Dr Colin Macpherson is an elder in Smithton-Culloden Free Church. He believes Christian literature is a strategic ministry in strengthening and equipping the church worldwide.

Remember how the risen Christ opened the scriptures to two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). We are told that their hearts burned within them. Today, good books are among the resources which God uses to open the scriptures to people for their encouragement. Colin is General Secretary of two organisations which help publish quality Christian books primarily inside the former communist countries of East Europe and the CIS.



Along with a few others, Colin founded the Emmaus Road Trust in 1997 to provide biblical resource materials in Albania. That work has now spread to Greece, Lithuania, Mongolia, Kosovo, India and Central Asia. ERT helps publish books which equip preachers and teachers in these countries to teach others.



EELAC (East European Literature Advisory Committee) was established in the 1980s to provide literature of enduring worth in the communist east. While some western missions were smuggling in literature, a few far-sighted missionaries had a vision to work with believers inside these countries who wanted to produce and distribute Christian literature of their own.

Since the fall of communism in 1989, the door for evangelical publishing has opened wider. Through training and mentoring and the provision of venture capital, EELAC has been able to assist national believers to establish indigenous publishing houses in 11 East European countries and has helped publish more than 850 titles in 15 different languages. Two of the more mature publishing houses in Hungary and the Czech Republic are now making a profit and helping other East European publishers to become established.



It is preferable to enable national believers to publish their own books for several reasons:

::  Cultural sensitivity: the indigenous publisher knows his market and his audience better than any foreign missionary.

::  A long-term ministry: once the missionaries have left and the money has gone elsewhere, commercially viable indigenous publishers continue to minister.

::  National authors: the indigenous publisher is the most appropriate professional to identify and develop local authors who will write for their own culture.

::  Better stewardship of God's resources: the start-up capital investment initiates an ongoing growth and development process and multiplies its impact manyfold.



He spends much of his life in transit and catches up on his own reading in airport lounges.

He travels regularly to different countries in East Europe, responding to the vision of groups of national believers and helping them to pursue their God-given publishing aspirations by providing practical advice and useful contacts.

He also travels within the UK and in the US, speaking at meetings and conferences about the work of ERT and EELAC and trying to raise funds to finance the work.

While he is at home in Inverness, he keeps in touch with what is going on in East Europe and provides long-distance support by telephone and e-mail.



If you would like more information or if you would like to know how you can make a financial contribution to this work, e-mail Colin. If he doesn't respond immediately, be patient! He may be in Budapest.



::  At last there is a book in Mongolia that outlines basic Christian beliefs: Know the truth by Bruce Milne (pictured left). The church in Mongolia has grown from virtually nothing at the collapse of communism to around 30,000 believers today. Many of these believers are in training for ministry and leadership and want to reach out beyond their own borders.

::  In the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, Christian publishing is not permitted. The communist regime has been replaced by fundamentalist Islamic leadership. However, the Emmaus Road Trust is supporting literature work in and for Central Asia through the ministry of a Russian publisher who plans to publish John Stott's book Basic Christianity in five different Central Asian languages. This book will answer basic questions and misunderstandings about Christianity in Muslim countries.



::  Pray for the work in Mongolia. Pray that Know the truth will help to strengthen the young Mongolian church.

::  Pray for the work in Islamic Central Asia. Pray for all those involved in translating, publishing and distributing forbidden books. Pray for safety, vision and much blessing.

::  Pray for Colin as he heads up both ERT and EELAC, that God would give him wisdom and energy for the work.


Books may preach when the author cannot, when the author may not, when the author dare not, yes, and what is more, when the author IS not!