IVP and SPCK - Five Years On

Five years ago, the future of IVP was in peril - but God provided a surprising rescue. IVP had been facing a financial black hole that could have ended its long history of publishing thoughtful, Biblical books. But SPCK - an Anglican mission agency and publisher with a much broader theological mix - stepped in. Reported in both Christian and publishing trade papers, we became part of the SPCK Group, with ironclad assurances to maintain IVP's evangelical identity, and the opportunity to make use of SPCK's resources and history. Whilst the members of the IVP team that transferred over to the London office still miss, pray for, and keep in touch with their former colleagues from Nottingham and Leicester, we believe that the spirit and ethos of IVP is strong, and the future is bright.

Five years on, we could just let the books we've published speak for themselves. One article for Christian Today back in 2015 asked 'Does evangelical publishing have a future?'. We'd like to say, five years on, both in our own right and alongside our friends at The Good Book Company and 10 of Those and other evangelical publishers in the UK and beyond, yes it does!

Writing in Evangelicals Now, UCCF Director Richard Cunningham wrote back then;

"11 years ago the UCCF Trust Board became aware of the financial challenges threatening evangelical publishing and thought it prudent to grant IVP independence from UCCF, so it could make independent commercial decisions without fear of adversely impacting UCCF’s ministry. The IVP Board has recently come to the conclusion that the only way for IVP publishing to survive and thrive was for it to find an existing religious publisher who would allow IVP publishing to operate as an independent imprint but would provide financial investment and more favourable economies of scale. I have every confidence that Andrew Fergusson and his IVP Board members will be able to safeguard the evangelical integrity of IVP for many years to come as they independently commission fine evangelical authors to write the high-quality titles we expect from a conservative evangelical publisher."

We believe we have maintained that high quality and evangelical ethos, continuing to publish books that are, as our mission statement says, 'true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission throughout the world.' We remain editorially and theologically distinct, while working with our SPCK colleagues to publish our books as widely and brilliantly as possible.

The un-named author of that EN article also wrote:

However, worries inevitably have been expressed to en. Would these two publishers have naturally come together were it not for the decline in the market for Christian books over recent years? Will the IVP / UCCF doctrinal basis, written many decades ago, which does not address any of the politically correct ‘equality’ issues which are so sensitive today, prove a sufficient safeguard for the future? May IVP long remain a bastion of conservative evangelicalism in the UK – but, of course, only time will tell.

Behind the scenes, our Doctrinal Basis gives us the theological framework to not only engage with the issues of the day, but to actively publish into them. Titles like Glynn Harrison's A Better Story, and the Tyndale Fellowship's Marriage, Family and Relationships speak into the maelstrom of sexuality, while forthcoming titles like Jeremy Peckham's Masters or Slaves? (looking at AI) and Jonny and Joanna Ivey's Silent Cries (looking at baby loss) are engaging with vital pastoral conversations. We've been a pioneer and trusted voice in publishing on Mental Health - with Sharon Hastings' Wrestling With My Thoughts and Mark Meynell's When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend being particular recent highlights. Books like Mike Reeves and Tim Chester's Why the Reformation Still Matters, the edited volume Celebrating the Reformation, and Kenneth Stewart's In Search of Ancient Roots show real theological continuity with what has gone before, digging into the past to resource our future.

Sitting at the centre of UK evangelicalism, IVP is committed to publishing across the breadth of our constituency. Conservative, yes, but not for the sake of being conservative. We aim to publish thoroughly evangelical books for Christians, not just Christian books for evangelicals. We seek to publish books that both serve the evangelical church, but that can also speak to the wider church and world from the firm foundations of Biblical authority, the centrality of the Cross, and the need for personal and public faith in Christ. Titles like Jonathan Lamb's Essentially One and the festschrift for Don Carson Serving the Church Reaching the World are helping to shape the conversation. We've published Kristi Mair from Oak Hill on Truth, Peter Grier from Northern Ireland on Travel, Tom Camacho from Vineyard USA on coaching, Gavin and Anne Calver's Unleashed, and gathered an Avengers-style team of writers from across the evangelical spectrum to publish Healthy Faith and the Coronavirus Crisis in record time earlier this year.

In an interview with the Christian Bookshop's blog back in 2015, SPCK CEO Sam Richardson said "The contract we made in taking over at SPCK ensures that the IVP brand will remain, and in due course this will be enshrined into SPCK’s royal charter. The safeguards I referred to in question 1 are all permanent arrangements, they will be around longer than you and I." The future of IVP is secure, and the future is bright, with a number of exciting new signings yet to be announced, and a strong commercial performance even in the COVID-stricken months of 2020. Part of that is of course due to our strong backlist, a heritage of excellent books, and deliberate planning for the future. Exciting updates and additions to the Bible Speaks Today series, and projects such as the NSBT, TOTC, TNTC and Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture series demonstrate our commitment to the best of evangelical theology that engages with every part of the church.

Caleb Woodbridge, who is celebrating finishing his first year as IVP Publishing Director said;

"It's been an honour working with the IVP team, finding my feet and getting to grips with the opportunities. I'm excited about the titles I've commissioned coming out next year, as well as the impending launch of the 2nd Edition of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, Amy Orr-Ewing's Why Trust the Bible, and a number of other projects we can't wait to share with you.

The IVP team is now well integrated into the SPCK Group - bringing our own unique flavour to meetings and team gatherings, praying together weekly, and as committed as ever to producing great books that are true to the Bible, for the sake of the mission of the church. Please do pray for us as we go on - and get in touch if you have a book idea!"

In a booklet produced for the fiftieth birthday of IVP back in 1986, the following words closed that chapter. They remain close to our heart as a team:

"Oliver Barclay wrote 'If we have not learnt to love God with all our minds, then the love of our hearts will often misfire and lead us into practices which deny the truth we hope to affirm, and bring disgrace to the Lord we are so anxious to please.' In one sense, things have not changed much at IVP over the past fifty years. The emphasis on heart and mind is still as solid ever. G. T. Manley would probably be pleased. And future generations of Christians will have, as the sales slogan puts it, 'books worth reading'."

Please pray for us at IVP as we go forward - that we would serve the church, be faithful to God and His Word, and make the most of every opportunity.

Fundamental to IVP's ministry is our high view of Scripture. The IVP October 2020 Releases echo that commitment particularly, and you can see them and some other highlights from our history in the related titles section below.