Langham Partnership and the Eastern Europe Literature Advisory Committee (EELAC) have announced a merger between the two ministries to help them reach even more local level churches with high quality Christian literature.

The merger with Langham Partnership, founded by John Stott, will internationalise the EELAC's 30-year strong ministry in developing indigenous Christian publishing houses in Central and Eastern Europe, and will enhance Langham Partnership's ability to partner with majority world churches in strengthening local publishing initiatives.

New Man Publishers in Bulgaria is just one of a number of indigenous publishing ministries to be planted or adopted by the EELAC and to have become self-sustainable after receiving initial funding from the EELAC. New Man will continue to strengthen the local church through much needed literature resources, which are biblically rooted and culturally relevant.

It is one of several such publishers now strong enough to help grow the smaller and younger publishers across the region. The model has proved so effective that it is being rolled out beyond Eastern Europe.

As part of the merger, Dr Colin Macpherson, formerly the General Secretary of EELAC, will become the Creative Director for Langham Partnership's literature programme known as Langham Literature.

Pieter Kwant, the International Programme Director for Langham Literature noted, "I have always had great admiration for the work of EELAC and I am delighted that the vision that has inspired it to such success will now reach even more widely within the Langham Partnership global network, nurturing many more indigenous evangelical publishing ministries to serve the Church's needs around the world."