LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 381

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PARISH SERVICES 381

Reduction of frequency to one issue every 2 months also meant
serious compromise of the periodical as a news medium.

Already in 1969 the editorial commission had determined
that Der Lutheraner should be discontinued when its circulation
fell below 3,500. So our commission at its Sept. 13, 1974, meeting
resolved “that Der Lutheraner be discontinued at the end of the
calendar year 1974, subject to acceptability within the frame-
work of synodical resolutions and the Handbook of the Synod,
and that the final issue of the periodical be made a commemora-
tive publication.’ This commemorative issue was published in
November 1974.

The Council of Presidents on Dec. 5, 1974 concurred in the
decision to discontinue publication of Der Lutheraner. The
Presidents also adopted a resolution expressing thanks to God
for the great blessings this publication has brought to the
Synod through the 130 years of existence.

(One of the most recent awards presented to Der Lutheraner
was a "Citation of Meritorious Achievement” presented by the
Society for German-American Studies in February 1974 in
recognition of Der Lutheraner’s ‘‘outstanding contribution to
German-American culture.’”’)

The Lutheran Witness Reporter. reduced to four issues a year
in 1973 and 1974, is no longer a separate publication but has
been absorbed as the ‘Reporter Edition” of the Witness. This
“Reporter Edition’: continues to be published four times a year
and uses the tabloid format. The change from a separate publi-
cation to a “Reporter Edition” of the Witness conforms to a
regulation of the U.S. Postal Service requiring publications to
have separate subscription lists. with subscribers ordering
each publication separately.

Discontinuation of Der Lutheraner and making the Lutheran
Witness Reporter a tabloid edition of The Lutheran Witness
means that the Synod now has but one official periodical ‘The
Lutheran Witness). Handbook references to official periodicals
of the Synod must therefore be revised. The Editorial Commis-
sion for Official Periodicals accordingly recommends to the
51st regular convention of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod:

1, That the Synod ratify the action of the Editorial Commis-
sion for Official Periodicals relative to discontinuing Der Luther-
aner and making the Lutheran Witness Reporter the “Reporter
Edition” of The Lutheran Witness:

2. That Paragraph 11.81 in the Synod’s Handbook be changed
to read:

11.81 The Official Periodical

The Lutheran Witness shall be the official periodical
of the Synod and shall include official reports and
notices.

3. That Paragraph 11.83 be changed to read:

11.83 The Editor

a. The editor of The Lutheran Witness shall be
appointed by the Editorial Commission from a list
approved by the Council of Presidents. The Editorial
Commission shall also appoint all other editors and
staff members.

4. That the convention instruct the Commission on Constitu-
tional Matters to make such other changes in the synodical
Handbook as may result from the discontinuance of Der Luther-
aner and of the Lutheran Witness Reporter as a separate publica-
tion.

Because the staff of The Lutheran Witness is salaried by
Concordia Publishing House and is therefore subject to Con-
cordia’s personnel policies, including mandatory retirement
at 65, Dr. Martin W. Mueller, executive editor, and Rev. Albert
W. Galen, Witness managing editor, both terminated full-time
service on Dec. 31, 1974. The commission offered both retiring
editors an opportunity to continue on modified service.

From a list of candidates approved by the Council of Presi-
dents the commission interviewed six men for the post of execu-
tive editor of The Lutheran Witness. Each candidate was
thoroughly questioned regarding his theological position, his
views of the role the Witness ought to play in our Synod, and
his own qualifications, both personal and professional.

The commission unanimously elected Rev. Frank Starr,
Witnegs associate editor since 1970, as the new executive editor.

The Editorial Commission honored its two retiring editors at
a reception. Dr. Mueller also received a special citation from the
Council of Presidents recognizing his service of nearly 20 years
on the staff of The Lutheran Witness.

The members of the Editorial Commission for Official
Periodicals wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who
made their work easier and more enjoyable during the past
biennium. The president, Dr. Ralph Reinke, the executive
personnel, and employees of Concordia Publishing House are
especially to be thanked for their assistance and cooperation.

Frank D. Starr, Executive Editor

7-06

Report of Concordia Publishing House

In September of this year Concordia Publishing House will
note its 106th birthday. Through periods of prosperity or de-
pression, peace or war, social calm or domestic uproar, CPH
has continued to provide the people of God with the necessary
tools to carry out their mission and ministry. Again we are in
a period of economic disruption, but in spite of a backdrop of
inflation and recession, especially in the last half of the 1973 —75
biennium, Concordia Publishing House has continued to in-
crease its outreach and service in response to the challenge
of using new vehicles for the communication of the Gospel
within and beyond the Missouri Synod. Similar to all business,
Concordia has had to deal with the rapidly rising costs of raw
materials, wages. and services and the resulting increases in
list prices.

Spirit of Optimism

But as our church moves forward in response to the Great
Commission, Concordia, as the Synod's publishing arm, moves
with it, equipping, nurturing, supplying hundreds of religious
resources, new and old, needed for a growing church “‘in mission
to all men.”’ There is a spirit of optimism and dedication among
the men and women of CPH, and we face the future with the
promise that the Lord will continue to “bless the work of our
hands” as He has done for 106 years.

Our Statement of Mission

Our “Statement of Mission” serves as guide and touchstone
for planning and decision-making at all levels of the organiza-
tion. It reads:

Our calling as the publishing arm of The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod is to proclaim ‘another life” by the power of the Spirit
providing effective vehicles for communicating the Christian faith
and making the vehicles ever better and more abundant.

Our calling means that those who use our communication vehicles
find them to be more accessible. dependable, versatile, economical,
and relevant.

To be faithful to our calling, we must continue to refine old and
to develop new resources to meet the needs of God's people and to
use enlightened business practices in maintaining. modernizing.
and fully utilizing the assets entrusted to our care.

To fulfill our calling, the men and women of Concordia must be
selected on the basis of God-given talents. well qualified, deeply
dedicated.

The hallmarks of our personnel practices are fair compensation
and just benefits. equal opportunity to reach the fulfillment of poten-
tial, appropriate training and supervision. vital challenges in our
work.

This is how, in broad outline, we see our calling. Our task requires
integrity, dedication, and a feeling for product quality and service
of the highest order. We of Concordia pledge our continued utmost
effort to the mission of proclaiming another life through Christ.

The Fiscal Picture

Growth continues to characterize Concordia’s progress but
at a slower pace than in the previous biennium. While the num-
ber of persons using our book and multimedia products has in-
creased, our curriculum sales have decreased, as the birth rate
and church school enrollment declines. All of this reflects itself
fiscally.

During the biennium, net sales totaled $35,325,000, an increase
of $321,000 over the prior 2-year period. This total is based on
a projected $17,750,000 net sales for the 1974—75 fiscal year
(May 1 to April 30). Final audited figures will be presented to
the convention as a part of Concordia’s biennial report.