LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 291

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PARISH SERVICES 291

sentative; Dr. Ralph Reinke, president and chief executive
officer.

At this convention the terms of Enno Sauer, Rev. J. Barclay
Brown, and Milton P. Koch will expire.

Curriculum

As the publisher of the Synod, Concordia maintains a close
working relationship with the Board of Parish Education,
cooperating in the editing, designing, and production of our
many curriculum offerings. Our vacation Bible school and
New Life in Christ curricula continue to receive wide accept-
ance both in the LCMS and beyond.

New for use this fall are two levels, seventh and eighth
grades, in the new Eternal Word curriculum for day and
weekday schools. Future plans call for the introduction of two
levels each year until the Eternal Word curriculum is complete
for all grade levels.

Outreach and Availability

Through catalogs, mailings, and space advertising CPH’s
products are promoted, not only to the members of our church,
but also to a vast audience of other Christians. The distribution
and use of our Bible-based materials thus has an outreach and
influence far beyond the membership of the congregations of
the Synod.

Concordia’s products are readily available to every pa-
rishioner. The products can be purchased in 2,000 Christian
book and supply stores in cities throughout the United States
and Canada. These bookstores are serviced by eight full-time
CPH salesmen. Our products are also available directly from
our St. Louis headquarters, by mail, or by our speedy toll-free
WATS line telephone ordering service.

The Book Nook program for the sale of CPH material froma
site in a congregation's facility is being used by 2,000 congre-
gations. Concordia’s new Christian Book and Gift Party
Program has helped to expose many more people to our
complete line of Christ-centered materials for church. school,
and home.

Coming in 1981

The members of the Synod can look forward with antici-
pation to CPH’s release in 1981 of two major projects:

¢ Thenew hymnal, Lutheran Worship, went into production
upon receipt of the manuscript from Synod’s Commission
on Worship in mid-December 1980. The publication of a
hymnal is a complex and demanding task that Concordia
is striving to complete by Advent 1981.

¢ The second major 1981 project is the publication of six
volumes of the translated writings of Dr. C. F. W. Walther:

—Law and Gospel
—Selected Sermons
—Convention Essays
—Writings on the Church
—Selected Letters
—Selected Editorials

We Look to the Future

Under God’s blessing Concordia’s mission and ministry
will continue to grow as we face the challenge of developing
and producing new materials for the years ahead.

Concordia’s product-delivery system is geared to meeting
both the long-range and current needs of the Synod’s members.
The 400 employees of Synod’s publishing unit are continually
striving to effectively develop, produce, and market those
products that will support the mission and ministry for the
church. In pursuit of that goal, the Board of Directors, the
management, and all the employees of Concordia Publishing
House ask for your continued support and prayers imploring
the Lord to sustain us in our task.

Board of Directors

Fred Kuhlmann, Chairman
Enno Sauer, Secretary
Ralph Reinke, President

7-06

Report of Editorial Commission
for Official Periodicals

This is a momentous year for the Lutheran Witness, which
in 1981 celebrates its 100th year of continuous publication, not
too common an achievement in the history of magazine
publishing.

As official periodicals of the Synod, the Witness and
Reporter are the instruments of the Synod through which all
official reports and notices are published. The editors are
responsible to the Synod through the Editorial Commission for
Official Periodicals, their editorial freedom bound only by the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. The Witness and
Reporter represent the member congregations of the Synod by
witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ before the world.

The Witness—with a monthly circulation of 440,000 and
entering 59 percent of the homes of the Synod—has as its major
thrust aiding the reader in leading a richer and fuller Christian
life. Its objectives are (1) the nurturing of the reader’s faith
through devotional articles, materials deepening the reader’s
knowledge of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions,
and articles giving examples of faith at work: (2) marshaling
support and better understanding of congregation members
for the work of the congregations, the Districts, and the Synod
through information on these ministries: (3) informing the
reader of the activities of other Lutherans and Christians; and
(4) aiding the reader in interpretation and understanding of the
contemporary world from a Christian perspective.

The Reporter—mailed weekly to 61,000 professional church
workers and key lay leaders in the congregations—has a
twofold major thrust: (1) to develop support of synodical and
District work by providing current and reliable information to
congregation leaders; and (2) to provide proven programmatic
ideas and resources that will assist these leaders in their
elected offices and in fulfilling their responsibilities. In addi-
tion, the Reporter has a minor thrust: to offer brief, objective
information about the work of other Lutherans and informa-
tion about the church at large in the world.

In considering the content of the Witness and Reporter, the
Editorial Commission has directed the staff that the official
periodicals will reflect the official stance of the Synod in
presenting an issue, while also indicating the existence of other
views. The policy manual also notes that in stories presented
as news, the periodicals will at times report events and views
that do not reflect the Synod’s position. Such news is published
because people in the church have the right to know and should
have the opportunity to know whatis happening in the church
at large and in the world.

In asummary sentence, the editorial staff defines its task as
a linking together of the people of the Synod in the congrega-
tions and Districts as disciples of Christ in shared ministries
and faith.

The fulfillment by the staff of its responsibility is dependent
on three factors: (1) its competency as individuals and as a
staff; (2) the attractiveness of the publications (readability,
thematic content, graphics, paper stock); and (3) the supportof
District Presidents and staffs, of pastors and teachers, and of
leaders of the congregations.

The competency of the editorial staff may be measured by
the churchmanship that guides it day by day as professional
journalists who write and report credibly and fairly and satisfy
readers’ needs. The skills employed and the editorial judgment
expressed are in need of constant critique and honing.
Improved content and graphics are also continuing efforts.
Quality paper stock—an obvious need of the Witness—requires
available funds and suffers in this inflationary time from
spiraling costs. The Editorial Commission and staff have
plans in progress that will permit the upgrading of the paper
stock of the Witness as subscriptions continue to rise.

Support of the mission of the Witness and Reporter by
District Presidents and staffs and by pastors and teachers and
members of congregations is in evidence when the official
periodicals of the Synod are read, used in home and parish life,
shared with others, and contributed to by individuals and
congregations—who thus share information and faith with all
members and congregations of the Synod.