'The Chosen' is fully funded. What's next?

SALT LAKE CITY — The seventh and final season of "The Chosen" has reached its ambitious $78 million funding goal, taking the biblical drama a considerable leap closer to its goal of bringing the story of Jesus to 1 billion people worldwide.

More than 86,000 supporters in 175 countries contributed to the multimillion-dollar effort through Come and See, a nonprofit organization that relies largely on fan donations to fund and translate the series.

With production of Season 7 wrapped in late September and funding for all seven seasons secured, Come and See can turn even greater attention to expanding the series' global reach — ultimately aiming to reach 1 billion viewers.

"Now the work is to take it to the world," said Stacey Baxter, Come and See's senior director of marketing, growth and engagement.

"Having the filming done and the funding done means that our mission can rapidly accelerate to more people meeting Jesus through 'The Chosen.'"

That global reach has already seen staggering growth. More than 300 million people in over 175 countries have watched "The Chosen," racking up nearly a billion episode views. No biblical series has ever come close.

International use of "The Chosen" app has also increased over the past year, particularly in countries such as India and Brazil, Baxter said. In October alone, the app recorded 2.2 million international users, compared with 1.6 million in the United States.

The organization is also expanding its partnerships with churches around the world to make the series more accessible through free screenings.

Much of that growth and fan support is fueled by viewers who want others to experience the same impact the series has had in their own lives, Baxter said.

"I think when most people watch 'The Chosen,' and it changes their life, they immediately want to share it," Baxter said. "I think it's a natural overflow of when 'The Chosen' has changed your life, you want to share it with someone else."

Beyond financial contributions, Come and See also has more than 150,000 people actively involved in its prayer crew, which sends out monthly updates and prayer requests to support the organization's mission.

"Prayer is the backbone of the work that we do," Baxter said.

Focus shifts to translation effort

Having cleared the hurdle of funding the seventh season, Come and See can sharpen its focus on its aim of translating all seven seasons of the series into 600 languages.

If successful, the effort would make the biblical drama accessible to 95% of the world's population.

About 200 linguists around the world are working on the translations, each one following a meticulous process to ensure each version is biblically accurate, theologically sound and culturally relevant.

The process also comes with a substantial cost of about $75,000 to translate one season into a single language.

But for Come and See, the investment goes beyond simply making the biblical drama understandable for more people. It's about providing viewers the opportunity to connect with the story of Jesus in their own language — the one they "think and dream and pray in," Baxter said.

Come and See has already created that opportunity for millions of viewers around the world.

In February, the first season of the biblical drama was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-translated season of a television series in history, with 125 languages.

Some of the 125 dubbed languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, Haitian, Hindi, Korean, Slovenian, Turkish and Vietnamese. Another 260-plus language translations are currently in progress.

"The Chosen" has now surpassed — twice — the translations available for television hits such as "Friends," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Baywatch."

Still, after meeting record-setting translation milestones twice over, Come and See remains in the early stages of its broader goal.

"We want everyone to encounter Jesus through exceptional storytelling," Baxter said. "I am excited for Season 6 and Season 7 in the next two years because I think people will experience Jesus afresh in both the crucifixion and the resurrection."

Season 6 of "The Chosen" premieres Nov. 15 on Prime Video.

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