JAARS, INC.
WAXHAW, NC

That’s why JAARS helps dozens of partner organizations get the support they need most, whether that’s a laptop and Internet access, a lifejacket and water safety training, or a flight to a remote island or mountaintop village. In the words of Cameron Townsend, founder of JAARS, SIL International, and Wycliffe Bible Translators, “Airplanes and radios don’t just make translation easier; they make it possible.” JAARS’ vision is that people’s lives and communities are transformed as they experience God’s Word in their own language. Our Mission JAARS’ mission is to make Bible translation and language development possible, especially in the most remote and difficult places on earth. We do that by enabling locally-appropriate and sustainable solutions in transportation, technology, media, and training. Who We Are JAARS is a multidisciplinary team of problem-solvers who are committed to the belief—and the vision—that people’s lives and communities are transformed as they experience God’s Word in their own language. We are a community of full-time missionaries, dedicated volunteers, and a few employees who work together to accomplish the Great Commission goal of providing Scripture to every people group on earth in the language they understand best—their heart language. We do that by supporting Bible translation and language development partners globally, and by working with prayer and financial partners in the United States to help make a range of unique on-the-field solutions possible. JAARS exists to make Bible translation and language development From our earliest days 70 years ago, JAARS’ passion has been to reach the unreached—both spiritually and practically. Our founder, Cameron Townsend, believed that all people should have God’s Word in their heart language. We believe the Church is the body of Christ, the fellowship of all believers, and is commissioned to make disciples of all nations. We work with dozens of partners, all around the world. Some are focused on actual translation work, while others provide the support. Prayer, service, advocacy, funding—all are critical, and all are blessed. We invite you to listen to your heart and explore how God might lead you to help make life transformation—through Bible translation— From our earliest days 70 years ago, JAARS’ passion has been to reach the unreached—both spiritually and practically. Our founder, Cameron Townsend, believed that all people should have God’s Word in their heart language. He devoted his life to that bold vision, trusting at every juncture that God would make the impossible – Cameron Townsend, founder of JAARS, And that’s why JAARS exists. For decades now, we’ve landed planes on narrow rivers and towering mountains. We’ve outfitted boats and vehicles to reach villages that rarely see an outsider. We’ve set up radios in the rainforest. Satellite uplinks in the desert. Makeshift recording studios and theaters on islands and mountains alike. Over and over, we’ve watched God pave the way for people to translate and share his Word anywhere on earth. God has already been so faithful. We see that in the thousands of passionate, gifted people he’s called to partner in this work, much of which happens right here at the JAARS Center in North Carolina. Our campus itself is a testimony to God’s power to work through people: businessman Henderson Belk donated this land for us to build a runway and hangar back in the 1960s. Little did he know how God would multiply his gift! The JAARS Center has grown into a hub of innovation, expertise, and training that benefits Bible translation around the world. Today, we’re blessed to work with dozens of partner organizations that are as passionate as we are about sharing God’s Word. When they have a challenge, we pray, roll up our sleeves, and work together to make translation possible. Sometimes that means designing and building solutions from scratch; other times, we provide the research, program management, or networking that lead to the best possible solution. Now in our eighth decade, we trust God will continue to pave the way for Bible translation. The needs are enormous. Seemingly insurmountable. But we serve the God who makes all things possible—and he calls people like us to take part. Prayer, service, advocacy, funding—all are critical, and all are blessed. We invite you to listen to your heart and explore how God might lead you to help make life transformation—through Bible translation— To be clear, JAARS is not a Bible translation organization. Our job is to make translation As an affiliate of SIL International—the oldest and perhaps largest translation organization in the world—JAARS provides solution support to SIL as well as to numerous Wycliffe Global Alliance affiliates. Neither JAARS nor SIL is an affiliate of Wycliffe Global Alliance, but many of our partner organizations are. We affirm them and care deeply about their commitment to accurate and timely translation. We will continue to support Bible translation partners and projects that are committed, as subscribing members of the In addition to a commitment to Scriptural accuracy in translation, we affirm—along with our partners—both the authority and responsibility of the Church to oversee and guide translation projects and priorities, and the call to finish the task of Bible translation so that “every nation, tribe, people and language” can fully know God and respond to his gospel. God calls us to work together in unity to accomplish his mission in the world. We invite readers to consider the information below concerning the translation principles and practices of SIL, Wycliffe Global Alliance organizations, and those who share their commitment to Scriptural accuracy. For everything we do, we try to give you a clear, realistic look at why we’re needed, what we’re doing, and who will benefit. And we give you updates as the work moves forward, all the way to completion. We have a thorough internal auditing process, and we also hire a certified public accounting firm to audit our finances every year. We also: