Introducing Langham Partnership
Biblically Equipping the Global Church
Many churches outside the western world are growing rapidly in number but there is a critical shortage of biblical leaders and resources. They may also be under pressure due to poverty and persecution. Langham Partnership was founded by John Stott in the late 1960s in order to build up the global church, by equipping a new generation of Bible teachers.
Langham achieves this through its three main programmes: Scholars, enabling evangelical leaders to receive their doctorates; Preaching, supporting indigenous preaching movements in their commitment to Bible exposition; and Literature, partnering in the creation and distribution of resources.
Strengthening theological education
When John Stott was rector at All Souls Langham Place, London, he founded the Langham Trust to fund scholarships for young evangelical leaders from the Majority World.
This is now the ‘Langham Scholars’ programme. Langham has 325 Scholars who have benefitted from Langham funding in their theological education – they’re now serving in over 90 countries around the world.
Dr Hikmat Kashouh in Lebanon
For example after gaining a PhD at the University of Birmingham (UK), Dr Hikmat Kashouh returned to Lebanon and is now leading a vibrant and growing church in Beirut (alongside his teaching and writing). Under his leadership, the church is sacrificially serving Syrian refugees and has seen much transformation.
Between July 2021 and June 2022, Langham supported 85 PhD students from 44 Majority World countries.
Providing and encouraging good literature
Through the Langham Literature programme, thousands of Bible-centred books are supplied to hundreds of Majority World colleges each year. Publisher grants also enable indigenous publishers to produce local language titles.
Elishama in Benin
Langham has invested in developing books in regions such as French-speaking West Africa in order to equip Christians like Elishama in Benin. He’s a faithful church member in a local congregation. Believers in Benin are vulnerable to syncretism (mixing religions). Now Elishama and his pastor have more books in the right language and context to open God’s Word.
Langham’s landmark one-volume Bible commentaries have blessed many believers by bringing together theologians who speak into their own context. The Africa Bible Commentary in 2006 sparked the publication of commentaries for South Asia, Russia & Ukraine, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and more regions in the pipeline!
Training indigenous leaders in faithful preaching
The Langham Preaching programme began in the early 2000s, after John Stott and Chris Wright (Langham’s current Ministries Director & Global Ambassador) conducted training seminars in Latin America. Now hundreds of training sessions are held each year across the world, with a deep emphasis on building up indigenous trainers.
Jacabed Solano in Panama
A key feature of the Langham Preaching programme is the formation of ‘Preaching Clubs’. Groups of 7-10 local pastors and leaders meet regularly for ongoing training, mentoring and fellowship.
Between July 2021 and June 2022, more than 1,100 of these Clubs were operating around the world, in places like Panama. Jocabed Solano helps to coordinate Preaching Clubs on the remote islands of Panama. She says the pastors there see Langham training as crucial for learning to contextualise the bible so that it’s relevant.
Get involved
To find out more about Langham, sign up to receive our monthly Prayer Guide and news email (eNews). You can follow Langham Partnership on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Get in Touch
If your church would be interested in hearing a presentation about Langham, please email Mark Armstrong, our Supporter Development Officer for Ireland.