In March of this year, Open the Bible launched a Spanish ministry called Abre la Biblia. Abre la Biblia produces gospel-centered online resources for Spanish-speaking Christians around the world. I sat down with Kevin Halloran, Project Manager at Abre la Biblia, to learn more. As Kevin and I talked about his background, the spiritual state of Latin America, and the mission of Abre la Biblia, I began to feel burdened for the Spanish-speaking world, and was encouraged to hear about the good work Abre la Biblia is carrying out.
Abre la Biblia began in March with the launch of their independent website (abrelabiblia.org) and a weekly program (podcast and radio program) titled Abre la Biblia con el Pastor Colin Smith, which you can sample below. In the months since, they have added articles, ebooks, Bible study tools, and evangelism resources to the website. The content is intended to edify and equip Christian believers, but is also designed to appeal to non-Christians who are interested in the Bible.
Sound Bible Teaching for Spanish-Speakers
During our hour-long interview, Kevin explained that there is a specific need for sound doctrine in Latin America, where the majority of Spanish speakers live. In general, most Spanish speakers have some belief in God and may even respect the Bible. But many don’t understand the message of the gospel or what grace truly means. Another prevalent deficiency in the Spanish-speaking world is the faithful preaching of God’s Word. Some of the most influential preachers present either a false prosperity gospel or focus more on signs and wonders than what God has clearly communicated through His Word. Kevin explained, “In places where pastors don’t have good models of reading Scripture and applying it faithfully, they can distort the Bible to mean anything they want it to mean, totally missing the heart of what God wants to communicate.”
Kevin experienced this firsthand while working as a missionary to countries like Ecuador and Mexico from 2013-2021. Those years brought him to appreciate the wealth of sound, biblical resources available to Christians in the U.S. Unfortunately, many of those resources were only available in English, leaving Spanish speakers out. Changing that reality is now the driving force behind Abre la Biblia.
At Open the Bible, Pastor Colin’s teaching is a significant blessing the ministry gets to steward. Before Abre la Biblia, only English speakers could benefit from it. Now, however, Abre la Biblia allows Open the Bible to maximize the impact of Pastor Colin’s teaching for both English and Spanish speakers.
One challenge the church (and Abre la Biblia) faces in reaching Latin America is the limited access to books across the region. If you wanted to buy, say, Packer’s Knowing God (Conocer a Dios in Spanish), you might have to travel to a Christian bookstore in your capital city, hoping they had it in stock; the luxury of same-day delivery just isn’t a reality there. As a result, the internet proves an effective way to reach Latin Americans – especially the younger generations – with gospel-centered resources. This is the approach Abre la Biblia is taking: via their website, eBooks, YouTube channel, and podcast streaming services.
Early Fruit and What’s Next
Four months out from the ministry’s launch, Abre la Biblia has a small, but growing following. Here is a taste of the comments received on YouTube videos of Pastor Colin’s teaching (translated into English):
Greetings from Colombia! Thanks for this clear and helpful teaching. It should be listened to often!
Blessings from Tecamac, México. Thanks for the sound doctrine that produces well-being and spiritual growth!
What a beautiful message! The Lord is just now helping me understand grace…after 17 years in the gospel, this is a watershed moment.
Greetings from Honduras! Thanks for sharing this encouraging message! God bless.
In the next few weeks, visitors to the Abre la Biblia website can expect to find a new eBook and a new teaching series called Descubre tu nueva identidad en Cristo (in English, Discover Your New Identity in Christ). Further down the road, Kevin plans to launch a podcast featuring Open the Bible Story’s “The Hike,” which takes listeners through the complete Bible story in a year. Abre la Biblia will encourage churches to commit to listening to one of the 50 audio sessions each week in 2025. That initiative and a series of online lay leader training courses will go live in early 2025, God willing.
Pray with Us
As we ended our time together, Kevin asked if I would share a few ways readers can pray for Abre la Biblia. Here they are:
- Pray for continued wisdom and direction in strategy and planning.
- Pray that the ministry would reach many people with the gospel.
- Pray that Abre la Biblia‘s resources would help Christians and churches mature in Christ.
- Pray for Spanish speakers to feel well served by Abre la Biblia.
I hope you’ll join me in prayer for Kevin and for this important new ministry. Additionally, you can check out the Abre la Biblia website, and, as the Lord leads, you can donate.
With God’s help and in His guidance, I am confident to join with Kevin in saying, “As people understand the gospel and learn how to read Scripture better, there’s a lot of momentum for Christ building His church, and the church growing in health and strength.” May this be so: in the U.S., in Latin America, and around the world.