Large Bible Ministries Merge Operations; Share One Mission
Two Christian ministries credited with putting Bibles in the hands of millions of people globally announced plans to merge and be fully integrated by September, the groups’ leaders announced this week.
Bible League International (BLI) and the World Bible Translation Center (WBTC) formed the partnership to enhance the work of both organizations, said board members, who unanimously approved the merger.
“One of the directions we see God moving in the 21st century is ministries are looking at ways to collaborate with other organizations to grow their common mission,” BLI CEO Robert T. Frank stated in the merger announcement. “This merger will strengthen operations for both of our ministries, increasing the tools available to reach the three global audiences we share: the poorest of the poor, the persecuted church and those walking in darkness.”
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Discussions about the merger began a year ago and during the process it became quite evident that the path was being cleared of any roadblocks, Frank told The Christian Post. He said he sees the merger as an example for others on how to conduct ministry and business.
“The key to success in the Christian non-profit world is in partnership. I think a merger of this nature is the future,” said Frank, who will become the groups' global CEO.
“Each ministry brings unique strengths to the relationship; BLI in Bible distribution and WBTC in Bible translation,” the new partners stated.
“BLI brings to the table the logistical capability to distribute a significant amount of Bibles, programs, and material globally to our network of existing organizations,” Frank said. “WBTC has the ability to produce Bible translations and develop training materials.”
“The focus is equipping believers to help people understand who Jesus is and how he can change their lives,” stated WBTC President Eric Fellman. “We will do this through Bible translation, training and publishing of Scripture materials so that people prepared by the Holy Spirit will be brought into God’s community through Jesus Christ.”
Details of the merger include the announcement that BLI will remain headquartered in Crete, Ill. Translation, global procurement and new product development will be managed by WBTC in its offices in Fort Worth, Texas. Plans call for employees and operations to be combined under the Bible League structure.
Bible League is a non-profit ministry that was founded in 1938. The group has distributed Bibles in more than 80 countries. WBTC is also a non-profit organization. The ministry was founded in 1973 with the goal of accurately translating the Bible “in a simple and clear way” into the world’s majority languages. The center has printed and distributed more than 21 million Bibles and New Testaments. It has also provided tens of millions of Scripture portions and Internet downloads, according to the group.
