Erroll was brought up in a privileged and nominally Christian family in South Africa.
While studying architecture at the Afrikaans-speaking Pretoria University, his friend David Cowan invited him to Pretoria Central Baptist Church, and he was converted.
Ever since then, his passion to witness to others never waned.
A Copernican Revolution
When Erroll and his fiancée Lyn were baptised in 1953, they joined an Arminian Baptist church in Pretoria. They always looked back with appreciation at the emphasis on holiness. At that time they made a solemn covenant (as the Lord enabled) never to miss a midweek prayer meeting.
But when they came over to London in 1954, they were thrilled to come under the teaching of Ernest Kevin at London Bible College, and the preaching of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel.
The sea change in embracing the ‘doctrines of grace’ was like a Copernican Revolution. They had previously thought that Calvinists hated the gospel and evangelism! Now they were compelled by Scripture to reconsider.
They had been involved in evangelistic tours around Europe with an evangelical ‘Faith Mission’. When they explained their change of views to this group, they were expelled.
Questioning the invitation system
Erroll and Lyn both worked as counsellors in the great London Crusades of Billy Graham. They came to be disillusioned with the invitation system. Without doubting the fact that many were genuinely converted, they questioned the need to invite people to come forward. This system often planted false assurance of salvation. Erroll’s first book, Billy Graham: The Pastor’s Dilemma was a compelling critique of the invitation system.
While he was committed to the doctrines of grace, he was equally passionate about the free offer of the gospel to all. Erroll loved people, and he had huge confidence in the gospel. He witnessed very naturally to those he met (later on, for instance, speaking with Nelson Mandela of the need for salvation through grace when he had opportunity at Johannesburg airport).
During this time a life-long friendship was formed with Iain Murray. In 1957, Iain co-founded the Banner of Truth Trust in order to reprint great Reformed literature. Erroll was appointed Business Manager.
Prayer and action
In 1962, Erroll was called to his first pastorate at Cuckfield, Sussex. Since the 1940s, just one remaining member had prayed faithfully for the work to be revived.
He believed (with Stanley Hogwood, a coworker in the church restoration project) that the work should be rebuilt through conversions. They believed in prayer and action: door-to-door visitation, open air preaching and tracting.
In the early days at Cuckfield, in addition to the weekly Wednesday prayer meeting, I remember the ‘cottage prayer meeting’ on Saturday nights. We met in homes to pray for conversions on the Lord’s Day. The Lord heard! We saw remarkable conversions. We also had Saturday morning prayer meetings to pray for revival.
Love for the local church
Erroll believed in a gathered church made up of baptised believers. Among his many books was The Testimony of Baptism. He was also committed to teaching the next generation and discipling them: his Catechism for Boys and Girls has been widely used. He was committed to the local church. He loved the Lord’s Day. He loved the prayer meeting, as the time when the church family meets to speak with their heavenly Father. He had 23 years of fruitful ministry at Cuckfield.
God speaks in a living way through his Word preached. Erroll was convinced that the preacher had not done his work if he delivered a ‘Bible lesson’. Biblical preaching is when truth comes alive and is delivered with authority and Holy Spirit power. His books The Believer's Experience and Crisis Experiences developed a positive biblical and practical treatment of genuine religious experience.
He was not an exclusive Psalm singer. But he was passionate about the importance of singing Psalms in worship, and collaborated with David Preston to publish Book of Praises – Psalms for Today (many of which can now be found in Praise hymnbook).
The Carey Conference
In 1970 Erroll founded the annual Carey Ministers Conference, with others, as a meeting place for Reformed Baptist leaders. He also took over the magazine The Christian’s Pathway and this was transformed into Reformation Today. He travelled widely to encourage the planting of Reformed Baptist churches in places as far afield as Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Cameroon, Southern Africa and Argentina.
Biblical world view
Christ is king over every square inch of this world. Biblical Christianity has something to say to art, architecture, music: all of life. In the 1970s he helped promote the significant Francis Schaeffer trip to the UK to launch the film series Whatever Happened to the Human Race? This was instrumental in pushing evangelicals towards more involvement in key ethical issues, such as abortion.
In the 1960s an extremely permissive lobby was introducing explicit sex education into primary schools. Erroll, with a local GP, took the lead in Sussex in campaigning against this. More recently, he was a great supporter of the Christian Institute.
He was committed to the truth of biblical creation. He loved travel, wildlife and all aspects of God’s good creation, including sport.
Missionary passion
Erroll was confident that God is going to glorify his name by the extension of the kingdom of Christ in all nations. He pleaded the promises of God in prayer, Habakkuk 2.14.
I remember his excitement when the very first edition of Operation World came out. He used it every day. During his later years he literally wore out several copies of this prayer manual for the nations. He never wavered in his conviction that many Jews will ultimately be converted: his second book was The Restoration of Israel.
He travelled widely, was willing to ‘rough it’, and travelled in harsh conditions right into later life. Time will show that the most strategic part of his ministries was the inauguration of the African Pastors’ Conferences (APCs). During my mother’s years of illness, until her death in September 2013, he not only cared for her, but worked through many nights on the APCs. The vision was – and is – to use godly and gifted African pastors and preachers to deliver high quality training to African pastors in all the different ethic groupings, in their own language. Conferences now take place regularly in over 40 locations in southern Africa.
Erroll was out in South Africa, preaching for an APC, when, in November 2013, he suffered a massive stroke. During these latter years of weakness, he retained his irrepressible optimism, and loved to pray with the many faithful friends who visited him.
Possessed of seemingly boundless energy and relentless enthusiasm, he was known by many as ‘the great encourager.’ He is now with the Lord whom he loved so dearly.
