LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO But you are not like that, for you are a...
Transcript of LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO But you are not like that, for you are a...
Greetings in Jesus’ name.
I’m still the new guy around here, having begun as Seed Company President & CEO July 15, 2015. So please allow me to show you a bit of my journey and how it’s intersected with that of Seed Company.
In 1993, I was serving as the Hong Kong-based East Asia coordinator for Partners International. During staff meetings in the U.S., CEO Chuck Bennett gathered us after he’d spoken with an old friend of his, Bernie May.
Those two had been friends since 1956, when Chuck flew Bernie to Wycliffe’s Jungle Camp for missionaries. Now, Bernie had just told him about an intriguing plan. Devised during a season of intense prayer, Bernie’s idea was to accelerate Bible translation. He saw that God’s resources would increasingly be found in the Majority World. The focus of Western missions, he said, needed to shift — to help indigenous leaders translate Scripture in their own languages.
Bernie would lead the entity that drove this idea: Seed Company (which Chuck, who died in November 2015, had a hand in naming). Little did I know then that I’d get to play a role in the future they envisioned.
My History
When the Southern Baptists came to China in the early 20th century, my great grandfather accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. He became a founding member of the First BaptistChurch of Shanghai, and also started the YMCA and Christian universities there. During the 1940s he was international president of Baptist World Alliance.
Our family has had followers of Christ in every generation since. I am deeply thankful for that.
I was born in Taiwan. My family had moved there after the Chinese Communist Revolution. But in 1970, when I was 11, our family moved from Taiwan to Canada in order to provide a better life for my brother and me.
In winter 1974-75, I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was baptized in a Chinese Baptist Church, and later attended People’s Church Toronto. Our congregation sentmissionaries all over the world.
What excited me most — and remains etched in my mind today — was visiting with ministry leaders from other countries when they would come to Toronto. They brought a contagious passion for their nations and visions for reaching their own people.
At People’s Church we had something called a “faith promise offering,” which I still abide by. We were encouraged to make bold giving commitments for missions and then see how God would provide the funds. One year in my late teens, I took that challenge to heart and set a pretty high goal. Through a combination of allowances and odd jobs — including an unexpected job of selling brown rice over the phone — God provided so much income that I met the goal and then just kept giving.
Exercising Trust
That’s the kind of faith I have been raised on. That’s the faith I desire to exercise here at Seed Company. God responds to our yearning to meet the faith promises we make, and then He provides the opportunities.
It’s not about dollars. It’s not even about the fact God can provide. It’s the practice of exercising our faith — trusting Him with absolutely everything. He will always — always — come through because He is no man’s debtor (Romans 11:35). Throughout my life, I have leaned on that strand of faith.
In the years I worked with the multinational firm Ernst & Young, I lived and breathed the business culture of accountability. Our board members know that mindset, too — and in ministry we take accountability every bit as seriously. As you page through this Annual Report about an extraordinary 2015, I pray you see God on every page. I am awestruck to think of myself, my colleagues and our partners as His children who have been handed a precious instrument — stewardship of what He is doing around the world today through His Word.
Together, let us play that instrument well.
Until that day when all have heard,
Samuel ChiangPresident & CEO
L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T & C E O
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal
priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can
show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness
into his wonderful light. — 1 PETER 2:9
03
7,102
4,500
1,778
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if
they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how
will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the
feet of messengers who bring good news!”
— ROMANS 10:14-15
It’s people who don’t have the full Bible in the language they know best. The number includes people who may have a few verses of Scripture, or small portions of the Bible.
It also includes 1,778 language groups, representing 165 million people who don’t have Scripture at all. Not. One. Single. Verse.
What exactly does “Bibleless” mean?
Living languages on Earth
Languages with remaining Bible translation needs
People are still Bibleless
Languages that have no Scripture — not even a single verse — and need
Bible translation to start
0504
280 B.C.
Bible translation begins in Alexandria, Egypt, with the Septuagint translating the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, the everyday language of the people.
1993
Bernie May steps down as Wycliffe president to prayerfully discover ways to accelerate Bible translation. Seed Company is born. Bernie connects financial and prayer partners with 10 projects.
