THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE

OUR HISTORY

Thomas Bray

On 8th March 1698 a group of five friends met at Lincoln's Inn to prepare for the departure of one of their number for America. Thomas Bray, an Anglican priest, was to visit the colony of Maryland on behalf of the Bishop of London. Not knowing how long he would be away, the friends resolved to form a society to ensure that the many good works with which he was involved could continue in his absence.

The primary concern of the Society's founders was to "counteract the growth of vice and immorality", which they ascribed to "gross ignorance of the principles of the Christian religion". The main ways in which they felt the situation could be tackled were through encouraging education and the production and distribution of Christian literature. Through the work of SPCK, they hoped to build up a more learned clergy and to find ways of communicating the basic principles of the Christian faith to a wider audience, both in Britain and overseas.

In the event Bray only stayed in Maryland for a few months, but the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge which was formed that day is still active over three hundred years later.

An early SPCK publication

HISTORY OF SPCK PUBLISHING Thomas Bray believed passionately in the power of the printed word and from its second meeting onwards the Society began commissioning tracts and pamphlets, something it has continued ever since, making it the third oldest publishing house still operating in England today (only the Oxford and Cambridge University Presses have been in existence longer).

Throughout the eighteenth century SPCK was by far the largest producer of Christian literature in Britain. The range of its output was considerable - from pamphlets aimed at specific groups such as farmers, prisoners, soldiers, seamen, servants and slave-owners, exhorting them to improve their way of life, to more general works on subjects such as baptism, confirmation, Holy Communion, the Prayer Book and private devotion.

Increasingly, more substantial books were also published, both on Christian subjects and, from the 1830s onwards, on general educational topics as well. It has been estimated that SPCK has produced over twenty thousand titles during its three centuries of publishing.

Today, SPCK's publishing arm has five separate imprints - SPCK, Triangle, Sheldon Press, Azure and Lynx Communications - producing some 70 new titles each year to help their readers come to a fuller understanding of the Christian faith and a deeper commitment to it. The Society has some 600 titles in print.

Our books range from the academic to the popular, from devotional literature and works on spirituality to books addressing contemporary issues in Church and society. Increasingly we aim to produce books on mission-related subjects and books which will help bring insights from the worldwide church into this country. Within our lists we represent many strands of church tradition, encouraging greater mutual understanding between Christians of different backgrounds and ensuring we serve the whole Christian community.

A first Tamil bible

HISTORY OF SPCK WORLDWIDE Early work overseas At its foundation, SPCK's overseas focus was the British colonies in the Americas. Thomas Bray was particularly concerned about the quality of the clergy available to serve in new in the colonies and plantations. His solution was to establish libraries for the use of clergy and their parishioners, giving them access to a range of theological and other books to support their ministry. Frequent shipments of books were sent across the Atlantic throughout the eighteenth century establishing and maintaining a substantial network of libraries.

Within a few years of its establishment SPCK's founding members broadened their horizons beyond America. In 1709 a printing press and trained printer were sent out to Tranquebar in East India to assist in the production of the first translation of the Bible into Tamil by Danish Lutheran missionaries. For its time this was a remarkably far-sighted example of ecumenical co-operation, and SPCK has continued to work closely with churches of many different denominations, whilst retaining a special relationship with churches within the Anglican Communion.

As the British Empire grew in the nineteenth century, so SPCK developed an important role in supporting the planting of new churches around the world. Funds were provided for church buildings, for schools, for theological training colleges, and to provide chaplains for the ships taking emigrants to their new homes.

SPCK's international work is today carried out through SPCK Worldwide. In a typical year SPCK Worldwide will make some 200 grants in up to 60 countries. The number of projects makes it difficult to summarise the scope of this work succinctly, but it can perhaps be best described under three headings.

An SPCK study guide

1. Training tomorrow's leaders Training clergy has been a feature of SPCK's work since the first libraries were shipped to America. It remains a strategic priority of the Society to help build up new generations of church leaders around the world. By providing books for new ministers as they study, SPCK Worldwide can help them to communicate the gospel more effectively throughout their ministries.

SPCK Worldwide's contribution comes in part through its grants to seminary libraries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Books are also provided directly to the students themselves. Anglican ordinands, for example, can each select up to twenty books from a range of study guides written from a two-thirds world perspective and in a style appropriate for those who do not have English as their first language. For many ordinands these books will be among the very few books they will ever own, becoming a life-long resource.

SPCK Worldwide has also played a key role in encouraging the development of Theological Education by Extension (TEE). In many parts of the world, full-time training is not affordable or realistic and courses which enable people to study on their own or in small groups are increasingly important.

Hymnal in Kirundi language of Burundi

2. Worship and liturgy From its early years, SPCK has been involved in the production and distribution of Bibles, prayer books and other materials in local languages. The Book of Common Prayer alone was translated into 200 languages and dialects during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, the development of new liturgies, hymnals and song books which reflect local styles of music and worship, and which are not simply translations from English, are one of the most valued aspects of the Society's work.

Devotional book from India

3. Encouraging the development of indigenous Christian communication A growing part of SPCK's work in recent years has been to provide the means through which non-western churches can express their own theological perspectives and become less dependent on imported theology from the developed world. By assisting the development of local publishing houses producing works by indigenous authors, the Society aims to help churches create materials which meet their own needs and address issues relevant to their situation.

	Our Patron: Her Majesty the Queen
	Our Aims
	The Society's Structure
	The SPCK Family
	SPCK's History
	SPCK Archives and Historical Research
	Read our annual report (2007)