The Path to 2033: A Refocusing for Future Progress
- ETEN Innovation Lab
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
ETEN’s shared vision behind the All Access Goals (AAG) has always been clear: we want to see people everywhere gain access to God’s Word by 2033. This desire continues to guide and unite us as an alliance.
But current projections—showing completion closer to 2041—serve as a reminder that achieving these goals will require more than steady progress. With less than eight years remaining as we step into 2026, we find ourselves at a natural moment to pray, evaluate, and move forward with a sharpened focus. Along with all of you, ETEN has been asking questions like: Where are we on track? Where are we not? What’s working well? And what might need to happen to ensure that no communities are left without Scripture longer than necessary?
ETEN first commissioned the Innovation Lab to be a catalyst to innovation in Bible translation. We continue to take strategic risks by testing what is untested, equipping the unequipped, and advancing what cannot move forward without special attention, in order to help achieve ETEN’s All Access Goals. Our work happens with and through partners, rooted in collaboration across ETEN and the Bible translation community.
Here’s what you can expect from us as we partner with you in 2026:
A Closer Look at the Data
As the ETEN Steering Committee discussed the completion of the All Access Goals, they recognized a need to gain clarity and better understand the pace required to meet the goals by 2033. With the Committee’s endorsement, ETEN data partners and the Lab have been working to analyze available information. Together, we seek to identify where innovation interventions may be needed, such as the use of advanced technology and greater local ownership.
Capitalizing on existing systems and reporting processes (using tools like Rev79 and Progress.Bible), evaluation of the data has already begun. We are looking at the time remaining, the scope of work still ahead, and the pace of progress reflected in available records. We are also working to fill data gaps through deeper research.
These factors, viewed together in the first half of 2026, will give our alliance the ability to make wise decisions grounded in trust and shared purpose. We are committed to following up with partners, listening closely, and refining our understanding of the data to draw informed conclusions. You can help by ensuring project statuses are up to date and being reported accurately through ETEN tracking systems.
To learn more about the status of this data analysis effort, you can listen to our recent discussion in this podcast episode.
An Intentional Focus on Goals at Risk
Early insights have already helped shape our focus for 2026 and the years ahead. The data has reinforced what many of you know from experience: some regions and language contexts face steeper barriers than others.
To help activate a strategy to address AAG’s at risk of not completing by 2033, ETEN has asked the Lab to sharpen the focus of its exploration and activation toward the places and languages where pace must be addressed to meet the goals.
While there’s more than one language at risk, a takeaway so far is that a relatively small number of All Access Goals account for a disproportionate amount of overall risk. Peter Huang, Executive Director of the ETEN Innovation Lab says, “The truth is that if 99.9 percent of the languages in the All Access Goals were on pace for 2033, and there was one single language that was on pace for 2070, that would take the average of our projections way back.”
If we are aware and can accelerate progress in these contexts, it could significantly improve ETEN’s likelihood to reach the 2033 vision. Our hope is to recognize the specific needs now so we can address issues, offering support through new collaborations, technologies, and methodologies.
A Continued Commitment to Collaborative Innovation
The analysis of data, being looked at through the lens of the goals most at risk in discussion with the Steering Committee, will inform what ETEN is calling the Strategy to Address the All Access Goals at Risk, coming late summer.
The Lab has always existed to be a catalyst for making ETEN’s vision a reality. As we move forward, that role is becoming more focused. With AAG languages and chapters at risk as our root priority, the Lab will play a role in the activation of innovation by guiding and modeling, as needed, the implementation of this Strategy. We will also continue, in partnership with ETEN and partner organizations beyond ETEN, ongoing exploration to support that activation.
Over the past several years, ETEN organizations have demonstrated that approaches such as multimodal-first translation strategies, strengthened local and church participation through flexible quality assurance methods, and the use of assisted translation technology can help remove barriers and accelerate pace across the Bible translation landscape. Each implementing partner CEO within ETEN has expressed their sense of organizational readiness and capacity to capitalize on these elements in their contexts. So, building on these learnings with ETEN’s backing, we continue to believe that with careful and innovative application of these approaches, the All Access Goals can be reached by 2033.
A Push for Proven Approaches to be Adopted and Scaled
In 2026, the Innovation Lab will push to move from experimentation and development of innovations to the adoption and scaling of approaches proven to accelerate Bible translation efforts.
This focus on exploration and activation is our way of serving ETEN’s shared vision of completing the All Access Goals by 2033. The Lab continues to exist for the sake of supporting the alliance, coming alongside partners to encourage innovation and collaboration in the work of Bible translation.
When tools and methods work, the next faithful steps are to support the ETEN community in understanding, adapting, and applying them in ways that align with their goals and contexts. 2033 is on its way, and we cannot wait to see what God will do in the coming years. As Chris Klapp, Strategy Leader at the Innovation Lab, says, “None of this data is just data. What really matters is people having God’s Word. That’s why we do this.”
As we step into 2026 and beyond, thank you for praying and partnering with us in making Scripture accessible to people around the globe. Look out for more information from our data analysis and the resulting Strategy to Address the All Access Goals at Risk, coming later this year.