A.D. 381
Jerome is commissioned to translate the full Bible into Latin. It becomes known as the Vulgate.
2003
Seed Company’s 200th Scripture translation project.New President Roy Peterson and his leadership team cast vision to engage 1,000 languages over the next 10 years.
1450
Johannes Gutenberg perfects the printing press in Germany (1450). Scripture access will be revolutionized. After Martin Luther sparks the Protestant Reformation in 1517, his friends print the 95 Theses and distribute them throughout Europe.
2007
Seed Company’s 400th Scripture translation project. A new emphasis emerges: translating Scripture portions that will immediately benefit each people group.
1611
King James I authorizes a new translation into English. The King James Version replaces the Vulgate as the translation of choice among English scholars.
2010
Seed Company’s 600th project. Increasingly, end users define project design. Innovative methods emerge: Oral Bible Storytelling, Sign Language, video and audio Scripture translation strategies, crowdsourcing and mobile apps.
1942
Cameron Townsend helps found Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.
2014
Seed Company’s 1,000th language. Field and organizational partners number more than 900. God reveals anew plan of sharing knowledge and resources with the world’s largest Bible organizations.
See the full video on the history ofBible Translation at: http://bit.ly/historyofbt
History of Bible Translation
1816
American Bible Society is founded in New York City. Elias Boudinot (ex-president of the Continental Congress) serves as the first ABS president. Dozens of new Bible societies spring up worldwide in the next decades, culminating in the 1946 creation of United Bible Societies.
0706
348
153languages
languagesHis Word1,194 languages
116 countries
6 continents
His People1.6 billion people potentially
impacted by Bible translation
27,863 prayer and financial partners
His Ways
7,400+ active prayer commitments
1,285 active field partnerships
2001 20051993
100
500
1,000
1,500
LA
NG
UA
GE
S E
NG
AG
ED
TOTAL IMPACT SINCE 1993
2015
We’ll remember 2015 as the year Bible translation
reached a pace unimaginable 10 or 20 years ago.
Seed Company broke all of our records as we
engaged 787 languages at the same time. There
were 37 Bible translation projects converted to the
Common Framework — meaning local partners
redesigned the projects to span shorter timeframes
and deliver Scripture faster.
1,194languages
0908
Languages in progress
First Scripturetranslations
787
83
155
131BY THE NUMBERSFY15
Transitions
New languagesengaged in Bible translation
AFRICA: 37
AMERICAS: 13
ASIA: 39
EURASIA: 16
PACIFIC: 26
Here’s how that breaks down geographically:
God has used Seed Company and our partners to accelerate Bible translation faster than anyone thought possible. The day rapidly approaches when the number of unengaged, unreached people groups will be ZERO.
Accelerating to Zero
1110
The future that Bernie May envisioned in the early 1990s has arrived. Vision and responsibilities for Bible translation are increasingly owned by local believers. Bible organizations worldwide are approaching Seed Company and asking, “Could you show us how to do what you do?”
Our partners range from national Bible translation organizations to church denominations and dioceses to media and distribution partners to tiny local churches in remote areas. Some provide resources or technical experience. Others will be the primary users of the translated Scripture. The common denominator: passion for God’s Word and readiness for the global Church to own the vision and responsibility for Bible translation.
Standing Together in Partnership
I am in them and you are
in me. May they experience
such perfect unity that the
world will know that you sent
me and that you love them
as much as you love me.
— JOHN 17:23
U.S. & International Partner Organizations
1,285
13
ANNABible StorytellerBotswana
PartnershipTranslation needs and
goals are determined
with partner organizations
and the end users.
StewardshipProjects are well-developed,
well-resourced, well-
managed and accountable.
RelationshipAll work together: those
translating God’s Word,
those receiving it and
those funding and
praying for the work.
Accelerated ImpactCommunity needs dictate
which passages of Scripture
will be translated first
— impacting the largest
number of people in the
shortest possible time.
Years from now, 2015 may be seen as the tipping point, when something once called the “Seed Company model” became known as the Common Framework for Bible Translation.
The Common Framework represents what we’ve learned about Bible translation over the past 22 years. And now we’re sharing it freely with other organizations. Think of it as not only helping others learn to drive, but also handing over the keys.
