In October, Wesleyans lamented that one of their leading publishers in a Calvinism-dominated field would cease operations come December 1 amid a "financial crisis." However, Nazarene Publishing House (NPH) recently announced that the 102-year-old denominational publisher will not close but instead will continue after a significant restructuring that involved dismissing all employees yesterday and rehiring a smaller group.
“It’s true that we have faced significant challenges, but NPH will continue to bring a strong and robust Wesleyan voice to the evangelical world,” said interim CEO Mark Brown [full press release below]. “We expect to continue servicing with excellence our authors, partners, and buyers both domestic and international."
Best known for its Beacon Hill Press books, WordAction Sunday school curriculum, and Lillenas church music resources, NPH's services will continue uninterrupted (though Lillenas will be sold off). Denominational leaders describe NPH as "one of the world's largest publishers of Wesleyan-Holiness literature, each year servicing more than 11,000 churches from several denominations."
The "major restructuring" will be welcome news for observers who, like the dean of Indiana Wesleyan University's Wesley Seminary, believe NPH has been the “flagship of resources” in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition.
“NPH is really the only Wesleyan-Arminian contender against the Calvinist hegemony of Christian publishing,” Ken Schenck wrote in response to the initial planned closure. “They are about the only ones putting out serious Wesleyan-Arminian scholarship.”
Asbury Theological Seminary's Ben Witherington agrees the field is largely dominated by Calvinist publishers. “Think of Grand Rapids publishers, Baker, Eerdmans, Zondervan, Kregel,” the New Testament professor told CT. “Basically, Grand Rapids is the center of Reformed thought. All of those publishers were at least originally of that kind of orientation.” Even denominational publishers like Westminster or John Knox come from the Calvinist tradition, he said, and Fortress Press is Lutheran, which is “in various ways closely akin to the Calvinist tradition.” So calling the landscape dominated by Calvinist publishing enterprises is “fair,” he said.
Yet Witherington argues that Arminian thought would have still circulated just fine via the United Methodist Church's larger and more-influential Abingdon Press, which has long published the critical edition of John Wesley's works.
In an October letter sent to a customer base which had made hundreds of inquiries into NPH’s monetary and structural health, the Church of the Nazarene's Board of General Superintendents partially blamed its financial struggles on “shifting cultural circumstances including changes in the church” and the 2008 financial crisis. But it maintained that NPH's troubles began in earnest after it chose businessman Gerald Smith as its leader in 2012.
“This was done with the sincere hope that NPH would be set on new trajectory and ultimately be stronger. Simply put: it did not work. It was a miscalculation on many levels,” wrote the superintendents, without mentioning Smith by name. The letter followed an August call to prayer that described NPH's precarious state.
In September, the Kansas City Star reported that NPH’s move to hire Smith and absorb the gift of his $2 million marketing firm, Premier Studios, was akin to accepting a Trojan horse. Among the accusations leveled against Smith are claims that he persuaded NPH to take on $2 million in Premier Studios's debt and a 10-year lease in the same building (one Smith and his wife owned), with rent payments more than $10,000 more per month than what the Premier Studios had been paying. Smith was placed on leave in April and fired in September. The closure was announced October 3.
At the time, Rob Prince, who leads Flint Central Church of the Nazarene, defended the decision on his blog. “I believe the General Superintendents when they write: ‘we do not believe anyone has made intentional decisions to hurt the church,’” he wrote. “I just think that our leaders saw that the NPH ship was sinking; tried to save it; and what they tried didn’t work. I refuse to be a Monday Morning Quarterback with less than all of the facts and make judgments on people that I have respected for many years. Instead I wish to offer them grace and understanding.”
But two weeks later, denominational leaders announced a “contingency action plan” to close NPH's previous business model in an “orderly, compassionate, and generous” way, to continue to serve its constituents, and to develop a “sustainable business model for the long-term future.” They elected a new NPH board, appointed Brown—a 25-year NPH veteran and previously vice president and CFO—as interim CEO, and created a crisis management team to transition to the new model.
“During these recent months, the outpouring of support we have received from you has made a difference!” Brown wrote on NPH’s Facebook page. “So many of you have touched our lives … the pastor who drove across three states to come and pray with employees, the retiree who mailed a love offering, our colleagues at the Global Ministries Center who brought us breakfast, and the countless others of you who have prayed faithfully, written cards or letters, and made phone calls on behalf of NPH. We are grateful.”
CT regularly covers Christian publishing, including the United Methodists' closure of all Cokesbury Bookstores, Waterbrook Multnomah's departure from the NRB over its sister imprint's "Gay Christian" book, NavPress's 2012 partnership with Tyndale House, and Tyndale's HHS contraception lawsuit. In 2012, CT reported that the world’s largest Christian publishing house is located in China.
