Life Changing Publishing in Thailand
An update from our SGC Pastor and Church Planter in Thailand…
Many of us who have grown up in the West have had the privilege of being impacted by a rich theological diet, a portion of which comes from solid, doctrinally sound books. God’s used books by Piper, Packer, Powlison, Bridges, Carson, Sproul (to name a few) and even a few titles from our small denomination SGC to ultimately help us better understand The Book, the Author, and the glorious gospel of Christ. And books like these collectively help strengthen and nourish churches for the long haul. Have you ever wondered where you or our churches would be without these resources that God has so graciously given to us?
In many countries in the 10-40 window where the vast majority of the unreached people groups reside, books like these are often scarce. They’re scarce because they need to be translated and translated accurately, with theological precision and with cultural & linguistic awareness and tact. Our family has been serving among the unreached in Thailand since 2016. Over that time we noticed that there were very few resources available to the Thai church that we and so many others have personally benefited from whether it be Sovereign Grace books or books that have profoundly influenced churches in Sovereign Grace. With our hearts burdened to see the Thai church strengthened by doctrinally rich, gospel-centered books we prayed that the Lord would open a door. And He did!
Three years ago we partnered with our former language teacher and dear sister in Christ, Wat, and a newly formed gospel-centered, non-profit publisher, Grace Bannasan, in Chiang Mai, Thailand to translate and publish several SGC books and other great titles. To date the following books have been translated and published in Thai:
1. The Cross Centered Life, CJ Mahaney
2. True Life, Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Whitacre
3. True Beauty, Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Whitacre
4. Love That Lasts, Gary & Betsy Ricucci
5. True Worshipers, Bob Kauflin
6. When People are Big and God is Small, Edward Welch
7. The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoung (helped fund the reprint only)
We as well as our publisher have received encouraging feedback from folks who have read these works. God is opening eyes to see Jesus more clearly and giving practical help to His saints in Thailand to apply the truths in their lives.
Looking forward, our goal is to continue to translate & publish 3-4 books a year to equip pastors and nourish churches throughout Thailand. We want to give the Thai church at least 30 solid books over the next 10 years. We want to help add a shelf of nutritious, life-transforming works in the “church library” of Thailand. We know these books will go places and reach people we’ll never meet, and Lord willing they’ll outlive us. This is our hope and prayer. Potential books on the lineup that we’d like to translate and publish in 2026 are:
1. The Big Book of Questions & Answers about Jesus, Sinclair Ferguson
2. Humility, CJ Mahaney
3. The Disciplines of Grace, Jerry Bridges
4. Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney
In addition to these books, Wat has also translated a number of SGC documents to help sustain long-term fidelity of Sovereign Grace churches planted in Thailand like Family of Grace Church in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand which we had the privilege to see the Lord birth over 1 year ago. Wat has already translated the following SGC documents into Thai:
• Statement of Faith
• Book of Church Order
• Seven Shared Values
• Seven Shaping Virtues
• The SGC Catechism
• “Watch Your Doctrine”
• “The Mission of the Church”
• “Who Governs the Church?”
These distinctive, doctrinal documents are laying a firm foundation for Family of Grace Church and future Sovereign Grace churches that could be planted or adopted in Thailand.
All of this work so far has been made possible by the generosity of the SGC US Mid South Region, the SGC Asia Pacific Region, and a few SGC churches, as well as by the gracious administrative support of the SGC Global Finance Team. We are truly grateful for their sacrifice and partnership to bless and strengthen the church of Thailand.
Going forward we do need more help. It costs about $6900 to translate and publish 2000 copies of a given title. Our wonderful, non-profit partner publisher uses the sales of a given published book to reprint that same title, so they have a good self-sustaining model. With that, we still need help to finance upcoming translations and keep new titles rolling off the printing press. If you or your church are interested in supporting this Thai gospel publication project and perhaps want to “adopt a book,” you can send support online through Mercy Hill Community Church, the Sovereign Grace Church in Spotsylvania, Virginia here and select “Thai Publishing.” Or if you have any further questions on how to partner with this effort feel free to contact Melissa Goins at melissa@mercyhillcc.org. We ask for your prayers that the Lord would continue to prosper this work to strengthen and equip His precious church in Thailand.
