Ian Darke lives in San José, Costa Rica. He is the Coordinator at LetraViva, a network of Christian publishing ministries across Latin America, and played a key role in the development and production of the Latin American Bible Commentary supported by Langham. He has lived in Latin America for over 30 years and has been involved in Christian publishing since 1990.
Ian’s journey into publishing began during his work in student ministry in Peru, where he realised there were few books relevant to the context of the Peruvian church and community. “Most Christian books then were being imported, translated from the USA or from other places. And in many cases, although the content was good, the application would’ve been irrelevant, if not very difficult, to apply. And so we were very concerned then, in that context, to begin to produce books that were produced within Peru, at prices affordable to Peru and much more relevant to the Peruvian context. So that was our first link with publishing,” he explains.
From that moment, Ian became involved in establishing a publishing ministry in Peru and later connected with other publishers across Latin America who faced similar challenges.
One of the major challenges across Latin America is distribution. There are few Christian bookstores, and it is difficult to move books between countries. In response, LetraViva was established as a network of publishers to help develop, distribute, and promote books across Latin America.
Another significant challenge is access to theological training. Many pastors in Latin America have never attended seminary and instead learn on the job, which can be very limited. Ian shares, “They need Biblical resources that help them really understand scripture, using a language that is appropriate, and also that helps them to relate what they’re learning to their own context.” Ian further explains, “It’s very easy for pastors to focus on the New Testament and miss out on understanding the Old Testament. If they’ve never been to Bible college, they’ve not had anyone explain how to relate the Old Testament to the New Testament. It can be quite difficult for them.”
Latin America is a diverse region, and Ian is passionate about creating and publishing Christian local content, starting where pastors are across the local cities, mountains and in the jungle. He explains, “We have a good readership level here in Latin America, but maybe not everyone has had that much education or much exposure to different ideas. So we need to start where they are, really, with books that are really relevant to them.”
Through his years in publishing, Ian recognised that while some materials existed, there was no single Bible commentary written from a Latin American perspective. The idea emerged to produce a commentary that would be financially accessible, cover the whole Bible, and be written entirely by people from Latin America. As discussions progressed, it became clear that three separate groups shared the same vision. They came together in Buenos Aires.
He shares, “There was a real sense of the Lord’s presence, and it was really one of those special times when suddenly everyone is in agreement, and everyone is sensing that what we need to do is all together, work together to produce one Latin American Bible commentary with scholars from Brazil and from the Spanish-speaking side, all together, working together. So it was one of those extraordinary times when you really sense the Lord’s presence in this. And that’s how the project started.”
They intentionally sought contributors from every country in Latin America with different denominational backgrounds so that it would be widespread theologically, doctrinally, but also geographically. “The aim is for it to reach every part of Latin America, including the Caribbean Spanish-speaking countries as well,” Ian explains. Around 100 writers were involved with the commentary, including 17 who had received help from Langham. Ian is hopeful when there’s a second edition in the future, there’ll be a lot more, “because we see this as a real need for the strength of the church, the health of the church to have those folk who can really give biblical input through their seminaries, through their teachings, through their books, from their knowledge of scripture and being able to relate it to Latin America.”
The commentary is having a ripple effect across churches, transforming pastors, leaders, and congregations. Ian explains, “We’re sitting now under scripture, rather than trying to sit over it. Listening from the Spirit and from the Lord, what scripture is saying…As we see the commentary project developing and going out across the continent, and seeing its effect in churches and people receiving it. We see it multiplying as folk read the commentary, learn from it, apply it, and then pass it on to others. So we see this as an ongoing multiplying process.”
The Latin Bible Commentary project took more than 12 years to complete. “It’s been a long process. And, at times, it was really hard going, but to see it finally come together and be published was actually tremendous to see,” Ian excitedly shares. Langham’s support was essential throughout the process. “We would definitely not have been able to carry on and bring this to completion without the support of Langham. So thank you so much to everyone involved who has been so crucial in the development of this commentary. A brilliant example of the Church of God worldwide working together. It’s very much a Latin American project, with the enabling gift from Langham to help this come to fruition,” Ian shares.
We thank God for Ian and his work through LetraViva. Please pray that many across Latin America will be transformed through the Gospel, and that the Latin Bible Commentary will continue to be an impactful resource across the nation and around the world.
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