In 1971 when Dr. R.C.
Sproul founded Ligonier Ministries in the midst of societal unrest, cultural decay,
and deadly liberalism in the church.
In 2021, as this ministry celebrates God’s faithfulness over these past fifty years,
we find ourselves serving in the midst of an eerily similar context.
The answer then and the answer now is to know Who God is in His majestic holiness.
Dangerous days loom for the church.
The devil despises the spread of the gospel, and the world hates the rule of our King,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
R.C. was a bold reformer in his own right, and it was his vision to flood the world with
knowledgeable and articulate Christians who can withstand opposition and be unwavering
in their commitment to the gospel.
That mission continues.
And continue it did this year—I’m amazed to report that your support has helped reach
more than fifty million people in 2021.
This is astounding growth, doubling the reach of last year, and people continue to share
their gratitude for your support.
Josiah, a young student from Missouri who is training for pastoral ministry credits
Dr. Sproul for introducing him to Reformed theology, and he still listens to R.C. in
his earbuds most days.
Or this beautiful line from a note we received from Ruben, expressing how grateful he is
for the resources you’ve provided to him while he’s imprisoned: “I turn back as
a leper....prepared to give praise to God for using your ministry…”
Ashram from Iran wanted to share his gratitude for the significant growth we’re seeing
globally: “I’m so blessed,” he writes, “that now I can learn from the best Reformed
teachers of God’s Word and share these with my friends and family.
These resources can prepare the next generation of Farsi-speaking ministers.”
All glory to God alone.
…Truly, from Missouri to the Middle East, God is at work through your support.
Perhaps only in eternity will God reveal the extent to which He used and blessed your generosity,
and the eternal impact of every page published in 2021, or of every minute of a broadcast,
or hour of teaching at a conference, but here is a small glimpse of what you have enabled
this year: Again, you helped reach more than fifty million people.
You supported the translation of more than 7.3 million words of teaching in 26 languages.
That’s a 143% increase over last year!
You helped provide answers to over 75,000 biblical and theological questions through
our 24 hour a day, six days a week chat service called Ask Ligonier.
You brought dubbed video teaching to Arabic- and Farsi-speaking Christians in Afghanistan,
Iran, and beyond.
You launched two new Ligonier websites to serve Hindi- and Portuguese-speaking Christians.
You undergirded the milestone launch of the new Student Edition of the Reformation Study
Bible … And speaking of the Reformation Study Bible...
You fueled the first print run of the Portuguese edition, which has already been widely distributed
throughout Brazil.
You served thousands of pastors in Africa with copies of the Reformation Study Bible
and enabled the distribution goal to increase to 100,000 copies by the end of 2028.
You provided 15,000 resources to inmates and those serving in the military.
And you equipped more than 1,000 teenagers through this year’s Always Ready youth conferences.
Again, this is just a taste of what your support has accomplished, by God’s grace, in 2021.
A few years before he went home to be with the Lord, Dr. Sproul looked to the future:
“If Ligonier is faithful to its foundations—[and he believed it will be]—we should have ourselves
in the middle of a worldwide renewal of the Reformed faith that we can’t even begin
to anticipate from this perspective today.”
R.C.’s vision is happening.
I believe we’re beginning to see the Spirit of God at work at home and among the nations
to bring such an awakening.
New doors of gospel opportunity are opening, and Ligonier is uniquely positioned to bolster
the courage of Christians around the globe as we seek to provide the mind-renewing, life-transforming
truth of God’s Word to billions of people.
We are building the largest library of Christian discipleship resources in the Reformed tradition
in history.
We have a huge head start.
This is where we are heading, and you can help us get there faster.
Your year-end gift at this vital moment will enable us to end the year strong and move
confidently into 2022.
Our goal is to reach more people in the next five years than we have over the past five
decades!
So this is no time to slow down.
Every gift, no matter the size, counts.
Please continue in this gospel partnership with us, and enter the next 50 years of ministry,
trusting God together.
Thank you for your generosity and for your forward-thinking faithfulness.