The ACR spoke to Geoff Robson, Publishing Director at Matthias Media, to hear about his work in this space and the company’s new series of Bible commentaries.
Geoff, thanks so much for talking with the ACR. Can you tell us a bit about yourself for those who don’t know you?
I became a Christian in 1998, did a BD at Moore College in the 2000s, have pastored churches in Australia and New Zealand, and worked in student ministry for several years. Before going to Moore I worked in the media, which opened the door for some freelancing with Matthias Media while doing other ministry. That role developed and expanded, and I’ve been the full-time Publishing Director since 2021. I’m married to Liz, and we have four children and an almost-son-in-law. We live in Christchurch, where we’re members of Latimer Church.
What does your role with Matthias Media typically involve, and what are your favourite parts of the job?
The focus of my role is to oversee the development of all our new resources. That means commissioning resources that we think are needed, assessing proposals, and developing projects from inception to publication. I also do some editing, and I’ve authored or co-authored a number of books. I love our staff team, and I love working with our authors—a diverse and ever-changing group with a mix of gifts, insights and experiences. I’ve benefited hugely from Matthias Media’s ministry over the years, so I’m grateful to God (and humbled) that he’s given me the chance to ‘pass it on’.
Matthias Media recently launched a new series of books: the Matthias Bible Guides. As one of the editors of the series since its inception, can you tell us how the idea came about? Who in particular do you want to serve with these books?
I often remind myself of this quote attributed to Spurgeon: “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible”. As someone whose job is to help bring (hopefully) “good books” into existence, I have to remember that it’s not an end in itself; it’s a means to the end of helping people live in the Bible so they might know the Lord and live for him. That’s the overall aim of the Matthias Bible Guides.
More specifically, the Guides aim to help Bible teachers of all levels engage with the word of God and prepare to teach the Bible to others. Each Guide covers one book of the Bible. They’re not commentaries, but we see them as the ideal place to start before reading any commentaries. They give big-picture insights into the book’s authorship, date, genre, purpose and theological themes. The largest chapter of each volume is the section-by-section insights into the text, but not the kind of verse-by-verse or word-by-word detail you might expect in a commentary. There are also suggested breakdowns for sermon and study series, plus recommended readings lists for further study.
We envisage Bible study leaders as the key target audience for the Guides. But the early feedback is that pastors are finding them a terrific place to start when preparing to preach and teach through part of the Bible. We also hope that keen lay people will see these as the ideal place to go when they think “I’ve always wanted to understand more about _____”.
What personal encouragements have you had as you’ve edited the series so far?
I’ve loved working with Kamina Wüst, a gifted Old Testament scholar, who’s the editor of our Old Testament volumes. It’s been wonderful to work with, and learn from, our outstanding authors, and to see their enthusiasm for the project. It’s also been encouraging that the early feedback on the series has been really positive—we think the series fills a space where keen Bible readers have a genuine need. Most of all, by editing the series, I get to immerse myself in the Bible (with some gifted guides helping me). I’ve been aware of the great blessing that many Bible teachers experience: even as we spend time in the Scriptures to pass it on to others, God uses his word to do his work in our lives. That’s certainly been true for me as I’ve edited this series.
What forthcoming instalments in the series can we look forward to in the future?
We’ve commissioned almost the entire New Testament series (hoping to have the NT finished within 3–4 years) and several Old Testament volumes. We’re working with authors from Australia, the US, the UK, and Asia—all of whom have a heart for the gospel and share our commitment to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant word of God.