As you peruse the pages of this edition of the Briefings, you will meet or recognize a few people who are representative of the comprehensive staff that populates Bibles International around the world. Perhaps you may perceive that they are creative and entrepreneurial, unique but fallible, focused and passionate – a combination of qualities without which they would not have been able to accomplish the tedious and daunting tasks of Bible translation in some of the most remote places of the world.
     Serving with wonderful people like they are is a privilege. Since Bible translation is a specialized ministry, excellence in the translation of Scripture, as much as in the intricate administration of the multi-faceted team, is complex and unpredictable. Such excellence is not synonymous with “perfection,” much as Michael Jordan’s shooting average was not 100 percent, nor is a professional juggler accurate 100 percent of the time. Nonetheless, they are considered experts in their respective fields.
     Great people, the BI staff are! Rare people as well! In his book, Mission-Based Management: Leading Your Not-For-Profit in the 21st Century, Peter Brinckerhoff rightly assessed the staffing reality of non-profit organizations when he said, “You are increasingly in competition for good staff. Second, you can’t, and probably never will, pay like the private sector, whether for a secretary, a driver, a line staff person, or an administrator,” let alone for people who can play Scrabble in Hebrew as we may find them here at BI! Hence, to quote Brinckerhoff again, “The only reason there are staff is because there are people to serve.” And that is the reality at BI as well.
     Service has to be their motivation! If not that, what else? Some have PhD’s, yet they often serve among, and with, marginalized and lesser educated people; they are talented but without fanfare; they have enormous potential, yet they minister for pennies on the dollar.
     From a secular perspective, they are the type to whom Dennis W. Bakke was referring in Joy at Work when he said, “People want to be part of something greater than themselves. They want to do something that makes a positive difference in the world.” But from a spiritual perspective, the Apostle Paul would have called them “your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5) or people who “have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15). And to the extent that you join them in their ministry, you are their “partner and fellowhelper” (2 Corinthians 8:23).