Ownership Local believers own the
vision and responsibility for
Bible translation work.
Standing Together with Methods
The Common Framework
15
ROCEScripture Engagement SpecialistPhilippines
Defining moment
In March 2015, leaders of six Bible transla-tion organizations stood together on stage at the illumiNations gathering to signify their unity. Wycliffe USA, SIL International, American Bible Society, United Bible Soci-eties, Biblica and Seed Company aligned under the banner of Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN). Our common conviction: Capacity building, vision and influence be-long with the local church. Increasingly, our role is to help equip those who are ready to do this work themselves.
That gathering demonstrated that Seed Company is not only sharing what we’ve learned about project design, but we’re also sharing key funding strategies. Previ-ously a Seed Company gathering, illumi-Nations 2015 became a joint gathering for ETEN organizations. That alone was unprecedented. When financial partners
present invested in the Bible translation movement like never before, that too was shared — $36.5 million toward Common
Framework projects.
ImpactField partners, financial partners and prayer partners are cooperating closely to build locally led Scripture translation projects. We're starting more projects than ever, built on deep relationships with people around the world and mutual understanding of their most immediate needs.
Most of the manpower — and significant amounts of funding — will be owned globally. What a beautiful picture of Christ’s Church fulfilling the Great Commission.
Standing Together in Unity
In 2015, partnership, collaboration and generosity reached
unprecedented levels across the Bible translation movement.
Independent mission organizations came together in humility,
unity of vision, strategy and resources.
Less duplication of effort.
Sharing strategy, information systems and global data.
Sharing funding models — and even the funds themselves.
17
JAMESBible StorytellerBotswana
Standing Together with the Nations
Fifty years ago there was hardly a church in Africa. Now we have this big church. When God blesses you, He doesn’t bless you to just sit down and celebrate. You must extend that blessing forward.
A mature African Church must be on the forefront of Bible translation. Our vision is to build on foundations that have been built by missionaries for 50 years. The work must be imbedded in the country, the churches and the communities. We must own it.
Historically, organizations like ours have been transmission belts for missionaries, for ideas, for strategies. But today we are ready to also participate in the whole Bible translation movement — as agents, not just as transmission belts.
We are mobilizing the whole country around the idea that Bible translation is not an American task. It is the responsibility of every Christian in every country. As Christians in Ghana, we have a responsibility to ensure that our people get the Bible.
But we also need support and a model to look at. That is what we felt Seed Company provided. It was founded on the understanding that if they support the participation of nationals, the work could be accelerated.
And Bible translation is not just for our use. Just like the mature Church in America sent people to us, we should begin to support the work elsewhere.
God is shifting the way He is doing things, and we get to be part of that process. He’s given us this unique, historic opportunity.
All of these ideas 20 years ago would not have gotten traction. But now, everything is converging. That’s when you see that this is a move of God. All organizations are beginning to speak the same language. Seed Company has transformed itself — at the time when we really needed an organization that understood us. They said, “We are willing to stand behind you and support you in this.”
Seed Company has come forth as a natural ally for the kind of vision we had.
Paul Opoku-Mensah is executive director of the Ghana Institute of
Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation. GILLBT, a longtime Seed
Company partner, gives a clear picture of Bible translation’s bright
future on the local level. Here’s how Paul describes what God is
doing in Ghana.
We are mobilizing the
whole country around the
idea that Bible translation
is not an American task.
It is the responsibility
of every Christian in
every country.
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Our KEY STRATEGIES
The approach that the Seed
Company takes is just very
effective. It’s very thorough.
It combines accountability
with all the other fantastic
elements — raising capital,
connecting small groups of
people financially and in prayer,
empowering technical people and
carrying out the mission. I think
it’s just an incredibly delicate
balance that they pull off and
do a fantastic job with.
— STEVEN GANSS, INVESTOR AND ADVOCATE
“
“
Gutenberg’s press revolutionized how the world learned. Since then, the mission movement has employed one particular form — linear learning through reading — as a strategy. But for hundreds of millions of people worldwide, spoken words still ring louder than any written text. Today, translators are seeing an overwhelming response to Bible stories told orally.
Seed Company works with local churches to provide training to their people, so they can share the Bible’s great truths with their communities. Some even become trainers themselves, helping create ownership and momentum.
