It was January 21, 1525, when several men met together illegally to discuss the Word and begin a movement. Conrad Grebel (27) and Felix Manz (27) were scholars who approached the Scriptures from an intellectual vantage point, being well versed in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. George Blaurock (34) was a former priest who sought only simple obedience to Scripture.
As the men talked, they were unified and developed a common vision for what the church of Jesus should look like. Blaurock wrote of the meeting:
“They came to one mind in these things, and in the pure fear of God they recognized that a person must learn from the divine Word and preaching a true faith which manifests itself in love, and receive the true Christian baptism on the basis of the recognized and confessed faith, in the union with God of a good conscience prepared henceforth to serve God in a holy Christian life with all godliness, also to be steadfast to the end in tribulation.”
In the face of formidable resistance from the religious elite of their day, these men demonstrated an iron resolve to uphold the commands of Jesus and the authority of Scripture… at any cost. This was the kind of grit that germinated the Anabaptist movement.
It’s the year 2025. There’s been a lot of coverage on the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism already this year: Tours of Switzerland hosted by the Mennonite World Conference. A special edition of the Bible produced by MennoMedia, dubbed the “Anabaptist Community Bible.” New books, websites, webinars, and conferences – by mainstream and conservative Anabaptists alike – attempt to commemorate the special occasion.
It’s certainly a year to remember. Many of us can trace bloodlines back to these early Swiss Brethren. Others of us simply identify with this heritage by a sheer determination to obey Jesus and uphold the authority of Scripture in our lives. May we each consider whether we really share the core values of these early Anabaptist brothers: faith that manifests itself in love, baptism on the basis of confessed faith, a good conscience in union with God, serving God from a holy and godly life, and unwavering commitment in the face of tribulation.
In 1995, a vision germinated within the leadership of several Bible translation organizations. They felt that Bible translation projects were not progressing quickly enough to meet the “pressing need for all peoples to have access to the Word of God in a language that speaks to their hearts.” They soon settled on a solution that became known as “Vision 2025.” In 1999, the dream began to be adopted and promoted throughout the sphere of Bible translation as more and more organizations embraced “the vision that by the year 2025 a Bible translation project will be in progress for every people group that needs it.”
It’s the year 2025. There’s been a lot written about the status of Vision 2025: the escalating speed of modern-day translation, the increasing collaboration among translation organizations and churches, the newest technologies and methodologies employed, etc. Wycliffe even has a special web page dedicated to the countdown.
But, quite obviously, we’ve already fallen short of the goal unless we extend the vision to include the entire year. So, the burning question is, will we actually have a translation project started in every needed language by the end of the year? Only time will tell but, according to the current numbers, and according to the current definition of ‘need,’ and according to the current definition of projects ‘in progress,’ it actually looks pretty promising (based on ProgressBible’s May, 2025 numbers). Will All-Nations Bible Translation even have a job in ten years?
Definition is pretty important. How many of these translations that “speak to their hearts” will stand up to serious Bible study as faithful and accurate renditions of the source text? How many of these “projects started” will fail to go beyond the New Testament, whether lacking the foundational accounts of Genesis or the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah? How many completed Bibles will soon need revision, due to poor linguistic training, ignorance of culture and worldview issues, or simply language drift? How many of these “translation projects” are only focused on oral Bible story-telling and will need future work done to provide a faithful, printed translation? All of this may sound overly pessimistic, but these are some of the real challenges we face in the Bible translation world.
No doubt, Vision 2025 has accomplished a lot of good. However, we also believe there’s a greater need than to simply get a Bible into everyone’s hands. We believe that every people group needs a faithful church: communities of baptized believers, loving each other and serving God from clear consciences, who exemplify righteous living and an undying commitment to Jesus.
Some estimate that the Anabaptists now number well over two million world-wide. But we’re all quite aware of the spectrum of values this number entails. Really, whether or not we call ourselves “Anabaptist” makes little difference. What does matter is if we hold to the commandments of Jesus with the same tenacity that those earliest Anabaptists displayed 500 years ago.
We’ll wait for the dust to settle from the Vision 2025 race before we offer a verdict on the outcome. Regardless, we can expect opportunities to remain on the field for translation work and church planting for many years to come. But these opportunities will be demanding. We need translators and church planters with the grit of the early Anabaptists who adhere to the highest standards of Bible translation quality and incorporate discipleship that encompasses all of Jesus’ commands.
It’s 2025: a year to remember. These two visions – of an obedient, faithful Church and of the full Scriptures for the least-reached people – merge here at All-Nations. Our vision is to empower believers to translate all of Scripture and to do it well – towards the goal of faithful, reproducing churches in every nation around the globe.
— Timothy J. Mast