LONDON, 2 September 2026 – The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK Group) announced today it has acquired Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
With a history dating back to 1698 and a joint backlist of over 5,000 titles the combined group becomes the world’s leading independent Christian
SPCK Group and Eerdmans will be uniquely positioned to provide authors with full
Under the agreement, the entity is committed to continuing the vision of each individual press and their imprints. SPCK Group will add sales, marketing, and distribution services for Eerdmans titles in the UK and other international territories, and Eerdmans will provide the same for SPCK Group books in the United States and Canada. Transaction terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Eerdmans, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., was founded in 1911. Anita Eerdmans—the third member of the Eerdmans family to lead the publisher—is stepping down from Eerdmans Publishing. Anita will now serve as president of the newly formed Eerdmans Foundation, a non-profit which will act as an advisory and fundraising board for Eerdmans Publishing.
“I could not have imagined a better organizational structure for the press moving forward,” Anita said. “Stepping away from the company that has been in my family’s name since its inception 115 years ago was certainly no light decision, however, I’m truly thrilled with where we are headed. Sam Richardson and SPCK Group value publishing and independent thinking in the same way Eerdmans does. Together, the new entity will allow Eerdmans to be successful for another 100 years. I’m looking forward to starting the Eerdmans Foundation and taking on a role I haven’t yet been a part of in publishing.”
William Bergkamp, who has served as senior vice president for Eerdmans since 2024, now becomes its president and publisher.
“I’m excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead Eerdmans into this new future, and I am committed to upholding the legacy of excellence the press has built,” Bergkamp said. “Becoming a part of SPCK Group is a remarkable opportunity to work at greater scale, combining remarkable talent on both sides of the Atlantic to serve our authors and readers even more effectively. The future of Eerdmans, as part of SPCK Group, is very bright.”
Bergkamp will lead the Eerdmans team, which will remain based in the U.S., and will report as part of SPCK Group’s Senior Leadership Team to Sam Richardson, Chief Executive of SPCK Group.
SPCK Group, based in London, was founded in 1698 and its patron is His Majesty the King.
“This agreement emerged from a number of exciting, inspiring, and energizing conversations with Anita and the leadership team of Eerdmans,” Richardson said. “We are convinced that this is a partnership of like-minded publishers, who will be stronger together and will be able to generate significant economies of scale which will benefit our authors, readers, and partners in the US, the UK, and beyond. While there is plenty of hard work ahead, our successful acquisitions of IVP UK and Lion Hudson mean that we are perfectly positioned to continue the growth momentum of both publishers without missing a beat.”
The imprints of the company will include SPCK Publishing, Form, IVP UK, Apollos, Lion, Lion Cub, Candle, Starshine, Publicaciones Leon, Eerdmans, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Pillar, and Here Below. The imprints are among the market leaders in theology, biblical studies, Bibles, and children’s books, providing a one-stop shop for Christian readers and book buyers.
“These imprints all share a deep understanding of their markets and commitment to publishing books that influence and make meaningful contributions in the industry and Christian publishing,” Wendy Grisham, group publisher and deputy CEO of SPCK Group, said. “Bringing them together gives us a stronger, more joined-up team to support the authors and readers who trust us.”
Authors and customers will experience continuity throughout. Both companies have well-established sales and marketing teams who will provide stability while starting to maximize opportunities to work together on global campaigns.
The editorial teams in the UK will continue to be led by Grisham, and the editorial teams in the US will continue to be led in the short term by editor-in-chief at Eerdmans, James Ernest. Ernest is stepping down from his executive vice president role and will be retiring from the press once an editor-in-chief successor is in place.
“I am thrilled with this development, which I regard as providential,” Ernest said. “My executive vice president role was focused specifically on working with Anita Eerdmans to find the best way forward for Eerdmans after a decade of significant generational transition. Specifically, we needed to find a new CEO, provide a stable institutional context, and find the next editorial leader. With the hiring of Will Bergkamp two years ago and the union with SPCK Group, the first two goals have been accomplished. I have agreed to stay with Eerdmans long enough to see the third accomplished as well.”
Stephen East, chair of SPCK Group, said: “In recent years data suggests that the market for Christian books in the US and UK has remained robust even as other areas of non-fiction have struggled. This acquisition will create a publishing group with a unique ability to serve both these markets. But it will also be perfectly positioned to bring books to and from global markets where both literacy and Christianity are rising fast.”
SPCK Group was advised on the transaction by The Fisher Company and legal advisers Honigman LLP. Eerdmans worked with legal advisers Varnum LLP.
Media contacts:
SPCK Group:
Rio Summers, head of marketing and publicity, rsummers@spck.org.
Eerdmans:
Jason Pearson, director of marketing and publicity, jpearson@eerdmans.