The goal is to share Bible stories that matter deeply to listeners. Do people need physical healing? Tell them stories of heal-ing. Have people there been traumatized by violence? Tell them stories of hope.
Storytellers don’t just memorize stories; they internalize them. They learn characters and plot twists and integrate their own creativity into telling the stories. The result? Stories that impact oral cultures in a way that written words never could.
In Ethiopia, for example, an oral Bible storyteller named Gama and his team-mates were crafting the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son. They were impressed by the realization that God actively seeks the lost. At that time, Gama was embroiled in a dispute with a neighbor over cattle and damaged crops. Others urged Gama to press charges. But Gama was so moved by God’s love and grace in Jesus’ parables that he chose not to file a police report. He says he found incredible peace after making that decision.
219 133Languages where translators are producing oral Bible stories plus a combination of other products: printed Scripture, the “JESUS”film, audio files and more
Languages where translators are producing oral Bible stories only
Jesus said, “How can I
describe the Kingdom
of God? What story should
I use to illustrate it?”
— MARK 4:30
Standing Together for Storytelling
23
IGNACIOBible TranslatorPhilippines
Together, Sign Languages comprise the largest unreached people group remaining.
In Kenya, Stephen lost his hearing at age 7. Angry and frustrated, he picked fights at school and abused classmates. But when Stephen was in 7th grade, someone shared the Gospel with him. He trusted Jesus as Lord and dove into reading God’s Word. In high school, he learned Sign Language and began sharing the Gospel with other Deaf people. In 2010, after high school, he helped plant a church for Deaf people.
Two years later, Stephen joined a Chronological Bible Storytelling project with one of our field partners, Deaf Opportunity Outreach (DOOR) International. He learned how to tell stories in a way that Deaf people — many of whom cannot read — could understand. Deaf people often relate well to the plights of the downtrodden and misunderstood. In some cultures, they are even considered cursed. Today, Stephen is a Sign Language translation facilitator and holds a diploma in Bible translation from Serampore University.
“Since becoming a teacher and preacher in my local Deaf congregation, I’ve realized how hard it is for the Deaf to understand written text,” Stephen says. “I saw the need and felt God wanted to use my Sign Language skills so that many more understand God’s Word and fear the Lord.”
Deaf people worldwide are being reached by videos that present Bible stories in visual-only format. The work requires Deaf translators, Deaf storytellers and teaming up with new Deaf organizations. Not only is Seed Company learning from our partners and working alongside them, but those partners also are collaborating in new ways among themselves. We partner with organizations like DOOR to tailor Bible translation projects to Deaf communities around the world.
In 2015 we also removed finance-based limits on the number of Sign Languages we take on. That means reaching an estimated 70 million Deaf people worldwide faster.
16 14Sign Language projectsengaged with Seed Company
More Sign Language projectsscheduled to start soon
“Let us, your servants,
see you work again; let our
children see your glory.”
— PSALM 90:16
Did you know there are an estimated 400 Sign
Languages? If people can’t hear, they likely can’t read.
Standing Together for Sign Language
25
JENNYBible TranslatorPhilippines
Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship
or persecution or famine
or nakedness or danger
or sword?
— ROMANS 8:35 (NIV)
Worldwide, local Bible translators are using innovative strategies to reach their languages and cultures with the authority of Scripture. It’s holy and humble work — often anonymous and often at great risk in dangerous places.
On one continent, Bible translators sometimes hear machine-gun fire close by. That means it’s time to flee their workplace and into the jungle — where they keep working secretly on laptops. When the batteries run out, they switch to notebook paper. Pinned in the jungle for several days, they survive by eating caterpillars and yams.
In another dangerous place, a Bible translator is kidnapped. When his captors
don’t get the demanded ransom, they appeal to political friends who jail the translator on false charges. During his time in jail, he leads twofellow prisoners to Christ.
Elsewhere, another Bible translator endures a severe beating and is left for dead because of his faith. Later he gives a bold testimony in court and publicly forgives his attackers — including members of his own family.
A Bible translation project is considered sensitive if its work would be harmed by public knowledge. Harm could range from churches being burned to Christians being deported, attacked or even martyred.
