Page 46 - November-December Together

TOGETHER NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2021
The Good Book Company
ANNIVERSARY Thirty Years on and Still Growing

Tim and Kathy Thornborough
talk to Clem Jackson about
the thirty year journey they
have been on with The Good
Book Company.

1991 was a momentous year for Tim and Kathy
Thornborough. They got married and started
on a journey together which today sees The
Good Book Company (TGBC) as an established
publisher of accessible Christian books in the
UK and the USA. But TGBC all started with a
phone call to Australia, as Tim explains.

‘I was working as a freelance journalist having
run a magazine publishing company for a while
alongside working as a volunteer at church. One
day I was asked if I could print a book published
by an Australian company, St Matthias Press Tim and Kathy Thornborough
– now Matthias Media – so I called them to
check out copyright; and that was the start of
a relationship in which I became their sort of ‘ We’ve always felt this company is a gift from God, and that
UK arm. From that eventually emerged TGBC.’ we are the custodians.”’
Kathy adds: ‘It all started quite quickly which
was very exciting but also nerve-wracking at
the time.’ we worked our way from an adult product to biography, just focusing on doing what we do
publishing Bible reading material for children excellently.’ Kathy adds; ‘We have a vision that
Kathy was responsible for the name too. The and teenagers.’ every single person in the company can relate to.’
company had started publishing their own
material … ‘and it became clear that we The next key milestone was winning the contract Another key distinctive of TGBC is that the
needed to have our own distinct identity that to publish Christianity Explored, very significant company is owned in trust by five directors
was separate from Matthias Media,’ says Tim. because it led to the company moving on from equally. Tim says: ‘We’ve always felt this
Kathy continues, ‘When we decided to rebrand, being purely a UK-based publisher to breaking company is a gift from God, and that we are
I had one of those “lightbulb” moments. We’d into the USA. Tim notes, ‘There was a need to the custodians. When Kathy and I move on our
been sitting talking about it and I said to Tim have CE available in the States. This led to a shares will go back into the company.’
“how about The Good Book Company?” We distribution deal and visiting the USA to promote As for the future, Tim says the next few years
were sure that somebody else must have taken the product. From this grew the idea to start a will be about developing the international
that name, but we did the research and found US Corporation which we did in 2009.’ aspect of the business. He highlights India as
they hadn’t. Kathy identified another key moment as being a key market. ‘We’ve set up a website and a
‘It fitted perfectly because Christians knew what the move from the company’s original office in distribution deal in India which is the second
we were about but for non-Christians it doesn’t New Malden to their current premises in Epsom. largest English-speaking country in the world.
sound odd or weird – you’re just publishing ‘Our office in New Malden was a ramshackle We’re also opening a distributorship in South
good books. It also fitted our aim of helping building but when we were forced to move Africa. When I leave TGBC, I’d really love to leave
a legacy of being a genuine worldwide company,
people understand the Bible more, showing its out it felt very inconvenient. But God had a
relevance, so it was perfect in that sense.’ plan, and we found a fantastic business unit serving Christians, churches and the gospel
in Epsom where we could all work together on wherever the English language is spoken.’
Looking back over thirty years the couple one floor, with everybody interacting. I think that
identified some key moments including moving environment really helped us to grow.’ Now there’s a legacy.
from Tim operating as a one-man band while
freelancing, supported by Kathy, to employing a Tim and Kathy put the continuing success
few key people some of whom are still part of of the company down to a number of things In recognition of their contribution to the
the team. including clarity about what they are about. ‘We development of Christian Resources,
have a very clear and precise aim,’ says Tim. Tim and Kathy received a CRT Lifetime
Another big moment was when Phil Crowter ‘We know exactly what we want to publish, and Achievement Award presented to them
handed the publishing of Explore – the daily we focus very clearly on books which are at a during the CRE event at Sandown Park
Bible notes – to TGBC. Tim says, ‘Explore congregational level; biblical, accessible and in October.
became the lead for a product line where relevant. We’re not doing academic, fiction or
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