Reflecting on the unprecedented growth of the Christian church throughout the Majority World, Samuel Escobar writes: "At this point in history the global church stands closer than ever to that vision of the seer in Revelation: 'A multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb'." Yet this expansion is not void of challenges, as John Stott comments: "None of us wants to dispute the extraordinary growth of the church, but it has been largely numerical and statistical growth. And there has not been sufficient growth in discipleship that is comparable to the growth in numbers."

Literature and church growth

Throughout church history, the growth of the church has gone hand in hand with the influence of key books. Many pastors in Latin America have never had access to seminary training and rely on books for developing their understanding of Scripture. From the isolated communities of the high Andes to the shanty towns of the continent's mega-cities, many thousands of such pastors care for the church in Latin America. Many are lay pastors who combine church leadership with a secular job. The need is acute for books that provide fundamental biblical preparation and are suitable for working pastors.

	SIM and JSM-Langham have joined together to create the LABC

SIM played a significant role in the development, translation, and distribution of the Africa Bible Commentary, and a desire formed among SIM leadership to discern whether a one-volume commentary should also be written for the Latin American context by people who see the world with Latin American eyes.

Partnerships and progress

SIM convened and funded a series of meetings with key Latin American leaders, and in January 2008 it was agreed that the Comentário Biblíco Contemporâneo, or Latin America Bible Commentary (LABC) project would move forward. John Stott Ministries-Langham Literature (JSM-Langham) and Zondervan consulted with SIM and JSM-Langham representatives to review the massive undertaking of the Africa Bible Commentary, and to discern how to apply this framework to a Latin American commentary.

SIM and JSM-Langham have joined together to create the Latin America Bible Commentary. The LABC will be the first of its kind in the world—a commentary on the whole Bible written by Latin American theologians for the churches in Central and South America. It will be produced in both Spanish and Portuguese by an indigenous publisher working with Christian theologians from the region. The goal is to bring the best of biblical scholarship into service of the local church to enhance the preaching, teaching, and application of God’s word.

The LABC will be an affordable, one-volume commentary on the entire Bible written in simple language. It will use local metaphors and imagery, keeping theological jargon to a minimum, as it helps its users apply the Bible to the challenges in their culture. By providing resources and encouraging evangelical scholars in Latin America to write for their own people, the LABC will also be making a major contribution towards building the writing capacity in this region.

As has occurred in Africa, where the Africa Bible Commentary and its supporters have gained increasing impact and credibility, we pray that this Latin America Bible Commentary will contribute to the development and promotion of quality biblical study, and to the establishment and nurture of a vibrant church in Latin America.