Training future gospel workers

Alan Rogers is a storyteller. As a member of the Australian Society for Indigenous Languages (AuSIL), he connects with a range of different language groups in the Northern Territory and throughout the Top End. Alan has a passion for seeing Indigenous people connect with Jesus’ story through God’s Word. As many Indigenous people are from cultures that pass on stories orally, Alan and his wife Lucy have been helping them to record Scripture and worship songs in their own languages. Over 650 albums have been created so far. Some of the albums Alan has recorded have some incredible stories behind them. 

Something that Alan and his team are passionate about is encouraging the use of Indigenous language in churches to help raise a new generation of gospel workers. There are 21 different translation programs in progress throughout Australia with a new inititiative, SAIL (Scripture for Australian Indigenous Languages), coordinating efforts from a number of interested organisations. Alan says that the best way to move forward with these projects is to train Indigenous translators in biblical studies:

We need to have more Aboriginal people trained in how to look for parallels in Bible passages to help make explicit that which is implied—otherwise, the people are just listening to a story. Nungalinya College currently has several cohorts of Indigenous students studying the Diploma in Translation. I think this course will be instrumental in training Bible translators who can connect with Scripture on a level that non-Indigenous people would not be able to. 

Greg Anderson, Anglican Bishop of the Northern Territory, agrees that ‘the best clergy we have here are people who used to be Bible translators’. The full revised Kriol Bible (2019) involved Indigenous people with a heart for keeping their language, culture and faith alive for future generations. Alan shares, ‘If we can inspire a new generation of translators, we can achieve similar results in other languages.’

In 2023 and 2024, many Indigenous translators were brought together from all over Australia to hone their skills in Bible translation workshops. Some are experienced, and some have less experience, but all cooperate in the task of translation. Our team at AuSIL joined with the Bible Society, Coordinate, and senior translators to work with our Indigenous brethren on selected Bible passages. They produced posters, booklets and videos of the material they translated. “The harmony of such people—distantly situated but with common goals—is a delight to see.”

Click here to help fund training for more Aboriginal translators