Study Bibles for the World

Here's what's at stake. The African church is the largest missionary-sending church in the world. And so missionaries are coming from Africa to the West and to the East and to the global south. And the prevalence of false teaching is a real problem. You've got prosperity theology.

You've got the invasion of the cults. And so we want to be able to provide good theology for these churches so that the missionaries are taking the truth with them and not exporting error. If you're listening today, whether on the radio or digitally, it means you likely have easy access to trusted teaching. and to the scriptures. Many of us have multiple copies of the Bible.

We own study Bibles, have Bible apps and the Ligoneer app. But that's not the case for Christians around the world. many lack trusted study tools. And an overwhelming number of global pastors lack formal theological training. And today you'll hear about an expanding outreach.

and the opportunity for each of us to help meet this vital need. This is the Monday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm Nathan W. Bingham. You've likely heard about Ligonier's Study Bibles for Africa campaign.

due to the great need. Your support. and the opportunities that the Lord has provided. This initiative is no longer focused solely on the continent of Africa. Today you'll hear what the Lord has done.

And the response from pastors who have been helped through the gift of a Reformation study Bible. Before I introduce our guests, any donation you make today at renewingyourmind.org. Or when you call us at 800-435-4343, we'll go directly to support this worldwide campaign. and if your gift is $50 or more, to thank you for your generosity. will send you your very own copy of the Reformation Study Bible.

I'll tell you more about that at the end of today's episode.

Well joining me in the studio is our President and CEO Chris Larson. and our Vice President of Global Outreach, JD Bridges. Thank you both for stopping by the studio today to update our listeners on a much-needed outreach that the Lord continues to expand. Thank you, Nathan. There is so much to talk about here, and we are so excited to get to it.

Thank you, Nathan. Well, Chris, take our listeners back to the beginning, to the launch of the Study Bibles for Africa campaign. How did that come about? Rosemary Jensen started a Bible foundation, and she had been working in Africa for decades through the Rafiki Foundation and had built relationships with a number of church and denominational leaders throughout Africa, primarily Central and Eastern Africa, ten different nations. And so she had just started to buy Reformation study Bibles from Ligonier.

She would. Call us up, and she would call you up, JD. And what's the best price I can get? And we'd always try and get her the best price. And we just started to notice the quantity.

That she was ordering. Yeah.

So I called her and I said, Rosemary, what are you doing with all of these Bibles?

Now we knew they were going to Africa, but she explained her vision. And it was just remarkable to hear how she so wanted to help the church in Africa to understand God's word better. And she had dedicated this portion of her life and her ministry to being able to serve the African church. And it was a vision that called. With how expansive it was.

And as she began to explain the need and the scope and the scale of the African church, it boggled my mind. And Said, well, let's let's talk about this and see if Ligonier can come alongside of you in a much more intentional way. And of course, then Rosemary was able to meet with Dr. Sproll. One thing leads to another, and the vision grew and grew and grew.

But what were the original Goals for the Study Bibles for Africa campaign?

So we asked the question this way: we said, what if? Over the next decade, wouldn't it be great if we could send 3,000 study Bibles a year? For us at that time, that was a huge lift, a huge effort on our team's part. We had very little in terms of a track record of sending Bibles of those quantities into the continent. This was 2017.

That's right, 2017. And so then just a few years later, Chris, as you know, based on the tremendous response we saw, not only from those who were on the receiving end of the Bibles, but also our donors, we saw that number then grow substantially beyond that.

So then just a few years later, we were moving the goalpost yet again from 30,000 by 2028 to 100,000 in 2028. This was the last major outreach campaign that Dr. Sprohl himself oversaw the launch of. And I think he would enjoy that metaphor of moving the goalposts because he was always about expanding and extending the reach of. the teaching of God's word to more people.

And to see God's people rally around this campaign, we fully funded it within several months of when we announced it. And so that enabled us to take longer strides and to anticipate growth.

Well, we have a clip of Dr. Sprohl when we launch this campaign. I think he'd be very excited about what we're about to share with our listeners. We shouldn't be talking about sending thousands of Bibles. We should be talking about tens of thousands of Bibles.

So, JD, what is the current number? How many study Bibles have our donors helped get into the hands of pastors and church leaders in Africa? Nathan, we're just shy of 90,000 study Bibles. And so, as you know, the goal was by 2028 we would send 100,000.

So, we fully expect by the end of next year, in 2026, we will have met, if not exceeded, that goal for Africa. We really took RC's words to heart and allowed the vision. If the Lord would allow, and by His grace, to be able to really move significant quantities of the Reformation study Bible. And it was instructive for us in working with. Rosemary Jensen and the Rafiki Foundation why they wanted the Reformation study Bible and why they wanted to get good theology to the church in Africa.

