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A UMNS photo by Kathy Gilbert Neil M. Alexander, president and publisher of the United Methodist Publishing House, reports a decrease in sales.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — The United Methodist Publishing House continues to see decreases in sales in a world where “the ability to point, click and send is disrupting every aspect of our business,” said President Neil M. Alexander.

The Publishing House marked a 5 percent decrease in sales for the six months ended Jan. 31 compared with the same period the previous year. Overall sales have been declining for the last three years.

Traditional approaches in publishing are being shaken up by new technologies and changes in church practices, Alexander told the board of directors during its spring meeting March 27-29.

Larry Wallace, senior vice president of finance and operations, said the United Methodist Publishing House’s sales are susceptible to changes in the church, ecumenical markets, publishing and retailing, and in the general economic climate.

“The Christian bookstore trade is experiencing sales pressure resulting in store closings and consolidations,” he said. “Hundreds of Christian bookstores have closed over the past four years.”

A UMNS photo by Kathy Gilbert Children’s resources director Marj Pon speaks about Live B.I.G., a new children’s Sunday school program.

Technology is affecting everything from the way congregations read music to the ways pastors prepare to preach, Alexander said.

“We can close up shop or we can choose to lean into the future and experiment with a sense of adventure for finding new ways to serve,” he said. “This is not a spectator sport. We want to play!”

Playing however, will involve taking risks, he warned. He introduced four new projects that he said were “leaning into the future.”

Live B.I.G.

One of the big risks the Publishing House is taking is with a new children’s Sunday school curriculum, Live B.I.G. (Believe In God). The interactive program has colorful characters, cool music and travel segments designed to use the three ways children learn — hearing, seeing and then living what they learn.

The DVD resource comes with a high price tag that had to be paid up front, said Harriett Olson, senior vice president of publishing. The board approved spending $2 million for the project last year and approved another $150,000 during this meeting to help promote the curriculum.

There is the risk that congregations may switch from other higher margin lines without gaining enough new customers, she said.

A UMNS photo by Kathy Gilbert Publishing House staff members celebrate the release of the new Sunday school program, Live B.I.G.

“Children’s curriculum is core to our mission,” Olson said. “All our good work hasn’t stopped the slow decline, and even with strong new offerings, we are still not gaining market share,” she said, in explaining why the risk was taken.

In 2004, the Publishing House started looking at statistics on the ways children were learning and starting planning for a way to capture their attention in a multimedia world, said Marj Pon, director of children’s resources.

Surveys were sent to 1,200 churches, and more than 400 churches were selected as test sites for the curriculum.

Feedback from those churches has been positive, Pon said. “We are hearing things like ‘The children can hardly wait for the new curriculum’ to ‘It made all the difference in the world.’”

“We are committed to providing resources that help congregations be the faith-forming places they long to be for their children,” Olson said.

A UMNS photo by Kathy Gilbert Marketing and sales executive Ed Kowalski announces a new strategy for the Publishing House’s catalogs.

The Publishing House also unveiled a plan to publish and mail one catalog a month in response to customers asking for fewer mailings, said Ed Kowalski, senior vice president of marketing and sales. Each catalog will have a theme, such as Lent and Easter resources for the January issue.

“Specific mailings to United Methodist congregations average about 78 pieces per year,” he said.

Several specific catalogs will continue, such as Cokesbury, Annual Forecast, Good Books, curriculum age-level catalogs, Vacation Bible School, seasonal inserts and the Korean/Hispanic issue, he added.

Disciple Bible Study

A bright spot for the Publishing House has been the popularity of its eight-week Disciple Bible study, introduced in 2005. Introduction to Genesis and Introduction to Romans will be added in the spring and fall.

The short-term Disciple Bible study had a profit of $1.2 million, $200,000 above the projected budget. Sales for the longer Disciple I were $1 million, a decrease from 2005’s $1.3 million, and all other Disciple titles totaled $1.7 million, behind 2005’s $2.4 million.

Beginning this year, Cokesbury and Educational Opportunities Tours Inc. will offer 12-day trips exploring biblical sites such as Jabbock River, Bet Shean, Mt. Nebo, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Capernaum and Cana specifically for people who have participated in Disciple Bible study.

In fall 2007, a 10-day trip will explore sites associated with Paul’s ministry and letters, including Corinth, Athens, Thessalonica, Philippi, Ephesus and Patmos.

Each pilgrimage will include daily sharing time for Disciple participants and will be accompanied by someone familiar to Disciple participants and graduates, said Susan Salley, executive director of church program resources.

NRSV Children’s Bible

In May, 55,000 New Revised Standard Version Children’s Bibles will roll off the presses, said Paul Franklyn, director of Bible, e-purchasing and reference at the Publishing House.

The Bibles will be available in three cover versions and will include illustrations and summaries, a list of definitions, eight full-color pages of maps and 16 pages of full-color study guides.

After presenting board members with the new ideas and risks, Alexander said, “This is only the beginning of what we have to do to be vital and relevant for the future.”

“Let’s pray daily that, by God’s grace and generosity, we will be sustained in this work,” he said, “and that we find the courage and the imagination to respond so that more people in more places may come to know God through Jesus Christ, learn to love God, and choose to serve God and neighbor.”

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org

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