Understanding the Bible

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The Lay Institute was set up in 1986 with the express purpose of creating a new sort of ministry for lay people, augmenting the teaching available in the normal run of church life. Its Trustees are Prof John Coekin (Chairman and Director), Dr Marian Coekin, and Mr Paul Whitfield. 

There followed 6 years of itinerant ministry in which, in close collaboration with ministers in a wide range of churches, John travelled all over England conducting courses, day retreats, series of Bible overviews, specially-tailored Lent courses, weekend seminars and preaching. In the course of this work a great deal of experience was gained in what lay people wanted and needed to hear. In particular, it was seen that most lay people have not grasped the connections between the Old and New Testaments and so expertise on whole-Bible exposition became a speciality. This sort of activity has continued over the years alongside other ministries.

John Coekin, the author of this website is in his early seventies, living with his wife in North London, UK. They have five grown-up children, all keen Christians and married to keen Christians. By training John is an electrical engineer (CEng, FIEE) and was a Professor of Electronic Engineering.

John is a Lay Reader (Lay Minister) in the Church England, licensed to the local parish church. He takes a Reformed view of the Scripture, believing it to be the infallible and inerrant Word of God. For many years he has associated theologically with other conservative evangelicals in the Proclamation Trust (St Helen's Bishopgate in the City of London); Church Society (Watford, UK) - of which he is a one-time chairman and  currently an honorary vice-president; and is a Council member of Reform, a large group of  lay and ordained Anglicans campaigning for biblical doctrine and ethical standards in the Church of England. He has benefited from the ministries of Bible teachers of the calibre of, for example, Dick Lucas, John Stott, David Jackman and Alec Motyer (UK); John Chapman, Peter and Philip Jensen and Graeme Goldsworthy (Australia); Don Carson and John McArthur (USA); Jim Packer (Canada). John is an experienced expository Bible teacher.

John took early retirement 18 years ago and set up the Lay Institute. After 6 years of itinerant ministry he moved to live in Hinckley, a market town between Leicester and Coventry in the English midlands, where he became (for almost 6 years) a full-time Lay Pastor working alongside the ordained Rector of an Anglican parish church. So he is well acquainted with ministry in the local church. In 2000 he moved to North London and is heavily involved with the ministry in his local parish church.

John's burning desire is to see ordinary Christian people excited by the Bible - by the way its message from beginning to end fits consistently together into the self-revelation of God and His salvation purposes for mankind in and through Jesus Christ. Only one other thing is more exciting - to see someone discover Jesus Christ and put their trust in Him as Lord and Saviour.