Dec 11, 2020

Trustworthy Teaching Is Needed Now More Than Ever

3 Min Read

You may have seen these words I wrote to some of our ministry friends back in January: Sound theology is practical theology, informing every step of the Christian walk.

True then, and more evidently true now. This year has demonstrated with crystal clarity how essential right theology is for faithful Christian living. Your year-end gift of any amount will make it possible to meet our December budget need and continue distributing right theology around the world.

Amid the ups and downs of the COVID-19 health crisis, economic turmoil, and political upheaval, Christians rest in the sovereignty of God. Dr. R.C. Sproul and the generations of faithful pastors and theologians who have come before us often reminded the church that the Lord is in control and He will build His church, comforting and protecting His people in tumultuous times. We cling to the true, life-giving message of His sovereignty, goodness, and holiness. Ligonier Ministries has proclaimed God’s truth in 2020. In fact, we’ve reached more people than ever before, even in this difficult year.

Give thanks to God with us. In the Lord’s timing, our increased reach is particularly fitting as we press into 2021. We are weeks away from beginning Ligonier’s fiftieth year of ministry.

Your support is so vital. The vision in front of us is urgent and global. Now, through your support and with God’s blessing, we’ll move forward. I’m sure you recognize how Ligonier’s discipleship resources are needed now more than ever. Our biennial State of Theology survey and other research is showing that large numbers of professing evangelicals in the United States and around the world are confused on essential matters such as the deity of Christ. The need for solid biblical teaching is vast, and Ligonier is working to meet this need, enabled by your prayers and donations.

You are amazingly generous people. Thank you. What a gracious journey we’re on together as God uses each of us for His glory. In 2020:

  • You enabled the completion of Ligonier’s on-campus studio, making it possible, due to COVID-19 restrictions, to transition our 2020 National Conference to an online event that reached more than one hundred thousand people around the world.
  • You gave us the confidence to make our entire video library free to stream during the many stay-at-home orders around the world. As a result, time spent on Ligonier.org doubled, and video views on Ligonier’s YouTube channel tripled.
  • You provided the needed resources for Reformation Bible College to offer its Foundation Year certificate online for the first time.
  • Your support launched the Ask Ligonier and Luther: In Real Time podcasts. You also underwrote the production of a new podcast from Dr. Sproul launching in January.
  • You helped publish the Spanish edition of the Reformation Study Bible.
  • You advanced the milestone work on Ligonier’s Chinese-language website.
  • You bolstered the production of new teaching series and books, including the release of Dr. Sproul’s commentary on Luke’s gospel and A Field Guide on False Teaching.
  • You are making it possible to release the first wave of upgrades to Ligonier.org early in 2021. We’ve developed a world-class teaching platform to properly preserve Dr. Sproul’s years of teaching, deliver Ligonier’s deep content library to people around the world, and foster encounters with the holiness of God among the nations. We anticipate the ministry engagement we’re seeing on Ligonier.org to grow expansively.

There’s so much more to be done, and 2020 has reminded us of how much we rely on your support. The funds we must raise in December to meet our ministry budget are significant. The Lord uses donors like you to bridge the gap between need and outreach, vision and action. With nearly eight billion souls on earth, the need is great. By praying for and supporting Ligonier as we begin the next fifty years of ministry, you help ensure that the truth that encourages you and helps inform the steps of your Christian walk can be made available to millions more people in more languages next year—and perhaps even billions in the decades to follow. Thank you.