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.