445 136 206Level 1 ProjectsLeast Security Sensitive
Level 2 ProjectsMedium Security Sensitive
Level 3 ProjectsMost Security Sensitive
In other words, 342 (43 percent) of our total 787 languages
engaged in FY2015 were sensitive projects.
Standing Together for Sensitive Projects
27
Seed Company develops cutting-edge tools to accelerate Bible translation. A prime example is audio-to-audio translation.
Of the languages that still need translation, almost two-thirds have literacy issues. Maybe they don’t have an alphabet yet. Or their alphabet is so complex that reading and writing are inaccessible. Or the culture may just have a preference for oral communication.
One solution we’re working on is Render, a Windows-based audio Bible translation app for mobile devices. We’re collaborating with Faith Comes by Hearing, Pioneer Bible Translators and SIL International to develop this technology.
Render makes God’s Word accessible and familiar … faster. It may prove to be one of the most significant technological advances in the history of Bible translation.
HOW RENDER WORKS: Translators use the app to listen to Scripture recordings in a trade language, then discuss and translate passages orally into their heart language. Once they’ve mastered a passage, they record an audio version. The app alerts a Bible translation consultant, who checks the passage and sends written or audio notes back to the translators. When each recorded passage is approved, they share it in their communities.
WHY IT WORKS: For many communities, oral drafting is a stronger way to start translation. It’s more natural. It promotes group discussion rather than individuals sitting at keyboards. Render allows the end users of translated Scripture to fully participate in the process. Not only does this accelerate the work, but it also extends ownership and dignity.
Technology
Render may prove to
be one of the most
significant technological
advances in the history
of Bible translation.
• Indonesia: Respected church leaders are empowered to take part in translation despite low literacy.
• U.S.: Translation is enabled among Sudanese immigrants in an American city.
• Uganda: Luke’s Gospel had been translated but few could read it. Now audio New Testament translation can continue, despite low literacy rates and a complex alphabet.
NEXT STEPS: Longer pilot programs will take multiple passages through the entire translation process and make them avail-able in audio form.
• Soon, a language community will be able to create a mobile app exclusively in its own language. As audio and written Scrip-ture passages are finished, they’ll be added to the app. Users will be able to listen to audio Scripture while the app highlights the corresponding text onscreen.
• We’re just beginning to experiment with machine-based translation, using an artificial intelligence engine. If this shows promise, it would mean that once Scripture translation is done, the same technology would be in place to translate other things — from discipleship materials to community development guides to health information.
2015 Render pilot projects completed
More tech news from 2015
Standing Together for Innovation
29
Almost half of the people groups ready to start a Scripture translation project are waiting for a Bible translation consultant. Consultants ensure that God’s Word is translated clearly, accurately and naturally. They check the work of local translators and help guide projects.
The shortage of these consultants and their skilled assistants is a significant bottleneck in global Bible translation. Seed Company’s Translation Internship Program (TIP) addresses this problem. Our model focuses on educating and train-ing highly qualified, highly motivated local people. The program can take five years.
Exceeding goalsIn 2006, Seed Company set a 10-year goal to engage 200 Bible translation consultant interns. By the end of FY2015, 233 interns had joined the program. TIP now has 83 highly skilled graduates. Each consultant will oversee an average of four new Bible translation projects.
Meanwhile, the Project Support Internship Program (PSIP) develops technical experts, accountants, administrators and other supporting roles for translation.
During the next 10 years, our goal calls for 300 new recruits for both programs. That target will almost surely grow as the global Bible translation movement continues to accelerate.
The Seed Company
model focuses on
educating and training
highly qualified, highly
motivated local people.
Average maximum educational and
training cost for Consultants in Training
$55,000
$35,000Average maximum educational and training costs for Translation Facilitators and Exegetical Facilitators
Total new interns in FY1550
Standing Together for Quality Translation
Consultant Development
13
37Project supportinterns
Translationinterns
31
OLEGBible Translation FacilitatorRussia
Steven was ready to go overseas as a missionary when Isaiah 6:8 stopped him in his tracks. His local church had been praying more than a year for someone to join the translation project that his grandfather began decades ago. No one had responded.
