Launching on Thursday 7th March (World Book Day), the ‘Books for Bible Colleges’ campaign aims to tackle the growing need for written resources at overseas bible colleges and seminaries. The charity behind the campaign, Langham Partnership (Langham), aims to resource over 650 libraries in almost 100 countries with contextually relevant, Christ-centred, and biblically-informed literature, in 2024.
Over 80% of pastors in the Majority World – the region in which most of the world’s population is located – lack any formal training. Many college and seminary libraries have insufficient library resources to teach them. The ‘Books for Bible Colleges’ initiative enables these Bible colleges to curate their own core library, choosing from over 7,200 books from Langham’s catalogue. In addition, many colleges will go on to gain accreditation through acquiring the appropriate number of resources.
Simon Foulds, Development Manager for Langham UK and Ireland, said: “Now more than ever, we need to equip Christian leaders with great potential who face poverty, pressure, and persecution every day. Every church deserves a well-trained leader, and Langham wants to ensure every aspiring church leader has access to a stocked library before they preach from the pulpit. The foundation of theologically sound study and training cannot be underrated.
“In the West our access to books is so widespread that we can take our education and libraries for granted. How many of us have Christian books on our shelves that we’ve bought but never read?”
Many Bible colleges across the Majority World have a heavy reliance on Western-authored books and insufficient resources hindering the development of degree programs. Through the Books for Bible Colleges Campaign, 71% of colleges and seminaries can educate more students with informed resources, tackling the global leadership crisis.
Rev. Rose Chemegemet, Academic Dean at the Kima International School of Theology (KIST), said: “The entire staff at KIST are very grateful for the books which Langham has provided for the Church in Africa. Thank you so much to everyone who donates to Langham for making such a great impact in the training ministry of the global church.”
The ‘Books for Bible Colleges’ campaign comes as Langham celebrates 40 years of supplying Majority World Bible college libraries with books and resources. Langham’s has helped 910 Majority World authors publish books. Its Library Grant Catalogue includes over 7,200 titles and is sent out to over 1,400 Bible colleges worldwide.
Langham spends £330 on each grant, covering the full cost of the books, operations, and shipping. To learn more about the Books for Bible Colleges campaign, please visit: Books for Bible Colleges.
