Categories
Observations

Great News About Mission Training

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on an exciting project which looks as though it will come to fruition. The Wycliffe UK blog has a report on the news.

Wycliffe Bible Translators in the UK are delighted to announce that from the summer of 2013 all Wycliffe’s UK training for participation in Bible translation will be moving to Redcliffe College in Gloucester.

For the last 40 years, students from around the world have been coming to the Wycliffe Centre in Buckinghamshire. During this time, thousands of people have received training in the skills needed to learn unwritten languages, develop writing systems and embark on the process of translation.

Today, the majority of students at the Wycliffe Centre come from the UK and Europe. They join the European Training Programme, Wycliffe’s training school, to study for Masters Degrees in Field Linguistics and Literacy Programme Development. Others come for short courses and continuing professional development that equips them for specific aspects of their work. From the summer of 2013, all of these courses, and more, will be taking place at Redcliffe College, Gloucester.

Eddie Arthur, the Executive Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators in the UK, says, ‘This is a wonderful opportunity for us and for people interested in worldwide mission. Redcliffe College already provides a fantastic portfolio of courses equipping people for mission and leadership roles. Drawing Wycliffe’s courses and experienced teaching staff into the mix can only serve to strengthen the quality of education and training offered at Redcliffe.’

Rob Hay, Principal of Redcliffe College, says, ‘This move will create fantastic opportunities for future students who are training to serve God around the world. There will be the chance to study cross-cultural mission, Biblical studies and linguistics all under one roof. There’s also potential for new courses in the future that formally combine the skills and expertise of the two organisations.’

Find out more about training for involvement in Bible translation.

I believe this is a really important initiative, partly because it will allow Wycliffe’s training to take place in a broader theological and missiological framework and partly because it will allow Redcliffe to enlarge the range of courses they offer, but mainly because I believe that Christian organisations in the UK have to learn to work together much more than we have traditionally done. I’m sure that there are many difficulties and frustrations to be faced as the partnership is worked out in practice – but this is the sort of thing Christians should be doing!