Where We Serve / Papua New Guinea
For millions of Papua New Guineans, Scripture has never been available in their language.
Together, we can change that.
Why it matters
A language is more than words. It’s where faith lives.
Papua New Guinea is home to hundreds of languages, each carrying the stories, traditions, and identity of the people who speak them. Yet many communities still do not have access to Scripture in the language that speaks most clearly to their hearts.
Across the country, local leaders, churches, and translation teams are working together to change that. As Scripture is translated, shared, and used in daily life, people are encountering God’s Word with new understanding. Literacy programs and Scripture engagement efforts are helping families read, discuss, and live out the Bible in their own language.
Together, these efforts are strengthening the Church, equipping local communities, and creating opportunities for more people to experience the transforming power of God’s Word.
Funded solar kits and laptops are a big help for translation teams in Papua New Guinea, that have greatly increased access to the translation software they need to boost efficiency and accuracy of their translation work.
“A slogan to live by.
Put God’s Word in the hands of the people.”
Papua New Guinea Translation Consultant
Lutheran Bible Translators is already solving the technical problems related to Bible translation and is supporting students studying translation in Seminary. The partnership will advance translation work in Ethiopia.
Hailu Berhanu
Tsamakko Language, Ethiopia
When people speak in their languages, it is very easy to understand what God is saying to them. We work with Lutheran Bible Translators to share ideas and ensure people have access to the Word of God.
Pastor Oscar Lema
Kerewe Language, Tanzania
We need Bible translations in the languages we understand best. Our vision is for pastors and members of our community to be trained in Bible translation. Then the work can spread, and our capacity can grow.
Steven Ttopoqogo
Waria Multi-Language Project, Papua New Guinea
Because we have the New Testament in our own languages, our missionaries can take the Gospel to isolated people.
Mr. Ndorbor
Bandi Bandi Old Testament Translation, Liberia
“I can’t believe that is us who did this, l am very proud and thank God for his mercies!” expressing his joy, the first day he received the Gospel of Mark, a text he had helped to translate.
Motswasele
Wayeyi Bible Translation Team Member, Botswana
When you communicate to people in their own language, they can grasp the Gospel with their two hands.
Rev. John Bundor
Kissi Literacy and Scripture Engagement, Sierra Leone
Why This Matters
When God Speaks Your Language
Translation isn’t a linquistic project. It’s a transformation – of individuals, families and entire communities.
Faith becomes personal
For generations, the Gospel traveled through other languages — translated, then re-translated. When it finally arrives in a mother tongue, something shifts. God is no longer distant. Scripture feels written for you, about you, to you.
Communities lead themselves
Translated Scripture empowers local leaders to teach and disciple in their own words. What once required an outside interpreter now belongs to the community itself. That’s not just theological — it’s generational.
Children inherit something lasting
A Bible in your language is a Bible that stays. Children grow up reading Scripture in the same voice they use to talk to their families. That inheritance doesn’t fade with a generation.
How It Works
There is a plan. It’s working.
Translation is not a single act — it’s a multi-year process built around community ownership, linguistic scholarship, and local leadership. Every language project follows the same proven stages.
When you give, you’re investing in a methodology that has produced lasting results across Papua New Guinea for years.
Community partnership
LBT builds trust with local leaders, trains community translators, and completes a linguistic survey.
Literacy foundation
Before Scripture can be received, communities need to be able to read it. Literacy programs run alongside translation.
Scripture translation
Local teams draft, review, and refine translations — ensuring every word reads naturally in the community’s own voice.
Distribution & discipleship
Completed Scripture is distributed and woven into church life, ensuring it’s read, taught, and passed on.
Give to Papua New Guinea
You can put Scripture in the hands of believers in Papua New Guinea.
A gift to the Papua New Guinea country fund supports all active translation projects — the translators, the literacy programs, the community partnerships, and the long-term work of getting it right. You see Scripture take root by receiving field updates, stories, and reports from the communities your gift is reaching. Watch families worship in their heart language.
Or give to a specific language community
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- Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Capacity: Coordination Office – Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Capacity Building
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Scripture belongs in every language. You can help.
Join believers across the country who are equipping PNG church leaders to bring God’s Word home — in the language that shapes daily life.
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