Katharine Barnwell

What if Mother Teresa or Billy Graham lived and worked — and nobody knew their names? What if one of the church’s most influential missionaries went almost unnoticed?

Meet Katharine (Katy) Barnwell. Within Bible translation, she’s a legend. Outside of Bible translation, few have heard of her. But not even Billy Graham holds a candle to what God did through Katy.

From hiding as a child from Nazi bombing raids, fleeing civil wars, and remaining calm under terrorist attacks and armed gunmen, to utterly revolutionizing every field she touched, Barnwell’s life proves there is no need to treat the missionary hall of fame as if its ranks are closed. On the contrary, her kingdom labor reveals that God is still in the business of raising up contemporary “greats” who are willing to face danger, go the distance, lift up God’s Word in unprecedented ways, and see the lost turn to Christ in droves.

In fact, there may be no “great” in all of church history who matches Barnwell’s level of influence.

All around the world, hundreds of millions of new believers read and hear Scripture in their own language because of Barnwell’s work, books, and language training. By some estimates, about 3,000 completed or in-process Bible translations swim directly downstream of her work. Since she rebuilt The Jesus Film Project’s methods, more than 300 million viewers around the world have become followers of Jesus.

Given such accomplishments, one might expect Barnwell to be arrogant or aloof, and yet those who know her best report sweet surprise at how warm, endearing, patient, and feisty she is.

Her African colleagues call her Mama Katy, and such a name is fitting.

She is truly the mother of modern Bible translation and the mother of twenty-first-century missions.

1. Opening Credits
2. A Note To The Listener
3. Dedication
4. Foreword by Russell Moore
5. Preface
6. Chapter 1: Bibles and Bullet Holes
7. Chapter 2: Bombs and Teddy Bears
8. Chapter 3: Growing Pains and Girl Guides
9. Chapter 4: Women Marry
10. Chapter 5: Faith and Calling
11. Chapter 6: John Bendor-Samuel and SIL
12. Chapter 7: Serving the Church
13. Chapter 8: London and John Stott
14. Chapter 9: Preparing to Depart
15. Chapter 10: All the Single Ladies
16. Chapter 11: Sailing for Nigeria
17. Chapter 12: Jungle Camp
18. Chapter 13: Making a Life in Mbembe
19. Chapter 14: On Missionaries and Culture Change
20. Chapter 15: Learning a Language from Scratch
21. Chapter 16: The Eve of Breakthrough
22. Chapter 17: The Biafran War
23. Chapter 18: Flight Out of Biafra
24. Chapter 19: Returning to Nigeria
25. Chapter 20: The Book
26. Chapter 21: The CIA
27. Chapter 22: The End of SIL Nigeria
28. Chapter 23: Singleness
29. Chapter 24: Dreaming of a Green Christmas
30. Chapter 25: A Job Offer
31. Chapter 26: International Translation Coordinator
32. Chapter 27: Translator’s Workplace
33. Chapter 28: What Makes a Bible Translation Consultant?
34. Chapter 29: Paratext
35. Chapter 30: Mama Katy: The Mother of Bible Translation
36. Chapter 31: Conflict
37. Chapter 32: The Jesus Film
38. Chapter 33: The Luke Partnership and the Cluster Model
39. Chapter 34: Climbing Down the Ladder
40. Chapter 35: Church-centric Bible Translation
41. Chapter 36: Jerome, Wycliffe, Luther, Carey, Townsend . . . Barnwell?
42. Chapter 37: Pray for Us, Mother
43. Epilogue
44. The Katy Barnwell Scholarship Fund
45. Acknowledgements
46. Closing Credits