Steven sensed God calling him to serve his people by translating the Old Testament in the Guhu Samane language. His grandfather and father had worked with the Bible translation organization SIL (a Seed Company and Wycliffe affiliate) to translate the New Testament, which was published in 1975. Steven’s father revised the work and added the Psalms in 1984.
For the past 18 years, Steven and his father have been collaborating on the Old Testament translation.
With his vast biblical knowledge, Steven is a valuable asset to the Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea. He has taken courses in Hebrew, Greek, Old Testament Exe-gesis and Key Terms. Today he’s an instructor with the Translator’s Train-ing Course and also has served as a chaplain.
Join us in praying that God would use His Word, as He did with Steven, to draw many more to be Bible transla-tion consultants.
One Consultant’sStory
Then I heard the voice of the
Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?
And who will go for us?” And I
said, “Here am I. Send me!”
— ISAIAH 6:8 (NIV)
33
Our STEWARDSHIP
“
“
From an investment
standpoint, on the business
side, God’s Word is the only
thing that does not fade. So if
we were to invest in something,
why not invest in something
that is eternal? That’s really
what we love about the Seed
Company. We truly believe in
the Word and its transforming
ability. We want that, because
we’ve seen that in our lives
and continue to see that.
— TY KEELING, INVESTOR AND ADVOCATE
Seed Company’s Executive Leadership Team prayerfully follows God’s leading in working with President & CEO Samuel Chiang. This team is responsible for high-level decisions and alignment of key organizational strategies and initiatives.
Ken SchmittChief Field Officer
Shawn Ring Chief Information Officer
David BerothChief Financial Officer
Lori MillerChief Admin Officer
Mike ToupinChief Advocacy Officer
Samuel E. ChiangPresident & CEO
Executive Leadership Team
Core ValuesHonoring God in all we do.Valuing individuals and relationships.Partnering effectively.Encouraging creativity and innovation.Managing for quality results.
Vision
God’s Word transforming lives in every language in this generation
Mission
To accelerate Scripture translation and impact for people without God’s Word through Great Commission partnerships
Jason Baker2012 - present
Principal/OwnerBaker Katz, LLC
Rick Britton2009 - presentChairman of the Board
PresidentDigital Monitoring Products
Bob Creson2003 - present
PresidentWycliffe Bible Translators, USA
Matthew Mancinelli2009 - present
Executive Vice PresidentStrategy and Volunteers for Generous Giving
Joyce Williams2009 - presentVice Chairwoman
Board MemberCornerstone Trust
Jeff Johns2009 - present
CEOImpact Foundation
Michael Stoltzfus2007 - present
President/CEODynamic Aviation
Robby Moser2014 - present
PresidentClark Construction Group, LLC
Freddy Boswell2008 - present
Executive DirectorSIL International
Bill Williams2008 - present
CEO National Christian Foundation
Ten godly leaders comprise Seed Company’s Board of Directors. They draw on decades of experience and expertise from many fields — plus intense passion for the Bibleless people of the world — to provide Seed Company with insight, strategy, guidance and innovative leadership.
Board of Directors
3938
God has blessed Seed Company with integrity, humility and accountability. One significant demonstration of His blessing is the vital connections He’s given us with financial partners. These relationships are built on trust underscored by our track record. Again in FY2015, financial partners embraced God’s vision and Seed Company’s work to break all records.