You mentioned the need that Rosemary Jensen shared with you early before we launched this campaign.

Well, recently, Chris, you sat down with Karen Elliott, who also serves at the Rafiki Foundation. She is their executive director. And here's her describing the need in Africa today. I think most people don't realize that in Africa, you have one pastor for five to seven congregations, one ordained pastor.

So in my church, we have four pastors for one congregation. In Africa, you'll have one ordained pastor for five to seven congregations. And he may have a Good News Bible, might have a King James Bible, but he won't have a study Bible. And he has no other resources. You know, online resources are great, and we're seeing a lot of great resources coming out of Ligonier, but most rural pastors can't get online.

It costs him money. We were just talking with an Anglican bishop the other day, though, and he said, you know, sometimes our pastors do get online and all they see is YouTube. And then they'll preach whatever they saw on YouTube. But if they have a study Bible right there with notes, And the outlines, it helps them to preach the gospel. And they're going to this congregation one Sunday, this one the next Sunday, this one the next Sunday, and they're preaching.

So imagine a pastor. With five to seven congregations preaching the truth instead of what is false. The other thing, these churches are big. I was in a rural setting a couple of years ago. visiting this church, and it's in the middle of nowhere.

There were five to seven hundred people, and they're there for hours. This man rules the village, practically. They counsel the people. They're the place everyone goes when they have needs. And they go and stay with the pastor because they house them in the midst of needs.

And so the Bible is not just a great theological help. but it is a practical help for these pastors. We just visited with church leaders in Nigeria. They just had villages wiped out by Muslims. There's poverty, like we don't even know.

And so I said, you know, all we can give you are these Bibles. And he said, oh, don't say that. as the most precious gift you can give us in the midst of famine and persecution. JD and I have been honored to meet some of these church leaders in Africa, and it is humbling to be in their presence and to have an opportunity to serve them. It's not everything that the church in Africa needs, but it is something that leader ministries can do and do uniquely, particularly in partnership with other ministries like the Rafiki Foundation and being able to come alongside of pastors who are serving in places that are facing challenges we can't even comprehend here in the West.

And so to get the Reformation Study Bible, which is really a one-volume theological library, into their hands, it's something that we can do to be able to serve the global church. And the church really is growing there in significant ways. The persecution is very real for Christians throughout Africa. The influence of false teaching, as we just heard from Karen, is also great. But the opportunity right now is great as well.

Here's another clip from Karen. I want to help the listener understand something that is the window of opportunity we have in Africa right now. You see the liberal Western church. has abandoned the African conservative church. You've heard it in the news.

The Anglicans, there's a divide there, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, and so forth. There's a huge divide now. And so our African brethren are adrift. They have no more support from the liberal West.

So we have a huge window of opportunity. They want to hold the line, but if we don't get the clergy now and if we don't get the youth now, social media will tell them what to believe. and prosperity theology, Islam will take over, the cults are all there, and Asia, atheistic communism is there as well.

So you've got all these ideologies. It's really a great time to be in Africa.

So, Chris, what are some of the numbers? What does the church look like in Africa? I'll just mention the Anglican church in Uganda. Just for an example, I was able to meet the Archbishop and some who serve on his staff, and there's about 4,000 parish ministers, there's about 10,000 congregations. and 12 million members.

Just in Uganda. 12 million. Yeah, and we've encountered other denominations like the Anglican Church in Uganda, where there are literally millions of members and Thousands of pastors. And so, like Karen was saying earlier, the number of congregations that one pastor might be ministering to. could be five to seven, and we've encountered that.

Here's what's at stake. As you've seen, JD, and as we've come to understand, the African church is. The largest missionary-sending church in the world. And so missionaries are coming from Africa to the West and to the East and to the global south. And as Karen has mentioned, the prevalence of false teaching is a real problem.

You've got prosperity theology. You've got the invasion of the cults. And so we want to be able to provide good theology for these churches so that the missionaries are taking the truth with them and not exporting error. Amen. J.D., there is a spiritual need for a resource like the Reformation Study Bible, as we've been discussing, but there's also a financial need here as well, isn't there?

There is. In some cases, depending on where you're at in Africa, a study Bible could represent as much as a month's salary. And so, imagine a pastor who might be getting paid in eggs or in chickens. They're not going to have the financial means. And then, on top of that, there's the logistical challenge of getting study Bibles into these very difficult parts of the world.

