LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 334

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CHURCH LITERATURE AND COMMUNICATIONS 331

In the first circle are the people who own and support
CPH —the members of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod. The second circle embraces Lutherans other than
those of our own church body.

The third circle, considerably larger than the first two,
includes Christians of other communions. Vacation Bible

MVD),
SAS aww

ER a Ee”

School materials, Portals of Prayer, The Concordia Bible
with Notes, bulletins, films, filmstrips. are items that circu-
late widely in Christendom.

The fourth circle is the largest; it consists of the un-
churched, of those who make no Christian profession, of
those who are as yet not the people of God but who, hope-
fully, will be. Concordia Arch Books, Sex Education Series,
tracts, select book titles, and film subjects are finding a grow~-
ing acceptance among the unchurched.

Admittedly, this is a big task and a demanding one,
requiring different approaches, a variety of communications
vehicles, and an understanding of what is needed.

Multimedia Emphasis

True to its charter and to the real meaning of the word
“publish” (namely, “to make public’), Concordia today is
communicating the Word, not only through a host of books,
booklets, pamphlets, tracts, periodicals, textbook and cur-
ricular materials, but increasingly also, through modern
visual, audio, and electronic means: through the ecclesi-
astical arts and through the Christian fine arts, through
music, tapes, cassettes, recordings. films, filmstrips, radio, TV.

The new Mission:Life parish education program is a prime
example of this. Here are materials that communicate more
effectively and efficiently through the ear and eye as well
as through print, resulting in lively, eager participation in
home, group, and congregational learning and devotional
situations.

The effectiveness of multimedia can also be seen in
“Clergy,” the monthly theological update subscription series
for pastors; also in the newer “Compendium/ Concordia,”
a conversational cassette series designed to provide an op-
portunity for further professional growth.

Whatever Concordia does must in some way serve the
people of God, whoever they are and whatever they may be.
That is why Concordia is constantly seeking to develop new
techniques and resources that meet changing social, insti-
tutional, technological, and national needs.

Curriculum. Periodicals

Foremost in the curriculum area, of course, is the Mission:
Life program previewed at the Milwaukee convention and
launched in the weeks following the convention.

It is gratifying to note that Mission: Life has now been
introduced into over 60° of our churches. By the fall of
this year all courses will be complete —and_ available.
Forty percent continue to use the Life-in-Christ materials.
Concordia plans to stock and reprint these items as long
as they are needed.

Teachlife. introduced in the fall of ‘72, is a new multi-
media leadership course for church school teachers. The
series utilizes films, filmstrips, and records in a six session
teaching method course for the nonprofessional church
school teacher.

With the appearance of Praises Ringing, for Grade 8, and
Sing High, Sing Low, for Grade 7, the Music Education
Series is now complete for prekindergarten through Grade 8.

The proximity of the Editorial Team of the Board of
Parish Education on the 5th floor of Concordia’s building
greatly enhances the efficiency and coordination of the many
educational projects jointly undertaken by Concordia. Mel
Kieschnick. new administrative head of the BPE, continues
the fine working relationship that has long existed between
the Board and Concordia.

Periodicals today, in the secular as well as in the religious
area, are suffering under the heavy burden of rising produc-
tion and mailing costs. Concordia is confronted with some
of the same problems which overtook such giant mailers as
Life, Look, and the Saturday Evening Post. Changing read-
ing tastes, the inroads of television, and high postage costs
(and they continue to rise) are taking their toll.

These are some of the factors that forced two of the
long-time professional journals of our church, the Concordia
Theological Monthly and Lutheran Education to combine
numbers into five issues per year.

Effective promotional efforts are reversing a circulation
drop of the Lutheran Witness Reporter that began to set in
in early 1970. A greater realization by the Districts that
Synod’s official periodical is one of the best communications
vehicles available to them. providing both District and na-
tional church news in the most economical subscription
package. The number of Districts who have voted to place
this package in every home has increased over the past 24
months.

Interaction continues its award-winning excellence. A
recent readership survey showed strong acceptance of it
throughout Synod as the best available resource for Lu-
theran church school workers.

Der Lutheraner continues to be published on a bimonthly
basis as a service ministry to a declining German-speaking
audience.

A special ministry to older citizens with visual handicaps
is showing signs of growth through a new large print edition
of Portals of Prayer.

An Exciting Future

The 125th anniversary celebration and KEY 73 are help-
ing to launch Synod into exciting days ahead — and Con-
cordia Publishing House is intimately involved in both of
these major emphases.

How important that this momentum be continued and
undergirded! You can be sure that Concordia will be serv-
ing in a supportive. servant role here as well as in every
aspect of our church's life.

As our church moves forward and outward in response
to The Great Commission, Concordia, as Synod’s strong
publishing arm, moves with it, equipping, nurturing, supply-
ing the hundreds of religious resources needed for a growing
church “in mission to all men.”

Today, as Concordia enters a new era of service, it is
making a systematic attempt to maintain the strength of its
creative, manufacturing, and distribution capability and to
refine, and at the same time broaden, its overall services to
new levels of professionalism and performance.

Boldly, Concordia says with Frances R. Havergal whose
familiar words provide the meaningful theme of this con-
vention:

“Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee”

Concordia approaches the future in confident faith, com-
mitted to Christ and His Gospel, pledging dedicated hands
and talents, modern facilities and communications tools —
all to the service of God. May His blessing continue to rest
upon Concordia as it seeks to spread the Gospel everywhere
and make it a living reality in countless lives.

BoaRp OF DIRECTORS
ConcorpIA PUBLISHING HOUSE
Arthur L. Linnemann, Secretary