Publishing House plans new materials, faces tougher market
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert
Board members attending the spring meeting pause to pray after a sermon.
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| Left
to right: Fred Allen, Ed Kowalski, Stephen Handy, Monica Christian and
Richard Hoibraten pause to pray after a sermon by the Rev. Rob Weber,
pastor at Grace Community United Methodist Church, Shreveport, La. Weber
preached at the United Methodist Publishing House�s spring board
meeting March 29. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert. Photo #05268.
Accompanies UMNS story #186, 3/31/05 |
March 31, 2005By Kathy L. Gilbert* NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (UMNS)—The United Methodist Publishing House, while continuing to
grapple with sales below budget projections, is "not going to sit back
and watch the drift," pledged Neil Alexander, president and publisher. At
the Publishing House board’s spring meeting, March 28-30, Alexander
told directors to "get on the edge of your seats; we are going
somewhere." Among the changes: new products, researching new markets and
revisions to the popular Disciple Bible study series. The
Publishing House, like many other Christian booksellers, is facing
tougher competition while adjusting to changing worship styles, said
Larry Wallace, senior vice president of finance and operations.
The
second-quarter financial report shows a sales shortfall of $1.7
million, about 2 percent behind sales for the same quarter in 2004.
However, Wallace said the budget is on track for the rest of the fiscal
year ending July 31 due to cost savings initiated by the Publishing
House. "We
have wonderful stories to tell—of customer service where attention to
detail exceeded expectations," Alexander said. "We also have challenging
stories when the product did not fit the need and advertising failed to
break through the noise."
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert
The Rev. Rob Weber reads Scripture while his son, Jonathan, lights candles.
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| The
Rev. Rob Weber, a pastor at Grace Community United Methodist Church,
Shreveport, La., reads Scripture at the United Methodist Publishing
House�s spring board meeting March 29. His son, Jonathan, participates
in the service by lighting candles. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.
Photo #05-269. Accompanies UMNS story #186, 3/31/05 |
Board members reviewed initiatives designed to boost sales and reach new customers for Cokesbury products.The
board approved $2 million to develop and market an interactive DVD
curriculum for children’s Sunday school classes for use in fall 2006. The
curriculum is "high tech and multi-sensory," said Marj Pon, director of
children’s resources. "We want children to ask to go to Sunday school,
to drag their parents out of bed to take them to church." The
high-energy videos will feature teen role models and provide "built-in
assistants/experts" for Sunday school teachers. Board members previewed
one segment featuring teens singing, playing guitar and teaching
children dance steps to a rap song, "Who da man? J.C. J.C." "We
are not trying to produce the next dated children’s materials. We want
to invigorate the Sunday school movement and help the church grow,"
Alexander said. The
$2 million investment will go toward hiring additional staff and paying
for capital expenditures, additional research, advertising and sales
efforts over the next 12 months. The Disciple
Bible study series, a product for local churches to offer in-depth
study of Scripture, is $568,000 below projected sales for the first six
months of the fiscal year. Changes to address the shortfall are to be
implemented in May, said Harriett Olson, senior vice president of
publishing. "Disciple
has been a fixture for the last 18 years, but we want to extend our
reach," Olson said. "We want to keep the resource fresh and vibrant, and
we are listening to evaluations we receive from users." Among the changes, new eight-week sessions will be offered, and new videos are being produced for Disciple I.
Training seminars for facilitators are being shortened and will become
optional for churches offering the Bible study, though still highly
recommended. Ordering procedures are being simplified, and copies will be available in Cokesbury retail stores. In
other business, the board authorized $240,000 for congregational
program ministries. A project leader will identify congregations with
strong ministries and do research on the resources needed to support
those ministries. The
Publishing House will spend $62,000 to research the "emergent church"
movement and participate in its Web network. The label refers to
Christians who are rethinking Christianity against the backdrop of
postmodernism. Generally, the nondenominational movement emphasizes
traditional evangelical beliefs while rejecting the structures and
styles of institutionalized Christianity. "We are learning to live in a world where the rules are always changing," Alexander said. "It is an exciting time." The
Publishing House is the official publisher of The United Methodist
Church. It is self-supporting and is the denomination’s oldest and
largest general agency. News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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