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Current Work
Our Translation Progress
Milestones & Impact
Over the course of the year, significant strides were made in advancing the work of the Malayalam translation. Work focused on the development, translation, and coordination of the Malayalam language, aiming to facilitate understanding and accessibility of biblical teachings to the Malayalam-speaking community. In addition, linguistic experts, religious scholars, and native Malayalam speakers have collaborated to enhance the quality and authenticity of the translation. Their valuable input has been instrumental in achieving a culturally nuanced and linguistically accurate rendition of the text. The local Malayalam community has been engaged to foster a sense of ownership among the people as well as provided invaluable insights for refining the team’s approach to the project.
- ✅ 652 Pages Translated (from 333 English pages)
- ✅ 5 Indian Languages (Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu)
- ✅ 70+ Translators Involved
- ✅ Telugu Fully Completed (including all review steps by June 2022)
- ✅ Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam: Major translation work completed
- ✅ Kannada New Testament Finished — Old Testament in Progress
Hindi Language & Lutheran Communities
Hindi is the official national language of India spoken by over 600 million people. It is considered a first heart language spoken by nearly 425 million people and a second spoken language by 120 million more people. Other Hindi speaking communities can be found in South Africa, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Uganda.
Next to English, Hindi has the broadest language distribution in India, spoken in north, west, and central India, and is studied and practiced around the world. It is the fourth most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin, Spanish, and English. Hindi is a direct descendent of the ancient Indian language Sanskrit and is part of the Indo-European language group, a family of languages spoken in Europe, European settlement groups, and south Asia.
There are northeast tribal people in India who are Lutheran and use the Hindi script to write and communicate in their language. The future translation of The Lutheran Study Bible in Hindi will help the northeast tribal Lutherans, and Lutheran Hindi speaking tribal people located elsewhere in the country, grown in their faith.
Lutheran Legacy in Eastern India
The Hindi speaking Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church located in Chot Nagpur and Assam was established in 1845 by four German Lutheran missionaries. The denomination is headquartered in Jharkhand with 1,895 congregations and over 583,000 members. The Northwest Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church is the fourth largest Lutheran church in India and also has a presence in the poorest country in South Asia, Nagal. The Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church is in four states of India including Jharkhand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Bengal. This church was founded in 1868 by Hans Peter Boerresen, a Danish missionary to India.
Bringing God's Word to the Heart of Kerala
Malayalam is the primary language in the state of Kerala, spoken by 97% of the population. Kerala is on India’s southern tropical Malabar Coast and is known for palm-trees, backwaters, and mountains. It has a population of over 34 million (2018) with a geographic area of 15 square miles. Malayalam is also spoken in the bilingual communities of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Malayalam is a subgroup of the Dravidian language family.
Kerala has a diverse religious landscape, over half the population follows Hinduism, around one-fourth practices Islam, and about 18% are Christians, the highest proportion in India. Small communities also follow Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Christianity in Kerala traces back to Apostle St. Thomas, who arrived on the Malabar Coast in 52 AD. Today, many Christians in the region are known as “St. Thomas (Mar Thoma) Christians.” The Indian Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC), affiliated with the LCMS, was founded in 1894 and includes Malayalam-speaking congregations, about 764 churches, 1.15 million baptized members, 70,000 communicants, and 220 pastors.
Kerala: A Hub of Education and Literacy
- Literacy Rate: 96%
- 10,000+ schools
- Growing number of colleges/universities
Reaching Tamil-Speaking Believers in India & Beyond
Tamil is the primary language of Tamil Nadu and Tamil is also spoken by many people in Sri Lanka. LCMS partner churches are well established in both India and Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu has a total population of 81.5 million, making it the seventh most populous state in India. Tamil Nadu has 87.6% Hindus, 6.1% Christians, and 5.9% Muslims.
Sri Lanka has a population of approximately 21.41 million people. Buddhists are 70.2% of the population. Hindu are 12.6% and Muslims are 9.7% of the population. Only 6.1% of Sri Lanka’s population are Christians.
Sharing God’s Word Across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Telugu is the primary language of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Bible Faith Lutheran Church is located in Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh has a population of 54 million people, making it the tenth-most populated state in India. In Andhra Pradesh 90.87% of the population are Hindus. Muslims make up 7.32% of the population and Christians are only 1.38% of the population.