Here is NPH's announcement, as well as a Q&A released in mid-November via the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2014
Nazarene Publishing House to Restructure, Not CloseNew Business Strategy Begins December 2
Kansas City, MO – The Nazarene Publishing House (NPH) Board of Directors has announced a historic decision to restructure the 102-year-old publishing arm of the Church of the Nazarene instead of closing it for business. The go-forward plan, developed by NPH management and approved by the Board of Directors, will enable NPH to meet the literature needs of local Nazarene churches and Wesleyan partners.Churches and individual customers saw no interruption to service as the business model changed December 2, 2014, according to Mark Brown, interim CEO of NPH. “It’s true that we have faced significant challenges, but NPH will continue to bring a strong and robust Wesleyan voice to the evangelical world,” said Brown. “We expect to continue servicing with excellence our authors, partners, and buyers both domestic and international.”
Following an unprecedented financial crisis in the last quarter of 2014, changes at NPH became necessary, including the dismissal of all employees December 1. A smaller workforce was rehired and began work December 2.
“Changes in structure based on financial situations will not surmount the continuation of essential curricula and books for our constituency,” said Bob Brower, chairman of the NPH board.
According to Brown, production and distribution of essential literature will continue, including all imprints of WordAction Sunday School curriculum for adults and children. Beacon Hill Press will continue to provide theological resources, including front and backlist titles, with a forward focus on the New Beacon Bible Commentary series and textbooks. Online and digital resources will also be available.
“Nazarene Publishing House is open for business,” said Brown. “God is helping us imagine a new future, and we gladly anticipate serving our customers.”
To order curricula and books, visit www.nph.com or call 1-800-877-0700.
ECPA release:
Nazarene Publishing House Undergoing Restructure, Not Closure
Nazarene Publishing House will not close for business, but undergo a restructure, according to Interim CEO Mark Brown. All imprints of WordAction Curriculum and Beacon Hill Books, will continue uninterrupted. "It's true that our business model will change December 2, 2014 based on our current financial situation," Brown said. "However, NPH management is developing a new strategic plan, and we look forward to continuing to meet the literature needs of the Church of the Nazarene and our Wesleyan partners."
The newly appointed NPH Board of Directors approved the go-forward plan, which will be implementedDecember 2 so there will be no interruption of services to NPH customers.
"The Nazarene Publishing House is open for business," Brown said. "We are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from our customers during these recent challenges. God is helping us imagine a new future, and we gladly anticipate serving you."
Frequently Asked Questions about the Future of Nazarene Publishing House
I thought NPH was closing. What happened?
It's true that Nazarene Publishing House found itself in an unprecedented financial crisis in the final quarter (October, November and December) of 2014. Closure was imminent, and leadership made the difficult decision to cease business operations under the current model, including dismissal of all employees as ofDecember 1. Following such an announcement, the outpouring of concern for the ongoing literature ministry of the Church of the Nazarene made it apparent that something had to be done to save NPH. Under the leadership of a new Board of Directors, NPH management developed a plan to implement a restructure with the view of developing a sustainable publishing ministry to the Church of the Nazarene and her Wesleyan partners.
Will I still be able to order my WordAction Sunday School Curriculum?
Yes! You can expect all curricula from NPH to continue without interruption. This includes your SundaySchool materials for adults such as Faith Connections, Reflecting God, and Standard. This includes yourSunday School materials for children such as Faith Connections, and Epic.
Will I still be able to order my WordAction program resources?
Yes! NPH will continue to provide Caravan, Bible Quizzing, Catechism/Membership, and the other program materials you depend on.
What is the status of Beacon Hill Press book publishing?
Beacon Hill Press will continue to provide the Church of the Nazarene and our Wesleyan partners with the finest in theological resources. Our focus moving forward will be the New Beacon Bible Commentary, textbooks, and pastoral titles. We will continue to stock and sell our current inventory without interruption in service to our customers.
Will I still be able to order my Nazarene Missions International (NMI) products?
Yes! Your NMI materials will be available in time for 2015 just as they always have.
What is the status of Lillenas music publishing?
Lillenas Publishing is currently for sale. NPH management is actively seeking a buyer who shares our passion for providing worship resources to the local church.
Will the NPH website, Barefoot online, and other digital resources be available?
Yes! NPH.com, SundayTeacher.com, BarefootOnline.com, EpicStory.com and all your other favorite NPH sites will remain fully functioning. Additionally, you can still purchase the 400+ ebook titles published by Beacon Hill Press or download video studies and leader's guides from your favorite authors.
Will the products and services I depend on from NPH (offering envelopes, church bulletins, membership materials, etc.) still be available?
Yes! NPH will continue to make available the resources you need to do church.
What does the future business model look like?
NPH will stay true to its core mission to engage the Church for the mission of God. The NPH management team and the NPH Board of Directors are working closely to refine the details of the new business plan for 2015 and beyond. More details will be forthcoming as they are available.
In the meantime, the NPH team pledges to you, our customers and stakeholders, that we will give our best effort to advancing the Kingdom through the incredible ministry of Nazarene Publishing House. We will look for ways to recreate, to innovate, and to overcome the significant challenges ahead.
Thank you for your loyalty and your prayers as we undertake this new adventure in rebuilding. May God find us faithful.
