Langham Partnership International
Langham Partnership is an international Christian nonprofit fellowship that supports biblical preaching, theological scholarship, and Christian literature in churches across the Majority World.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Langham Partnership is an international Christian nonprofit fellowship associated with the Anglican evangelical leader and author John Stott. Its work is directed toward strengthening churches in the Majority World by helping pastors, scholars, and other Christian leaders teach and apply the Bible in their own cultural and ecclesial contexts. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional consumer-facing brand, Langham functions as a family of connected ministries and national or regional partnerships. The movement's roots go back to 1969, when Stott became concerned that rapidly growing churches outside the West often had many committed believers but too few adequately trained teachers and preachers. He used royalties from his books to establish the Langham Trust, initially funding doctoral scholarships for promising theological educators. In 1971 he created the Evangelical Literature Trust to supply books and theological resources to students, pastors, and libraries in countries where such materials were scarce or unaffordable. These initiatives developed into the Langham Scholars and Langham Literature ministries. A related American foundation was established in 1974 to raise support for the international work. Around the same period, Langham networks developed in Australia and Canada. The United States organization adopted the name John Stott Ministries in 1996 and became Langham Partnership USA in 2012, following Stott's death in 2011. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Langham Partnership UK & Ireland was registered in 2001 to bring together the earlier Langham Trust and Evangelical Literature Trust charities. The international identity is therefore best understood as a partnership network rather than a single conventional corporation. Langham's work is commonly organized around three connected areas. Langham Scholars provides doctoral and other advanced theological support to evangelical scholars who are expected to return to their home countries and contribute to seminaries and church leadership. Langham Literature distributes books, develops theological libraries, supports Christian publishers, and helps create contextual resources in regional languages. Langham Preaching trains pastors and lay preachers in expository and biblical preaching through locally led movements, seminars, and continuing networks. The preaching ministry became a distinct third strand in 2002 after Stott's seminars in Latin America. It subsequently expanded through indigenous leaders and regional coordinators. By 2013, the network was reported to be operating in approximately 70 countries. Regional consultations beginning in Uganda in 2004 helped develop coordination across major continental regions, including Latin America, Central America, Anglophone Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. A notable literature project was the Africa Bible Commentary, published in 2006 with the involvement of Langham Literature and SIM. Written by African authors for African readers, it provided a one-volume commentary on the whole Bible and was subsequently supported in translations including French, Portuguese, Swahili, and Malagasy. Langham later facilitated comparable contextual commentary projects in Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and Eurasia. The organization also expanded its publishing support when it merged with the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee in 2008. Langham's positioning is based on long-term local capacity building rather than short-term external control. Its stated logic is that churches mature through the faithful teaching of God's Word, and that stronger preaching, better-trained theological educators, and accessible literature can equip churches to serve their own communities. The partnership model emphasizes indigenous leadership, regional networks, and the return of supported scholars to their home institutions. Its present public identity remains closely linked to Stott's theological legacy and to the continuing international work of the three ministries.
History
Langham Partnership developed from John Stott's concern that many growing churches outside the West lacked sufficient access to trained biblical teachers, theological scholarship, and affordable Christian literature. In 1969, Stott began using royalties from his books to establish the Langham Trust, a fund intended to support doctoral education for promising Christian scholars. The underlying objective was not simply to increase the number of church members, but to help churches reach theological and pastoral maturity through leaders able to teach Scripture responsibly. In 1971, Stott founded the Evangelical Literature Trust. Its purpose was to provide books for students, pastors, and theological libraries in the Majority World. The two initiatives remained separate United Kingdom charities for many years, while related fundraising and support networks emerged in other countries. In 1974, Stott and associates launched the Langham Foundation in the United States. Networks also formed in Australia and Canada, giving the movement an increasingly international structure. The United States organization adopted the name John Stott Ministries in 1996. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Langham Partnership UK & Ireland was registered in 2001 to amalgamate and replace the earlier Langham Trust and Evangelical Literature Trust. Their central activities continued under the names Langham Scholars and Langham Literature. In the United States, the organization returned to the Langham identity as Langham Partnership USA in 2012, after Stott's death the previous year. A third ministry, Langham Preaching, was inaugurated in 2002 after Stott led seminars on biblical preaching in Latin America. It was designed to develop local preaching movements rather than rely solely on visiting foreign instructors. Regional leaders and coordinators helped the work expand across multiple continents, and by 2013 it was reported to operate in around 70 countries. A regional consultation in Entebbe, Uganda, in 2004 began a series of consultations that supported coordination across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America, and the Pacific. The three ministry areas are mutually reinforcing. Langham Scholars supports advanced theological training for evangelical scholars who are expected to serve in their home countries. Langham Literature supplies books, supports libraries, and assists Christian publishers. Langham Preaching equips pastors and lay leaders to interpret and communicate biblical texts through expository preaching. The model aims to strengthen local institutions and leadership rather than create permanent dependence on overseas personnel. Literature projects became an important expression of this approach. In 2006, the Africa Bible Commentary was published with the involvement of Langham Literature and SIM. It was a one-volume commentary on the whole Bible written by African contributors for African contexts. Langham subsequently helped facilitate translations into French, Portuguese, Swahili, and Malagasy, and supported similar commentary initiatives in Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and Eurasia. These projects sought to combine evangelical biblical interpretation with local experience and language. Langham's preaching work also developed through national movements. A 2007 training course in Nigeria reportedly brought together 150 pastors for instruction in expository biblical preaching. The Nigerian work later spread into multiple parts of the country and trained thousands of pastors and lay preachers. In 2008, Langham merged with the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee, which had assisted Christian publishers in former communist countries. The merger preserved that focus while broadening Langham Literature's publisher-development work internationally. The organization's stated theological rationale was summarized by Stott in a 1999 memorandum: God intends the church to grow in maturity, not merely numerical size; the church grows through God's Word; and biblical preaching is a primary means by which the Word reaches people. Langham Partnership's continuing identity rests on that sequence. It presents itself as a global fellowship that equips churches through preaching, scholarship, and literature, with particular emphasis on the Majority World and on leaders who can continue the work within their own countries.