They literally do not have the infrastructure to support that last-mile delivery. And so, we have to work with partners on the ground to see these Bibles get into the hands of those who need it most, which are the pastors. The response of gratitude that we have heard from pastors who have received a Reformation study Bible, that response has been significant. And we'll share some of that with our listeners in just a moment. But I do want to point out that we have been able to get these study Bibles into the hands of those who need them.

Because of your support as a listener of Renewing Your Mind, as a supporter of Renewing Your Mind, as a Liganier Ministries ministry partner, it's thanks to your care and support that these Bibles have been able to be distributed.

Well JD, just to share with our listeners today. Why did we move the goalposts yet again? and expand this campaign from study Bibles for Africa to study Bibles for the world. Great question, Nathan. In my time at Ligonier, just over a decade now, I've had the privilege of visiting 40 plus countries.

And what I've seen in those countries is a consistent need. Four. theological resources. 95%. of the world's pastors.

have little to know theological education, no formal theological education. And so What we're trying to do here is to not just solve an African problem. We're trying to solve a global problem. And we see this as a great first step in terms of serving the global church towards a healthy and robust theology of the Bible. And as people have heard that Ligonier is this pipeline supplying Reformation study Bibles, opportunities have arisen in other countries as well.

That's right, so we've looked into places like India. And we have found great success. Yes, like I said earlier, there's that consistent need, and at the same time, we found opportunities to get study Bibles into that very difficult country. And the same is true for Latin America. We have several countries where we are actively distributing study Bibles to Spanish-speaking pastors in that part of the world.

And so, as I was saying earlier, it's a global problem that we are solving through this outreach.

So, Chris, what is the new goal that you have set for JD and his team? that you'd like to challenge our listeners to get behind and support prayerfully and financially. J.D. mentioned that statistic of 95% of the world's pastors not having any theological training. And there's another correlating statistic that goes along with that.

That there's estimated to be 5 million pastors around the world.

Now, it may not be the way that Likenier would define a pastor, but let's just go with that number for the sake of this campaign and the goal. What if we could serve at least 10% of the global pastors in giving them a Reformation study Bible in the next 10 years? And because what we've been able to learn by working with partners. What we've been able to learn in terms of manufacturing and logistics and shipping. What we've been able to learn in terms of translation, and I know we'll get into that in just a moment.

It allows us now to put a number around that. where we believe for $25. Per Reformation study Bible, we can put that into the hands of a global pastor. I mentioned earlier that I wanted our listeners to hear some of the responses of gratitude. After they've received a Reformation study Bible.

And so here is a clip of a group of pastors gathered in Nigeria, they came from 19 different countries. They are, and I wish our listeners could see this, they are waving their copies of the Reformation Study Bible in the air. and they are singing praise to God. I know you all are listening to this program, but you can find a video of that Bible distribution in Nigeria on our YouTube channel. And there's thousands of Reformation study Bibles being waved in the air.

And these brothers, they're singing in their native tongue of Hausa, and they're singing their praise of thanks to the Lord. The Lord is using you, our dear listeners, to be able to come alongside of our brothers around the world who are serving the church and trying to shepherd and lead them well and preach God's word faithfully and accurately. And to put a Reformation study Bible into their hands, it's a privilege of a lifetime, really, for us to be able to serve in this way. JD, the Reformation Study Bible is no longer simply available in English. What translations are available?

And what translations are in the works? And how does this unlock other parts of the world? Sure.

So currently, we have six different translations. We have Spanish, Portuguese, and Portugal. Portuguese, French, German. Korean and English. And those translations allow us to cover a large part of the world.

French was only recent. We launched that last November. Looking forward, we actually have several other translations in the works. Arabic For example, and Chinese is on the horizon. We have Russian, which is active, and then Bulgarian, if you can believe it.

And then we have some interest in Polish as well. And so there are other translation opportunities we're being presented with. And by God's grace, once we have the right team in place, we're able to move forward. I've been amazed, Chris, over the past decade to see some of the partnerships and relationships that the Lord has opened up for us and that have been developed that allow our global outreach to Go around the world more efficiently. Can you just share with our listeners what is the power?

of these partnerships. And what does that mean when a dollar is donated to ligander ministries in support of this global outreach? I'm happy to take folks behind the scenes a little bit, and I think it's helpful for our listeners to understand we know where we serve in the great commission economy. Dr. Sprohl, because of his lifetime of teaching, because of the other teachers that we have, by God's grace, I believe Ligonier has one of the most extensive libraries of discipleship resources that are faithful to the historic Christian faith.

Now, much of that is in English. And so we're seeing over the next several decades a great opportunity to pass this library. To the global church. The Reformation Study Bible, as JD has mentioned, being able to work with translators and editors in other parts of the world, working with other organizations who are really on the front lines of the Great Commission. They're the ones who are going.

