Langham Partnership

Last updated

Langham Partnership
Founded1969 (as Langham Trust)
Founder John Stott
Type 501(c)(3) religious non-profit corporation in the USA, registered not for profit in other countries
FocusTo see the Christian church equipped for mission and growing to maturity in Christ through the ministry of pastors and leaders who believe, teach, and live by the Bible
Location
  • Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, UK & Ireland, US
Area served
The Majority World of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eurasia, the Middle East, and Pacific region
MethodThree integrated ministries:
  • Nurture national movements for training in biblical preaching (Langham Preaching)
  • Multiply the creation and distribution of evangelical literature (Langham Literature)
  • Strengthen the theological training of pastors and leaders by qualified evangelical teachers (Langham Scholars)
Key people
  • Dr. Riad Kassis, International Director
  • Dr Chris Wright, Global Ambassador
  • Dr Hani Hanna, Director of Langham Literature
  • Dr Paul Windsor, Director of Langham Preaching
  • Dr Riad Kassis, Director of Langham Scholars
  • Mrs Jill McGilvray, Chair of the Langham Partnership International Council
Revenue
US$5 million (2012)
Website langham.org

Langham Partnership (formerly known as Langham Partnership International) is a nonprofit Christian international fellowship working in pursuit of the vision of its founder John Stott: to foster the growth of the global church in maturity and Christ-likeness by raising the standards of biblical preaching and teaching through equipping Majority World Christian pastors, scholars, writers, publishers, and other key leaders. In 2005, TIME magazine named Stott among the 100 most influential people in the world. [1]

Contents

History

Origin

The roots of Langham Partnership extend to 1969 when John Stott had a strong desire to help Christian pastors in non-Western countries (where he was travelling widely) more fully understand the Bible so they could preach its messages more clearly to their own people. "He saw lots of Christians, but not enough teachers; lots of enthusiasm, but not enough erudition." [2] By dedicating the royalties from his (eventually more than 50 [3] ) published books, Stott first established a fund he named Langham Trust (LT) to finance doctoral scholarships. [4]

In 1971, he founded the Evangelical Literature Trust (ELT) to provide books for students, pastors, and theological libraries in the Majority World. Both of these remained independent charities registered in the UK until, in 2001, Langham Partnership UK & Ireland was registered to amalgamate and replace the former LT and ELT [5] ). The objectives and work of the two original charities – Langham Scholars and Langham Literature respectively – continue within Langham Partnership.

In 1974 Stott, with a group of friends, launched the Langham Foundation in the US to encourage and enable people there to "help provide the resources needed to raise the standards of biblical preaching worldwide." [6] Around the same time, Langham networks were formed in Australia and Canada to help raise funds to support the ministries for which Stott advocated.

Names

In 1996, the name was changed in the US to John Stott Ministries to capitalise on the public stature of its founder. [7] ) Considering the wishes expressed by Stott prior to his death in 2011, the John Stott Ministries board of directors changed the name to Langham Partnership USA in 2012. [8] [9] [10]

Memorandum

In 1999, as he approached his 80th birthday and contemplated the future of the ministries he had founded, John Stott wrote a "lengthy memorandum," [11] reflecting on their underlying vision. In it he articulated what is now known as the "Langham Logic" [12] ):

  1. God wants his church to grow up in maturity (not just in numbers);
  2. The church grows through God's Word, and
  3. The Word of God comes to people primarily (though not exclusively) through biblical preaching.
  4. Therefore, the logical response is to strive to raise the standards of biblical preaching so that the church may grow in maturity and fulfill its mission in the world.

Activity: 2000-present

In 2002, after Stott had led seminars on biblical preaching in Latin America, convinced there was a need for pastors to be motivated, trained, and equipped in the skills of biblical preaching in a more direct, 'hands-on' way, Langham Preaching was inaugurated as a distinct third ministry of Langham Partnership alongside Scholars and Literature. The new ministry expanded through a growing network of indigenous leaders and regional coordinators, and by 2013, operates in 70 countries.