- 2012
John Stott Ministries is renamed Langham Partnership USA
[1]The U.S. organization adopts the Langham Partnership name following Stott's death.
- 2008
EELAC merger expands publishing support
[1]Langham absorbs the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee and broadens its publisher-development work.
- 2006
Africa Bible Commentary is published
[1]A major African-authored commentary project is released and later supported in several African and international languages.
- 2004
First regional consultation is held
[1]Langham holds its first regional partnership consultation in Entebbe, Uganda.
- 2002
Langham Preaching begins
[1]Preaching training becomes a distinct ministry alongside Langham Scholars and Langham Literature.
- 2001
Langham Partnership UK & Ireland is registered
[1]The new organization brings together the earlier Langham Trust and Evangelical Literature Trust charities.
- 1999
Stott articulates the ministry rationale
[1]A memorandum links church maturity with growth through God's Word and with the importance of biblical preaching.
- 1974
Langham Foundation is launched in the United States
[1]The U.S. foundation is formed to raise support for improving biblical preaching and theological resources worldwide.
- 1971
Evangelical Literature Trust is founded
[1]A second initiative is created to provide books and theological resources to pastors, students, and libraries in the Majority World.
- 1969
Langham Trust is established
[1]John Stott begins funding doctoral scholarships for Christian leaders and scholars through royalties from his books.
Products and positioning
An international evangelical partnership focused on equipping Majority World churches through locally grounded preaching movements, theological scholarship, literature distribution, and Christian publishing development.
Theological scholarships · 1969
Langham Scholars
A scholarship and leadership-development ministry supporting advanced theological education, especially doctoral study, for evangelical scholars from the Majority World. Participants are generally expected to return to their home countries and teach, lead, or otherwise strengthen local seminaries and churches.
Christian publishing and theological resources · 1971
Langham Literature
A literature ministry that supplies books, develops theological libraries, supports Christian publishers, and helps produce contextual resources in regional languages. Its work includes distribution as well as assistance with locally relevant publishing projects.
Pastoral training · 2002
Langham Preaching
A network-based ministry that trains pastors and lay preachers in biblical and expository preaching. It emphasizes locally led movements, recurring training, regional coordination, and the development of national instructors rather than one-off external events.
Bible commentary · 2006
Africa Bible Commentary
A one-volume commentary on the whole Bible written by African authors for African Christian contexts. Langham Literature and SIM supported the project and later facilitated translations into French, Portuguese, Swahili, and Malagasy.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007Nigeria expository preaching training
Nigeria
Langham Preaching conducted a training course on expository biblical preaching for approximately 150 Nigerian pastors. The initiative subsequently developed into a wider Nigerian movement involving pastors and lay preachers in multiple parts of the country.
Outcome. The Nigerian network expanded and reportedly trained thousands of pastors and lay preachers.
Brand decisions
2012
U.S. rebrand to Langham Partnership USAOtherBackground
The U.S. organization had used the name John Stott Ministries since 1996. John Stott died in 2011.
Action taken
The organization changed its name to Langham Partnership USA.
Aftermath
The U.S. body was brought into closer naming alignment with the wider Langham partnership network.
2008
Merger with the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory CommitteeM&ABackground
EELAC had supported Christian publishers in countries formerly governed by communist regimes in Eastern Europe.
Action taken
Langham Partnership merged with EELAC and incorporated its publishing-support expertise.
Aftermath
Langham Literature retained the Eastern European focus while extending publisher development to other regions.
2002
Creation of Langham PreachingStrategyBackground
Stott's preaching seminars in Latin America highlighted the need for an ongoing, locally organized preaching initiative.
Action taken
Langham made preaching training a third distinct ministry alongside scholarships and literature.
Aftermath
The ministry expanded through indigenous leaders, regional coordinators, and national preaching movements.
2001
Consolidation of the UK and Ireland charitiesStrategyBackground
Langham Trust and the Evangelical Literature Trust had developed as separate UK charities supporting scholarships and literature.
Action taken
Langham Partnership UK & Ireland was registered to amalgamate and replace the two earlier charities while retaining their core activities.
Aftermath
The scholarship and literature work continued under the Langham Scholars and Langham Literature identities.
Recent events
- 2012
John Stott Ministries becomes Langham Partnership USA[1]
Leadership change · Other
The United States organization changed its name to Langham Partnership USA after the death of founder John Stott in 2011.
- 2008
Langham Partnership merges with EELAC[1]
M&A
The organization merged with the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee, extending its literature work from former communist European countries into broader publisher development activity.
- 2006
Africa Bible Commentary is published[1]
Product launch
Langham Literature and SIM supported publication of a whole-Bible commentary written by African authors for African Christian readers.
- 2002
Langham Partnership establishes a distinct preaching ministry[1]
Other
Following John Stott's preaching seminars in Latin America, Langham Preaching became a distinct ministry alongside the scholarship and literature programs.
Sources2 sources
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