JD, I think you even coined a phrase that we want Ligonier to be a supply line to the front lines of the Great Commission. And that's really how we think in terms of what we're stewarding.

Now when these get distributed throughout a region, It's not that they get put on an Amazon truck. And get delivered to somebody's door. For some of these locations, it's quite a kind of treacherous journey to get a study Bible to where it needs to go, right? That's right. I mean, we've even heard stories of people who are putting them on a motorcycle, and you should see some of these little motorcycles that they're using to drive around.

They're weighted down, and you wonder: is it safe for the driver? But that's how they do it. Or even putting them on a pack mule and sending them up the mountain. We have some really amazing stories of how God is using different means to get His Word into the hands of those pastors. JD, you've shared Bibles being distributed high-end Andes.

You've shown us pictures of Bibles being distributed on the Amazon River basin. You showed us pictures of people in India. throughout the Middle East. And it is just amazing to see what has happened and then to let our imagination run a little bit and think about where could we be in just 10 more years if we can get to this goal of 500,000 Reformation study Bibles distributed. Chris, if I know you, I know that that goal post is going to move again.

Okay, we'll save that for another episode. Eluma Day was a guest at our national conference this year, and he told us about his experience distributing Reformation study Bibles in Nigeria. And he shared the story of a woman who was desperate for a study Bible, and she begged for a copy. And we shared this recently with our ministry partners, but I want to share it again because it highlights the need and hunger of lay Christians for answers and for truth.

So let's hear once again from Eluma Day. We take Ligunia resources to Nigeria where we equip pastors and train them. One story that changed our lives also was at a seminary in Nigeria. And going back, and we're having dinner in the restaurant, and one woman came to us, an elderly woman, and she walked up to us. She was about to kneel down.

To beg us, and we said, No, no, why are you begging that? And she said, I have questions when I read my Bible, I don't understand. I went to my pastor, he couldn't explain to me. Please, could you give me one of these Bibles? And that has really changed our life thinking about how many People like this woman who have access to faithful teaching.

And now she has an access to a Bible where she could read through it. We have. distributed over 3,000 of Reformation study Bibles.

So Nathan, let me share an exciting story. I was in South Korea. last fall. and met a Nigerian pastor while I was there. And during our time of becoming acquainted and getting to know each other, he shared a need for study Bibles.

And what's remarkable is that at 5 a.m. this morning, I received a WhatsApp message from that brother. Who was receiving his first shipment of Reformation study Bibles through our brother Illumidae and his distribution efforts? It's just remarkable.

So encouraging to hear. And to go back to what Chris was sharing earlier, these partnerships, these relationships of individuals and organizations who can help take these study Bibles where they need to go.

Well, thank you both again for being with us today. Thank you, Nathan. Thank you, Nathan. That was Chris Lawson and J.D. Bridges from Legionnaier Ministries discussing a campaign launched by RC Sprawl back in 2017.

That has now expanded thanks to your support and is serving pastors around the world with copies of the Reformation Study Bible. This is Renewing Your Mind, the daily discipleship podcast of Ligonia. If you've been helped by your own copy of the Reformation Study Bible, you can help get one into the hands of a global pastor who's in need. it costs around twenty five dollars to get one study bible printed, shipped, and placed into the hands of a pastor. and as you heard to day, what is often a rather treacherous journey.

Every gift given today at Renewing Your Mind dot org or when you call us at 800-435-4343 goes directly to support this effort.

However, if you give a gift of fifty dollars or more before midnight tonight, will send you a copy of the Reformation study Bible as well. If you already own one, think of a Christian that you could directly impact by passing along this theological library in one volume. With more than 1.1 million words of verse-by-verse and topical explanations. Contributions from 75 distinguished theologians, all led by R. C.

Sproul, nearly 2,000 years of historic creeds, confessions, and catechisms, and theological summaries and notes from Dr. Sprall, this is a single resource that can greatly help pastors serving throughout Africa, India, Latin America, and more. Your gift of $25 places one of these study Bibles into a global pasta's hands. And if you give $50 or more, we'll send one to you as well.

So give your gift now at Renewing Your Mind dot org by using the link in the podcast show notes or by calling us at eight hundred four three five four three four three. Thank you for supporting the Study Bibles for the World campaign. If you'd like to learn more about this campaign, you can also visit studybiblesfortheworld.org. The Reformation Study Bible has been carefully crafted. from the exterior design to the type setting.

Why do we care about those kinds of details? Is art important? And should Christians care? Join us tomorrow as you'll hear R. C.

Sproll teach from his series, Recovering the Beauty of the Ottz. That's beginning Tuesday, here on Renewing Your Mind.