In 2004, the first Langham Partnership Regional Consultation was held in Entebbe, Uganda, with representative advisors from around East Africa. Through a series of similar consultations around the world in the following years, regional development spread in 13 major continental regions. As local leadership and initiative was encouraged, regional coordinators were appointed in Latin America, Central America, Anglophone Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region. The Langham name, brand, vision and ministries are now 'owned' in a steadily growing number of countries.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Langham Partnership is a "threefold initiative...to strengthen the church in the developing world by training preachers, funding doctoral scholarships for the most able theological thinkers, and providing basic, low-cost libraries for pastors." [13] Christianity Today called Langham Partnership "preeminent among the organizations [John Stott] launched." [14] "[Langham Partnership] particularly encourages biblical preaching by offering study books for pastors and libraries, by inspiring biblical preaching movements, and by offering doctoral scholarships for evangelical scholars who will commit to teaching in their home seminaries." [15]

In 2006, the Africa Bible Commentary was published. Langham Literature and SIM were jointly involved in sponsoring this one volume commentary on the whole Bible written entirely by African authors for Africa. Langham has facilitated its translation into French, Portuguese, Swahili, and Malagasy. This publication in Africa has led Langham Literature to facilitate similar major projects for one-volume Bible commentaries in regional languages in Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and Eurasia.

Another example of the work of Langham Partnership can be seen in the 2007 Langham Preaching training course on expository biblical preaching taken by 150 pastors in Nigeria. [16] Since that initial event, the Nigerian movement has diversified to many different parts of the country, training thousands of pastors and lay preachers.

In 2008, Langham Partnership merged with the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee (EELAC). [17] EELAC assisted Christian publishers in the former communist countries of Europe. Langham Literature continues that support, but has extended it in the form of publisher development in other parts of the world.

Influence

As described on the International Christian College website (of Glasgow, Scotland): "John Stott was not only concerned with the church in the UK…. A number of international students coming to ICC over the years have been supported by the Langham Partnership, an initiative begun by Stott in 1969 in order to support church leaders from the Global South studying at UK universities. The ultimate aim was the building up of the church globally, with well trained, theologically literate leaders involved in the rapidly growing churches of the Global South." [18]

In view of his influence through the Langham ministries, along with his many books, travels, and projects, and his acknowledged leadership of the evangelical movement worldwide, John Stott was described by church historian David Edwards as "apart from William Temple (who died as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1944) the most influential clergyman in the Church of England during the 20th century." [19] And with Langham Partnership and his other works, Stott "is credited with doing more to change the landscape of global evangelicalism in the twentieth century than any other evangelical." [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvary Chapel Association</span> Evangelical association of Christian churches

Calvary Chapel is an international association of charismatic evangelical churches, with origins in Pentecostalism. It maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Piper (theologian)</span> American pastor and writer (born 1946)

John Stephen Piper is an American Reformed Baptist theologian, pastor, and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Piper taught biblical studies at Bethel University for six years (1974–1980), before serving as pastor for preaching and vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church (Converge) in Minneapolis for 33 years (1980–2013).

Expository preaching, also known as expositional preaching, is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegesis is technical and grammatical exposition, a careful drawing out of the exact meaning of a passage in its original context. While the term exposition could be used in connection with any verbal informative teaching on any subject, the term is also used in relation to Bible preaching and teaching. The practice originated from the Jewish tradition of the rabbi giving a "Dvar Torah", explaining a passage from the Torah, during the prayer services. Expository preaching differs from topical preaching in that the former concentrates on a specific text and discusses topics covered therein; whereas, the latter concentrates on a specific topic and references texts covering the topic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stott</span> English Anglican presbyter and theologian (1921–2011)

John Robert Walmsley Stott was an English Anglican priest and theologian who was noted as a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. In 2005, Time magazine ranked Stott among the 100 most influential people in the world.

Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The president of the Moore Theological College Council is ex officio the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. I. Packer</span> English-born Canadian evangelical theologian (1926–2020)

James Innell Packer was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, known for his best-selling book Knowing God, written in 1973, as well as his work as an editor for the English Standard Version of the Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyn Lloyd-Jones</span> Welsh pastor, author, and physician

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a Welsh Congregationalist minister and medical doctor who was influential in the Calvinist wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel in London.

Prosperity theology is a religious belief among some Charismatic Christians that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth. Material and especially financial success is seen as a sign of divine favor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Keller (pastor)</span> American pastor and author (1950–2023)

Timothy James Keller was an American Calvinist pastor, preacher, theologian, and Christian apologist. He was the chairman and co-founder of Redeemer City to City, which trains pastors for service around the world. He was also the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and the author of The New York Times bestselling books The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith (2008), Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (2014), and The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (2008). The prequel for the latter is Making Sense of GOD: An Invitation to the Skeptical (2016).

A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Clements</span>

Roy Clements is a British author and former Christian minister. He was a leading figure within Britain's Evangelical Christian movement for more than two decades until in 1999 he left his wife, resigned from his pastoral ministry and revealed that he is gay.

