Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 406
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 406

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

406 CHURCH LITERATURE AND PUBLICATIONS; PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

logical developments, especially those that will speed
production, maintain quality, and reduce costs. Such
efforts enable CPH to give the Synod, its departments
and agencies, the best possible service. to place at the
Synod’s disposal modern machines, top creative talents,
and complete manufacturing facilities.

Two representatives from CPH’s Printing Services
Department service the needs of the Synod on a day-to-
day basis, seeing individual jobs through from layout
to final printing and mailing.

Most important, when the Synod’s work enters CPH,
dedicated hands take hold who see the mission of the
Synod and the ministry of CPH as one.

The People of CPH

Of CPH’s 700 plus employees, 50 have served CPH
for upwards of 25 years, 48 for 20 to 25 years, and 79
between 15 and 20 years.

While loyalty and longevity have long characterized
the Concordia employee’s worklife, CPH is looking to its
future manpower needs. Recognizing that the success
of the house and its ability to meet the needs of the
Synod are directly related to the talents of its people,
increased attention has been devoted to the recognition
and development of talents from within and the attract-
ing of outside talents to fill specialized positions.

Formally structured supervisory training courses
have been given to 65 employees. Through the use of
audiovisual materials and discussion, members of the
CPH management team have been introduced to the
latest studies of the behavioral scientists.

Increased contacts with college placement offices and
with campus pastors have stimulated a number of prom-
ising young people to align their futures with Concordia.

In the nonsupervisory area, 22 employees were
awarded certificates of craftsmanship in 1968 by
Printing Industries of America.

At the present time 692 employees are enrolled in
the Concordia Welfare Plan, including retired personnel.
The plan provides coverage for more than 1,500 em-
ployees and dependents.

Manuscripts Reflect Changing Needs

The Commission on Church Literature and members
of its 11 subcommittees work closely with Concordia
staff people to discover the needs of the church in a
changing world and to develop books, visual media ma-
terials, and tracts.

Commission members examine hundreds of manu-
scripts and proposals each year for possible recommen-
dation to CPH. A list of publications for the biennium
is appended to this report.

Concordia has established itself in the international
community of theological publishers through various
contacts. Most significant is the annual exhibition at the
International Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. These
relationships with overseas publishers have resulted in
growing requests for translation rights to Concordia
books,

Conversely, this knowledge of the publishing scene

in Europe has enabled Concordia to obtain translation
and publication rights for significant titles and to ar-
range for copublication with several United Kingdom
publishers.

The new system for the doctrinal review of manu-
scripts adopted by the Synod at the New York conven-
tion has been put into operation. Reviewers have been
appointed by the President of the Synod, Dr. Oliver R.
Harms, and are carrying out their assignments. In gen-
eral the program is working well.

Best Seller — And Door Opener

The popular Concordia Arch Books rank among
Concordia’s all-time best sellers. They have and are
opening doors in many areas heretofore closed to Lu-
theran materials. To date more than 5% million copies
have been published and distributed in the English lan-
guage. The 36 titles now in print have been enthusias-
tically received by thousands of Protestant and Roman
Catholic households.

Arch Books have been or are being translated into
Welsh, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Que-
chua (for South America), Swedish, Danish, and French.

Thousands have been produced in England through
Concordia Publishing House Ltd. Negotiations are un-
der way to translate and publish a selection of the Arch
Books in most European languages.

Index Project Moving Forward

The indexing of all of the Synod’s periodicals is now
moving forward, especially since another indexer has
been added to the CPH editorial staff.

The 1968 issues of the following periodicals are in-
dexed in the pilot index according to subject and author:
Advance, Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, Con-
cordia Theological Monthly, Issues in Christian Educa-
tion, Lutheran Education, Lutheran Witness, Der Lu-
theraner, and The Springfielder.

The first issue of the index will be available prior to
the Denver convention. Further issues will provide a
key to issues of synodical periodicals published after
1968 and to issues published from the earliest years of
the Synod until 1968. The index will be of significant
service to members of the Synod by providing a key to
the vast storehouse of synodical literature.

Outreach Through Tracts

In the Concordia Tract Mission our church has a
wonderful resource for reaching into all parts of the
world with the Word that saves, nurtures, and edifies.

With only a modest annual operating budget, sup-
plemented by voluntary contributions, Concordia Tract
Mission continues to be God’s mighty spiritual instru-
ment working its miracles of print throughout the world.
The scope of Concordia Tract Mission’s publishing and
distribution activity can be seen from the following:

Millions of tracts have been distributed in addition to
used Sunday school literature, Portals of Prayer, Bibles,
and Testaments. Available are 380 English tract titles
in 50 different categories. Also foreign-language tracts
in 30-some languages.