Financials
2011
$17.7M
19%
81%
$19.2M
$21.4M
$28.0M
$31.3M
20132012 2014 2015
CONTRIBUTION INCOME
T H E W Y C L I F F E S E E D C O M P A N Y, I N C .S T A T E M E N T O F A C T I V I T I E S
For the Year Ended September 30, 2015With Comparative Totals for the Year Ended September 30, 2014
Temporarily Unrestricted Restricted 2015 2014
SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Contributions $ 5,819,198 $ 22,981,733 $ 28,800,931 $ 26,227,067
Gift in kind contributions 29,000 -0 29,000 -0
Support from affiliates
Wycliffe contributions 60,331 2,365,084 2,425,415 1,776,045
Member support 5,088,484 -0 5,088,484 4,833,448
Service income 153,864 -0 153,864 316,350
Investment income 365,282 -0 365,282 490,368
Other Income 56,326 -0 56,326 95,406
Net assets released from restrictions:
Field operations assessments 4,695,967 (4,695,967) -0 -0
Administrative assessments
(19% administrative & fundraising) 4,458,300 (4,458,300) -0 -0
Satisfaction of program restrictions 15,960,260 (15,960,260) -0 -0
TOTAL SUPPORT AND REVENUE 36,687,012 232,290 36,919,302 33,738,684
EXPENSESProgram services – Bible translation 27,336,834 -0 27,336,834 23,430,774
General & administrative services 3,770,446 -0 3,770,446 3,251,358
Fundraising services
(Includes communications, marketing) 5,534,128 -0 5,534,128 5,108,733
TOTAL EXPENSES 36,641,408 -0 36,641,408 31,790,865
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS 45,604 232,290 277,894 1,947,819
Net Assets, Beginning of Year 8,037,387 18,845,934 26,883,321 24,935,502
NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR $ 8,082,991 $ 19,078,224 $ 27,161,215 $ 26,883,321
The Seed Company is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and complies fully with their rules for Christian ministries, including an annual independent financial audit.
TranslationExpenses
AdministrativeExpenses
Eighty-one percent of all gifts to Seed Company translation projects are used for translation expenses. This includes 6 percent to start new, or sustain existing translation projects.
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A Visionary Leader
New Space To Grow and AccelerateAs our task grows, so does the group of people that God has called to this extraordinary mission. Seed Company is already global and diverse; in coming years, we’ll be even more diverse. We anticipate future leaders from various countries helping lead the vision in the different regions. God is weaving the common thread of love across oceans, continents and cultures.
In 2015 Seed Company neared 300 full-time staff worldwide, including 125 in Arlington. This past fall we moved into beautiful new headquarters in Arlington, just a few blocks south of the former location. The move gives us more space, better workplace design and more effective, faster
technology. It all leads to greater collaboration with partners and remote staff … and even faster acceleration of Bible translation.
Inside our new building, bookcases hold copies of every Bible or New Testament that Seed Company has played a role in translating. One bookcase remains conspicuously empty — ready to receive the remaining translations God is entrusting to us and to our partners. Some of those won’t be books, but audio recordings or videos.
One day soon, that bookcase will be full.
It’s rare for a ministry to quicken its pace under an interim leader. But then, people like Todd Peterson are exceedingly rare. Todd served Seed Company for 17 months as interim president, from February 2014 to July 2015. Todd helped guide Seed Company through a period of unprecedented staff and financial growth.
Our global staff now numbers almost 300. Annual contribution income has grown almost 40 percent, from $28 million in FY 2014 to a projected $39 million in FY2016. And, Todd’s vision was a driving force behind illumiNations becoming a multi-organizational movement rather than a single event.
Thank you, Todd for your remarkable leadership, stewardship and service to the world’s Bibleless people.
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Today, 1,778 people groups on Earth don’t have a single verse of Scripture in their languages and await translation to begin. That’s 165 million people.
About 2,700 more people groups only have portions of the Bible — and they want more.
Those are big, imposing numbers — but realize that in the past five years 160 million people have received access to portions of God’s Word for the first time. We are gaining on this, and rapidly.
We are headed for ZERO unengaged, unreached people groups by 2025. Every known language will have at least some portion of Scripture. That won’t mean we’re finished, by any means. The goal is not just to give people a sample of Scripture, but to give them all Scriptures. We estimate, for instance, that up to 4,000 language groups still lack the Old Testament. What would your faith look like without the wisdom given in Proverbs? Or the comfort of the Psalms? Or encouraging stories of the patriarchs’ faith and failures? Thanks to our many partners, we’re gaining ground faster than ever before. God is providing necessary resources, technology and innovation. Our partners are actively engaged in every step — from local translation teams to translation organizations to financial and prayer supporters fueling the work. To all who have been or will be part of this great work to bring God’s Word to every tribe, every tongue, every nation on Earth — we say thank you.
Samuel ChiangPresident & CEO
Look Into the Future
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Photos by Esther Havens ( Cover, pages 12, 16, 28, 30, 34, 44, 46 )
Photos by Walt Mannis ( Pages 14, 22, 24 )
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New Living Translation.