Bryan Chapell is an American pastor and theologian who currently serves as the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was previously the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to that he was president and chancellor of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri for twenty years. Chapell is also an author, lecturer, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics. He served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America in 2014.

Richard Charles Lucas is an Anglican evangelical cleric, best known for his long ministry at St Helen's Bishopsgate in London, England, and for his work as founder of the Proclamation Trust and the Cornhill Training Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren W. Wiersbe</span> American pastor and writer (1929–2019)

Warren Wendall Wiersbe was an American Christian clergyman, Bible teacher, conference speaker and a prolific writer of Christian literature and theological works. Wiersbe is perhaps best known for his series of 50 books in the "BE" series: Be Real, Be Rich, Be Obedient, Be Mature, Be Joyful, etc., and other theological works. He pastored the Moody Church in Chicago (1971–1978) and succeeded Theodore Epp as director of the Back to the Bible radio ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. J. H. Nash</span> English cleric

Eric John Hewitson "Bash" Nash was a conservative evangelical Church of England cleric. His work of Christian evangelism and camp ministry in the top thirty public schools of the United Kingdom from 1932 onwards was highly influential in the post-war British evangelical resurgence. Over 7,000 boys attended camp under his leadership.

Conservative evangelicalism is a term used in the United Kingdom to describe a theological movement found within evangelical Protestantism and is sometimes simply synonymous with evangelical within the United Kingdom. The term is used more often in the first sense, but conservative evangelicals themselves tend to use it in the second. Conservative evangelicals are sometimes called fundamentalists, but typically reject that label and are keen to maintain their distinct identity, which is more Reformed. Reformed fundamentalism shares many of the characteristics of conservative evangelicalism. In this sense, conservative evangelicalism can be thought of as distinct from liberal evangelicalism, open evangelicalism, and charismatic evangelicalism. Some conservative evangelical groups oppose women ministers or women preachers in mixed congregations.

Christopher J. H. Wright is a missiologist, an Anglican clergyman and an Old Testament scholar. He is currently the International Ministries Director of Langham Partnership International. He was the principal of All Nations Christian College. He is an honorary member of All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Anglicanism</span> Tradition within Anglicanism

Evangelical Anglicanism or evangelical Episcopalianism is a tradition or church party within Anglicanism that shares affinity with broader evangelicalism. Evangelical Anglicans share with other evangelicals the attributes of "conversionism, activism, biblicism and crucicentrism" identified by historian David Bebbington as central to evangelical identity. The emergence of evangelical churchmanship can be traced back to the First Great Awakening in America and the Evangelical Revival in Britain in the 18th century. In the 20th century, prominent figures have included John Stott and J. I. Packer.

Jia Yuming was a Chinese Christian theologian and biblical commentator. He worked at several seminaries and eventually became a vice-chairperson of the Communist Party-aligned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. He self-identified as a fundamentalist and taught that "perfect salvation", which in his definition entailed becoming a "Christ-human", was the ultimate goal of all Christians.

References

  1. Graham, Billy (18 April 2005). "The 2005 TIME 100". Time. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010.
  2. Chapman, Alister (2011). Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN   0199773971.
  3. "Books Published in US or UK" . Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  4. Chapman, Alister (2011). Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN   0199773971.
  5. "Langham Partnership History" . Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. Chapman, Alister (2011). Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN   0199773971.
  7. "Langham and John Stott Ministries in the US" . Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  8. Chapman, Alister (2011). Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN   0199773971.
  9. "Why we changed our name to Langham Partnership" . Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  10. "John Stott Ministries returns to its roots by changing name to Langham Partnership". 19 November 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013 via YouTube.
  11. Dudley-Smith, Timothy (2001). John Stott: A Global Ministry: The Later Years. InterVarsity Press. p. 421. ISBN   0830822089.
  12. "Langham Logic: God's Word for God's World" . Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  13. Turner, David (28 July 2011). "The Rev John Stott obituary". The Guardian.
  14. Stafford, Tim (27 July 2011). "John Stott Has Died". Christianity Today.
  15. Stafford, Tim (13 October 2006). "Legacy of a Global Leader". Christianity Today.
  16. Blake, Daniel (9 March 2007). "Langham Partnership International Director Trains 150 Pastors in Nigeria". Christian Today.
  17. "Langham Partnership merger good news for majority world churches". Christian Today. 15 July 2008.
  18. "Remembering John Stott (1921–2011)". International Christian College. 29 July 2011.
  19. "The Rev John Stott". The Times. 29 July 2011.
  20. "John Stott Remembered at London Funeral". The Christian Post. 8 August 2011.

Further reading