Since early 2025, the leadership of Your Network of Praise has been prayerfully considering how YNOP and our New Life Africa Networks could help to deal with the issue of "Bible Poverty".
In Africa alone, hundreds of language groups do not have a single verse of scripture in their language, making their ability to learn of God dependent on what others tell them. That is often inaccurate, and many are misled as the truth of the Bible is frequently mixed with many other teachings.
Slowing down the process of getting the Word of God to people living with Bible Poverty is the significant amount of time it takes to translate the Bible, and the significant financial cost. The Bible contains more than 31,000 verses and one translation organization reported that their average cost of translation is $37 per verse!
In an effort to speed up the process of providing biblically sound, reliable teaching to those who currently have NO Bible text in their own languages, YNOP & New Life Africa Networks have launched a new ministry, The Bible Basics, which is directly dealing with the problem of Bible Poverty.
While it is our desire to see every tribe and tongue have the entire Bible in their own language, The Bible Basics is finalizing an English language summary of the Bible which focuses on the key teachings of the Bible needed to understand Who God is, sin and salvation, the story of Jesus, living the Christian life, and how we are to live as we wait for the return of Christ.
The text of The Bible Basics book is considerably shorter that the entire Bible and can be translated in far less time and with far less financial cost than the entire Bible.
Arrangements have been made for translation into multiple African languages in which there is currently NO Bible text or Christian teaching available!
We are praying that the first African-language translation of The Bible Basics will be completed before the end of 2026. The completed translation will then be recorded onto solar MP3 players for distribution to those areas where illiteracy is high, while print copies will be distributed where possible.
We ask for your prayers that The Bible Basics will be made available as soon as possible to those who are still waiting to hear the message of Jesus so they can come to know Him and live for Him!
And, it is our hope that as people come to Christ through the ministry of The Bible Basics that God will raise up people from among them to translate the Bible in its entirety so every tribe and tongue can have the entire Word of God as soon as possible!