One question remained uppermost in my mind as I read this book: to what extent in the Christian ministry can a man determine the shape and nature of that ministry, or does God determine beforehand its scope and success?

Noel Gibbard’s biography of R.B. Jones falls into two parts. The first details Jones’ life and pastorates, the founding of the Porth Bible Institute, his concern for overseas mission work and his broader involvement in the work of the gospel in Wales. Of particular interest are the chapters that detail his leadership in the 1904 revival. The second part deals with the major doctrinal themes of Jones’ ministry, such as his emphasis on holiness and the second coming of Christ, and offers an analysis of his contribution to evangelicalism in Wales.

It is this second part that I found most interesting. I’m particularly glad the author engages with Iain Murray’s assessment of Jones, where in his book David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years, he refers to Jones, and those with whom he was associated, as forming an evangelical ‘cul de sac’. Gibbard thinks this view is both ‘harsh and unjust’ and argues that Jones’ influence, especially through the Bible Institute, proved a ‘highway for service’ during the 1920s/30s.

As someone who was told I was joining the ‘Porth Boys’, when taking up the pastorate in Tabernacle (where R. B. Jones ministered), I find the author’s view both refreshing and offering a more positive assessment. Jones’ ministry may not have shared all the doctrinal emphases of Lloyd-Jones and those who followed him but Wales would have been a much poorer place without his gospel preaching.

As for my question, I came to the conclusion that a man may shape the influence and success of his ministry far more than we are sometimes willing to admit. R. B. Jones took the initiative in theological education, gospel preaching, organising conferences to meet the needs of Christian people, organising church life and the way the church can impact the community – sometimes today we may be too passive in these regards. If Noel Gibbard’s book helps us to think about the responsibility we have to preach the gospel in turbulent times and that in doing so we can positively impact those around us then he has done us all, and the gospel of Christ, a great service.

Neil Evans