The Rev Dr John Frederick Brencher (1936 - 2020)
John F Brencher was born in London on 10 April 1936 and died in York on 3 March 2020.
Educated at Hornsey College of Art, London Bible College and Universities of Leicester, York and Sheffield, John was converted in 1949 and baptised at Stroud Green Baptist Church, north London. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps 1955-1957, married Elizabeth Russell in 1964 and had two children, Lydia Faith in 1967 and Paul Carey in 1971.
In the early 1950s, he attended Westminster Chapel, becoming a member from 1954-1959. His association with the Chapel strongly influenced his life and clarified his call to the ministry. His book Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) and Twentieth Century Evangelicalism (Paternoster Press, 2003) received encouraging reviews and was selected as a finalist for the John C Pollock Award for Christian biography.
In 1963 he became a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and was Minister of Bethel Church, Liverpool from 1968-1987. During his pastorate, he was a member of the FIEC National Council, wrote for Go Teach Publications, played a part in the Editorial Board of Fellowship Magazine, was in the Overseas Relationships Committee, and in 1984 became National President.
He leaves his wife, Elizabeth, his two children, Lydia and Paul, and six grandchildren.