Ministry Reaches 5 Billion People With Audio Bibles
Correction Appended
More than 650,000 people in eight countries will now be able to hear the word of God in their own heart language with the release of 11 new recordings, the world’s largest audio Bible ministry announced.
With the additions, Faith Comes By Hearing, an organization committed to reaching nations with the Bible through audio recordings, increases the number of translations of the New Testament to 600.
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More than 5 billion people in 185 countries speak those languages combined, the ministry said. The large numbers testify to the overwhelming impact FCBH has had in the world.
Within just under a year, more than 100 languages have been recorded by the group, officials said.
“This sort of amazing progress is only possible through great partners working together for the Kingdom,” Morgan Jackson, the international director of FCBH, said in a statement. “From translators to recording teams, to the donors who fund the work, this is the body of Christ coming together.”
The ministry’s newly released languages include: Bawn (Bangladesh), Biate (India), Chinantec de Ozumacin (Mexico), Margos (Peru), Tabaru (Indonesia), and many more.
Among the languages released, Margos is particularly special for the ministry. Not only is it the 17th Quecuan language to be added to the ministry’s catalog, but it also traces back to one of the very first heart languages to be recorded by the ministry: Ayacucho Quechua, which is narrated by Romulo Sauñe.
For nearly 40 years, Faith Comes By Hearing has been offering free access to Audio Bibles for individuals and nations who hunger to hear the Word of God.
“We could see the Great Commission completed in our lifetime!” the ministry exclaimed on their website. “This could be the generation to bow before our Lord and offer Him the inheritance of the nations.”
“For the first time in history, every language (or ethnos) group has been identified and there are 6,809 in our world today. Along with our prestigious partners, Faith Comes By Hearing is working hard to record an Audio Bible in 2,000 of these languages and start 2 million listening groups in order to reach 97% of the world’s population by the year 2016.”
Through Internet streaming, podcasts, and a Bible.is app designed for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, the organization is continually rising to “meet the biblical needs of a complex world through modern technology,” the ministry stated.
For areas that do not have regular access to the Internet or mobile devices, solar-powered Proclaimers, that are digital devices that play God’s Word in the local heart language, are available for listening groups.
An installed microchip in the device containing Scriptures in the heart language can be played repeatedly without wear and tear, makers said. The battery lasts for 15 hours and can be recharged enough to play the entire New Testament more than 1,000 times.
As of September 2011, more than 290,000 Proclaimers were being used around the world. Additionally, the languages offered by the Bible.is app jumped from 218 to 542 in just one month.
“Our progress over the last year has been nothing short of miraculous, but I guess that should be expected when you’re working for the Creator of the universe,” national director Troy Carl said previously.
“In all seriousness, we realize this technology is a gift from God. And we are humbled to bring honor to Him by providing free access in the heart languages of the world to the saving message that is found in His Word.”
“The fulfillment of the Great Commission is no longer a hope,” Carl affirmed. “It’s a reality.”
Correction: Tuesday, November 22, 2011:
An article on November 14, 2011, about the Faith Comes By Hearing ministry incorrectly stated that more than 100 languages have been translated and recorded into audio books this year by the group. The ministry only records and is not a translation ministry.
