Following recent ECREF meetings in Kraków, one of the encouraging questions still before us is this: which titles from SPCK Publishing, part of the wider SPCK Group, could speak meaningfully into the needs of Anglophone Africa today? SPCK describes itself as a Christian mission working through publishing, with a strong list in theology, spirituality and Christian living.

From the titles under consideration, several stand out as especially relevant because they touch areas already shaping conversations across African churches, homes, schools and ministries: discipleship, mental and emotional wellbeing, family life, apologetics, technology, and children’s faith formation. A number of the titles listed are also clearly current on SPCK’s catalogue, including God, AI and the End of History, A Year to Slow Down, and the Antigone Kingsley children’s titles.

For the general list, God, AI and the End of History by John C. Lennox feels especially timely. As African Christians increasingly engage questions around technology, truth, human identity and the future, a serious Christian response to AI could find a ready readership among pastors, students, leaders and thoughtful lay readers. SPCK presents the book as a fresh reading of Revelation for an age shaped by intelligent machines, which gives it both theological depth and present-day relevance.

A Year to Slow Down also appears promising for this season. In many parts of Anglophone Africa, readers are responding warmly to books that help them pursue a more intentional walk with God amid pressure, hurry and family responsibility. SPCK describes it as a Christian guide to “slow and simple living”, and that theme could connect well with readers longing for rest, rhythm and spiritual renewal.

Among the other adult titles, Blessed are the Neurodivergent, Called to Care, Everyday Miracles, Spiritual Health, The Integrity Fix, and Getting God’s Perspective all appear to speak into areas of growing need, especially where the Church is seeking greater wisdom in pastoral care, inclusion, discipleship and leadership integrity. The Integrity Fix in particular seems to fit the cultural moment, given continuing concern around character, accountability and trust in Christian leadership. SPCK’s recent annual reporting also highlights The Integrity Fix and 605 Everyday Miracles among its newer books.

We would place The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist in the strong-apologetics category for Africa as well. Books that help believers answer honest questions about faith, doubt and unbelief continue to matter, especially for students, urban professionals and young adults navigating secular arguments online and in higher education. In the same wider space of science-and-faith engagement, SPCK is also actively publishing on related themes, including Playing God, which suggests that this is an area of real strength in their list.

For the children’s list, the strongest titles for Anglophone Africa appear to be those that combine Christian formation, readability and family or school usefulness. Bible Stories: Search and Find and Pilgrim’s Progress / Dangerous Journey offer obvious value because Bible-centred and classic-faith resources often travel well across cultures when presented accessibly. SPCK’s current children’s catalogue also shows an active children’s publishing programme, which strengthens confidence in this part of their list.

The Antigone Kingsley books also look especially interesting. SPCK describes Don’t Judge Me as a companion title for girls aged 9+ navigating the highs and lows of growing up, while About Last Summer is presented similarly for girls aged 10+. For Anglophone Africa, these could serve an important space for pre-teen and early teen readers, especially where churches, parents and Christian schools are looking for wholesome fiction that engages identity, friendship and growing up without losing warmth or humour.

The science-themed titles such as Science Geek Sam and his Secret Logbook and Science Geek Christy and her Eco-Logbook may also have good potential, particularly for families and schools that value faith-friendly curiosity, creation care and child engagement with the world God has made. Likewise, titles such as Stories of the Saints, Extraordinary Women of Faith, and Fantastically Faithful Heroes Who Gave Their All for God could work well where biography, character formation and discipleship for children remain strong interests.

Overall, if we were highlighting the most promising SPCK titles for Anglophone Africa from this list, I would place these near the top:

Adult

• Christ will Give you Rest
• Blessed are the Neurodivergent
• God, AI and the End of History
• A Year to Slow Down
• The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist
• Blessed are the Neurodivergent
• The Integrity Fix
• Called to Care

Children

• Bible Stories: Search and Find
• Pilgrim’s Progress
• Dangerous Journey
• Antigone Kingsley: Don’t Judge Me
• Antigone Kingsley: About Last Summer
• Stories of the Saints
• Extraordinary Women of Faith

What makes these titles attractive is not merely that they are well packaged, but that they appear to speak to real questions in our context: how to rest in Christ, how to raise children in faith, how to live with integrity, how to care for people well, and how to think Christianly in an age of science and technology. That is where the opportunity lies.

If ECREF in Kraków has done anything, it has reminded us again that rights conversations are not only about markets. They are about ministry fit. The question is not simply, “Is this a strong title?” but also, “Will this serve the Church, the family, the child, the student and the seeker in Anglophone Africa?” On that front, SPCK appears to offer a number of titles worth serious consideration.