What Is the Opportunity?

Burgeoning population growth in East Africa has propelled Swahili into the world’s top twenty languages. Now spoken by 87 million people, this Bantu African language is the national language of both Tanzania and Kenya and is widely spoken in Uganda. A distinct form of Swahili is spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Bible translation into Swahili began in the mid-nineteenth century by the German Protestant missionary Ludwig Krapf. Today, the African countries where Swahili is predominately spoken are majority Christian, though evangelicals make up only a minority (ranging from 31 percent of the population in Kenya to 7 percent in the DRC). Islam continues to expand its influence in countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the church in East Africa is confronting the false teaching of the prosperity gospel and a general lack of access to trustworthy theological teaching.

Swahili-speaking Christians express an eager desire for faithful Christian teaching in their own language that articulates the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. Now is a strategic time to publish Ligonier’s content in Swahili to build up growing Christians in the truth of God’s Word.

How Is Ligonier Meeting These Needs?

We strive to reach Swahili-speaking pastors, laypeople, and unbelievers from all walks of life through the following outreach efforts:

Web and Social Media

By God’s grace, the truth of the gospel is reaching Swahili-speaking people online. Ligonier’s dedicated Swahili website, together with our Facebook and Instagram pages, is providing ready access to trustworthy teaching. Our website contains historic Christian creeds and confessions.

The Ligonier Statement on Christology

Confusion abounds regarding Christology—the doctrine of Christ. As the church continues to grow, it is imperative that believers learn the truths of Scripture as summarized in the great confessions of faith. We produced The Word Made Flesh: The Ligonier Statement on Christology to help Christians know what the church has historically taught and to provide clarity on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to distribute this statement worldwide, and it has already been translated into numerous languages, including Swahili.

Books

Growing interest in Reformed theology has sparked an eagerness for more resources from Dr. R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries. Our plans include translating and distributing the following titles from the Crucial Questions series:

• Can I Be Sure I'm Saved? by R.C. Sproul
• Who Is the Holy Spirit? by R.C. Sproul
• What Is Faith? by R.C. Sproul
• What Is the Gospel? by R.C. Sproul
• Does Prayer Change Things? by R.C. Sproul

What Is Needed?

• Digital outreach — $18,928 USD (annually)

Funding needs reflect quoted estimates based on May 2025 foreign exchange rates and current translation fees. Give today to contribute to this annual outreach goal.

How Do Your Gifts Help?

These are only a few of our many international projects underway. We ask you to prayerfully consider supporting these efforts through your financial gifts and prayers for the Swahili-speaking and global church. By God’s grace, your generosity enables the translation, printing, and distribution of trusted discipleship resources, providing countless opportunities to reach people with the truth of God’s Word. You can donate here.

*Our policy is to apply gifts given toward a specific program. If we receive more contributions than can be wisely used for a given project, we apply these funds to meet other pressing needs in our outreach efforts. We are committed to stewarding all gifts wisely toward the goal of proclaiming the holiness of God to as many people as possible. Ligonier Ministries is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. *