YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON — At the heart of the Wycliffe Global Alliance Africa Area Gathering, a vital question was put before delegates during a high-stakes plenary session: Is the African Church awake?
The three-man panel, moderated by Dr. Zac Manyim, Director of the Department of Church and Scripture Engagement at CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), delved straight into the continent’s strategic mission challenges and local breakthroughs.
A Call from the Pulpit to Action
Rev. Abel Chebe Ngah of the Apostolic Church in Cameroon provided a candid assessment. “Yes, the African Church is awake, but it is not active,” he challenged.
Rev. Ngah noted a disparity in how modern ministry resources are being spent. “Some churches are focused on building mega-churches, while only a few are focused on spreading the Word of God. The African Church should have been doing exploits, but it is not yet doing so. There are still many areas in Africa not reached by the Gospel.”
For the landscape to shift, Rev. Ngah argued that missions cannot be treated lightly; the local church must intentionally send out missionaries. Demonstrating local ownership, his own denomination dedicates a specific Sunday every year entirely to Bible translation, using it to mobilise believers and raise financial support for CABTAL’s fieldwork.
The Lifelong Impact of Mother-Tongue Literacy
Offering a powerful grassroots perspective, Pastor Alphonse Gamaldak, President of the Mofu Gudur Inter-Church Committee, shared how Bible translation reshaped his entire life trajectory. Before receiving any formal Western education, Pastor Gamaldak learned to read and write in his mother tongue. This linguistic foundation gave him the leeway to master French, eventually leading him to seminary.
“Yes, the church is awake in Mofu Gudur because many kids have now grown and seen their lives transformed by the Bible translated into our language,” Pastor Gamaldak shared.
The impact extends far beyond the spiritual walls of the sanctuary. Through mother-tongue functional literacy programmes overseen by the translation project, community members have developed income-generating activities, drastically improving local livelihoods. Today, over 250 literacy teachers are actively instructing inside churches and surrounding villages.
Yet, Pastor Gamaldak warned that sustainability requires ongoing investment. “There is still much to do, like continuing to build the capacity of and support these 250 literacy teachers.”
The Takeaway for the Global Alliance
For both the African and global audiences watching the Yaoundé gathering, the panel underscored a fundamental truth: Bible translation is not an isolated academic exercise. When local churches move from being merely “awake” to being actively engaged, Scripture access unlocks deep spiritual maturity, local resource mobilisation, and holistic community development.
Story and Photos: Isaac Forchie
