# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S318
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

318 Publication Matters

Profits or Service? '
(Memorial 716)

Concordia Publishing House seemingly exists for the purpose
of serving the Church provided it can serve at a profit.

dividends, which dividends were paid out of Concordia Publishing .
House profits. If the business had not been conducted for profit,
these dividends would not have been possible. Hence, those who |

owners of Concordia Publishing House, they have been paying
themselves this profit. The profit has flown into the treasuries of
Synod, there to éase the load which these owners would other-
wise have had to carry by larger contributions.

Let us visualize a Concordia Publishing house organized “to
serve the Church and maintain itself” rather than “to serve the
Church and make a profit.” In an average year such an institution
would take in enough money to cover its production and mer-
chandise costs plus burdens, including, of course, a reasonable
allowance for plant and building maintenance, depletion, and
obsolescence. It would do much of its work on a “cost plus” basis,
Our Publicity Department might ask for a bid on the proposed
job, not to see how that bid would compare with bids from com-

explanation nor apology to either the ‘tax-collector or the customer.

For these and other reasons ‘it is respectfully suggested
that Synod

Resolve, That Concordia Publishing House be instructed to
operate on a non-profit basis.

This resolution must not be construed to mean that every job