Wycliffe’s mission partners work through local partners around the world. They serve with local colleagues and colleagues from other Wycliffe organisations in multinational and multicultural teams. We’re diverse in our backgrounds and situations – single people and families, graduates and early retirees. Our aim is to reflect the diversity of the body of Christ.
They are sent by their home churches to Wycliffe’s partner organisations working in more than 60 countries around the world. Wycliffe mission partners desire to see all peoples being able to engage with the Bible in the languages they understand best. They work in agreement with the vision and values of Wycliffe Bible Translators.
An early example of this would be in Acts 13:2 where the Holy Spirit led the church in Antioch to send out Barnabas and Saul. Wycliffe mission partners are sent by their home church. This is the church that pastorally supports you, and provides prayer and some of your financial support. Alongside your home church should be a growing network of supporters. They will want to join in praying for and financially supporting your ministry.
Wycliffe mission partners are self-employed, depending on God to provide through churches and friends, and are assigned to partner organisations of Wycliffe. Being self-employed provides mission partners with a good degree of flexibility in the unusual patterns of life that go with working overseas for often long periods.
If you’re thinking of a shorter period, we have other shorter-term options for you to consider. Becoming a Wycliffe mission partner does not have to be for a lifetime, and we know that God might have other directions in which he wants to take you.
Speak with your church leadership, and Christians who know you well. Ask them whether they could imagine you working overseas as a Wycliffe mission partner. Also ask them whether there are other steps of training or ministry you should consider beforehand. God wants us to become more like Christ, and working in Bible translation is not a higher calling than that.
It’s advisable to have gone on at least one shorter event, so that we know that you’ve seen and heard about what we do. Our in-depth events give a deeper insight into potential avenues of service, personal discipleship and opportunities to pray with others and for the Bible translation work taking place around the world.
If you decide to apply we’ll ask you to complete application forms. We’ll collect references about you from employers, your church and those you’ve served alongside. We’ll also ask you to write about what you believe. Bringing together your thoughts may take you several weeks if you’re studying or working at the same time.
Once Wycliffe receives your papers, we will arrange interviews. Alongside your interviews, you will also meet some key staff. They can help you think about what developing support could look like, and about support of you as a family, if applicable.
Lastly, we’ll ask you to do a medical and psychological assessment. This helps us know how best to support you, and also gives us advice on what sort of contexts you might want to serve.
Work overseas – whether in accounting or administration, literacy or linguistics – requires a foundation of cross-cultural awareness and tools to help with language learning. These are essential for developing meaningful friendships and resilience when overseas.
Some people will need to learn a specific set of skills to take on their desired role. The School of Language and Scripture offers a range of courses from Foundation, PGCert, and Diploma to MA. Our core training programmes begin in September.
Further foundation skills in areas such as Linguistics and Bible Translation, Scripture Engagement, Literacy and Community Development, and Project Management, can be added subsequently, taking your initial training further into a Diploma or MA qualification.
We need all three legs to stand strong. Wycliffe engages with your home church right at the beginning of the application process, again after interviews, and regularly over the course of your membership.
For anyone considering joining Wycliffe as a mission partner, it’s important to speak with your church leadership about what you’re considering. They may well have supported others into mission work and so they may have questions for you to consider. They’ll also be able to pray for you, and – should you be accepted – they’ll already have the assurance that what you’re seeking to do is kingdom work and therefore will be willing to support you.
Knowing you need to develop a broad base of prayer and financial support can feel like a daunting mountain to climb, but it is a great joy and privilege to see God provide for our needs through others. Wycliffe will provide you with assistance, advice and support to help you reach out and grow in confidence.
However, if you are interested in working in the area of exegesis – making sure that translations are explaining and interpreting Scripture correctly – you would need to undertake theological studies at some point.
If you desire to work in a more remote or challenging location, spending time at Bible college may grow and strengthen your personal theology and relationship with Jesus in ways that will help you to thrive overseas.
All Wycliffe mission partners, as those who carry out the mission work of the charity and therefore exist to promote and represent the Christian religion and promote the translation, publication and distribution of the Bible, have an occupational requirement.
All Wycliffe mission partners are required to be Christians, have a clear personal commitment to the beliefs set out in our Statement of Faith and Doctrinal Positional Statement, and to live and carry out their work in strict compliance with them. This is so that Wycliffe mission partners do not undermine our Christian ethos and practice, do not present a stumbling block to the believers they encounter, and teach and represent Jesus to all they encounter in accordance with traditional evangelical Christian beliefs.
As we are dependent on God and prayer underpins the work we do, it would not be possible for a mission partner to carry out their role effectively if they did not rely on God and share our beliefs.
