becky Grossmann

LBT values relationships. We value all our partners. Partners like you who pray and support the various ministries, partners that carry on the work in various locations around the world, and partners that work remotely as missionaries or staff.

Because this is a special anniversary year, we had a special gathering in July at a retreat center in Missouri instead of on the LBT campus. We discussed various topics, evaluated how we are doing in these areas and elicited concerns and ideas as we go forward beyond our 60 years. Topics shared included how we align with the church here and abroad, how we foster ownership with language communities, what ministry staffing needs we have, along with strategies and timelines projected by our administrative visionaries.

Last time I wrote I told you about a meeting with various entities working in Bible translation in Liberia. This meeting ran for two days and gave opportunity for each of the nine groups represented to introduce themselves and what they are doing in Liberia. One group conducts listening groups so people can meet and hear the recording of their Bible. Another group is working in seven language

groups: five Old Testament projects and two whole Bibles. Their approach is quite different from what we use, so it will be interesting to see how well received the final product is.

Hopefully, they do some testing early in the process so necessary adjustments can be made before they get too far along. They are also in need of consultant help. We may be able to learn things from each other and share resources. Another group is working with oral Bible translation. They are also doing a video recording of the Bible in Liberian sign language. All the groups agreed that literacy is a high need throughout the country. The meeting ended before any official cooperative agreement could be developed. Pray that this will still be done.

grossmann PRAYER LETTER

1 year ago

What is a Bible Translation Consultant?

A consultant is a guide, advisor, and encourager throughout the translation process. Consultants strengthen and support the team of translators, and thus the translation as well.

Rev. Chuck Tessaro, a longtime respected consultant in Nigeria, explains, “Translation consultants help translation teams in various ways. The translation consultant doesn’t really drive the translation but is like a spare tire trying to provide what is needed…of course, in the end, you go through the translated work verse by verse with the team and approve it for translation. So, it takes significant experience in Bible translation.”

Bible Societies and other Bible publishers require all Scripture translations to undergo strict checking and approval through qualified Translation Consultants before clearing them for publication. In these final checks, the translators and consultant gather together, reading or listening to every verse. The consultant asks questions about the meaning of words, key terms, cultural issues, naturalness, adherence to original meaning, and more.

Rev. Chuck Tessaro during a consultant check in Nigeria.

Consultant-in-Training

Ruthie Wagner has recently been appointed as a Consultant-in-Training with Lutheran Bible Translators. She will be mentored by Rev. Chuck Tessaro as she completes a doctoral program for a DMin in Bible Translation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Preparation for such an important role takes time and energy, but Ruthie is excited to serve the translation community in this way!

Please pray for God’s wisdom and clarity to surround all consultants as they advise and check various translations of Scripture. May their dedication bear much fruit!