We live by faith and not by sight. All of us at The Good Book Company are grateful to know, alongside you, that Christ reigns, and that his Spirit is at work in the world to grow his Kingdom; to fulfill his purposes. We know that the gospel is like a seed growing in secret; and that history is working towards its glorious climax when the full measure of the harvest has been gathered in. And this year we have needed to exercise that faith perhaps more than usual.
As the news has been dominated by disease, economic strife, political confusion and rising tensions, it’s harder to hang on to the hope we have in Christ. And yet there remain signs that this hope is not in vain. Our own work as a publisher keeps us in touch, not just with authors, but also with the many individual Christians and churches we serve. And amid the struggle to do church, family and community life with all the restrictions that have come our way, there has been an underlying sense that our work of outreach and discipleship are more important than ever. We have been so impressed with the creativity and commitment of churches seeking to pursue the Gospel mandate to make disciples of all nations during this difficult time; and we have done our best to serve this need with how we have responded, and the things we have published.
What follows is just a hint at some of the many, many signs of growth and spiritual hunger that have encouraged us this year. We pray that they will encourage you to and we invite you to join us in praising God for His gracious work in 2020.
-- Tim Thornborough, Founder
God’s people live all over the globe - as do people who don’t yet know Him. While our offices are in the UK and the USA, our books are used throughout the English-speaking world, and are in translation to over 40 languages worldwide. Our evangelistic outreach book Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by Professor John Lennox was published in over 30 languages this year from a standing start in April. Many of our publishing partners made the book available as a free ebook, meaning that about 500,000 copies were distributed around the world. More broadly, we are working with new publishing partners in Japan, Hungary, Turkey, Belarus and Brazil, and over 150 other TGBC titles have been translated this year.
We thank God for you, our customers. The encouragements you send us, including stories of God providing the right book at the right time through our resources, spur us on to continue in the work we do.
Some books have been timely for individuals facing loss or other struggles. One said of Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God's Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage that it was, “A true kindness from the Lord to hold this resource.” It’s a privilege for us to have any part in God showing His kindness to you.
The timing of some of our releases has reminded us of God’s foresight and faithfulness. For example, The Christmas We Didn’t Expect was titled before the pandemic began. When racial tensions increased in early summer, we were thankful to learn that God’s Very Good Idea was being read by families and churches to start helpful, healing conversations about God’s good design for diversity.
When the pandemic began, John Lennox approached us about a book addressing the Coronavirus. In record time, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? was released. In about two months 100,000 copies sold, offering gospel hope and answers to people in 25+ languages during the height of uncertainty.
It’s a privilege to serve the body of Christ, made up of people of all ages, in all stages. See some of our favorite young reader photos from 2020 here. We rejoice when we hear things like “My 2 year old has ‘gone next level possessive with this book’,” and “Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know has an important Bible message all children should know, wrapped up in a lot of fun pictures and simple language visiting lots of other worldly examples before landing it's punch—our three year old chooses it (whereas other Christian books lose out to The Gruffalo or Ten Little Robots!)”
One parent wrote to say of The Man Who Would Not Be Quiet, “I have never thought this book will have such an impact on my son (2 years old). He absolutely loves this book (Little Me, Big God series) and he asks us to read it again and again. After 2 months of reading it he is able to read it himself although we are not native speakers. He speaks about it to others and he loves the story.”
Many ministry leaders have told us how our resources have enabled them to creatively reach others and serve through unique stages of life and unexpected circumstances this year. Free videos, lesson plans and digital illustrations are just some of the resources used to adapt ministry efforts for 2020.
Several annual awards have been announced, and we’re honored to announce the following recipients:
Jesus and the Very Big Surprise by Randall Goodgame: award of merit in Christianity Today's 2021 Book Awards. (Find out more here.)
Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? By Sam Allberry: Christianity Today book award of merit in the Apologetics/Evangelism category. (Find out more here.)
The Prisoners, the Earthquake and the Midnight Song by Bob Hartman: Children’s: The Gospel Coalition 2020 Book Awards (Learn more here.)
Stay Salt by Rebecca Manley Pippert: Evangelism & Apologetics: The Gospel Coalition 2020 Book Awards (Learn more here.)
Born Again This Way by Rachel Gilson: The Gospel Coalition 2020 Book Awards, Honorable Mention (Learn more here.)
Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know by Melissa Kruger: The Gospel Coalition 2020 Book Awards, Honorable Mention (Learn more here.)
Stop Taking Sides by Adam Mabry: World Magazine, honorable mention in Accessible Theology (Read more here.)
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton: Bronze award by the ECPA for over 100,000 copies sold.
Where is God in a Coronavirus World? By John Lennox: Bronze award by the ECPA for over 100,000 copies sold.
Please join us in giving thanks to God for His work in 2020. He is faithful! "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" -Psalm 107:1
Bethany McIlrath loves to get lost in a book and to help others discover their next read in her marketing role at The Good Book Company. When she's not reading stories, she's usually writing them or dreaming about them as she comes up with real-life creative adventures for friends, her husband, and a doorbell-like dog named Indy. Serving in children's ministry is also one of her greatest joys.
