LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 382

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382 PARISH SERVICES

As in the previous biennium, the Concordia board of direc-
tors transferred to the synodical treasury the major portion
of the net income of the corporation. The $1,100,000 transferred
in the biennium represented 78.9% of the net income of the
period compared with 76.5% for the prior biennium.

Concordia Board of Directors

Concordia Publishing House exists as a separate not-for-
profit corporate entity organized under the laws of the state of
Missouri. It is operated by a board of directors responsible to
the Synod according to the provisions of Concordia’s corporate
charter and bylaws.

The Concordia board of directors is elected by the Synod
in convention to supervise and guide the affairs of the corpora-
tion. The board consists of one pastor, one teacher. and seven
laymen, The members’ 6-year terms of office are staggered to
maintain business continuity. At this convention the terms of
Rev. William Hughes. Mr. Enno Sauer. and Mr. Richard Bock
will expire. The following is the present personnel of the board:

Dr. Carl A. Dauten (chairman), executive vice-chancellor
of Washington University, St.Louis, Mo.: Fred L. Kuhlmann
(vice-chairman), senior vice-president, Anheuser Busch, Inc..
St.Louis, Mo.: Arthur L, Linnemann (secretary). Director of
Parish Education and Youth, Northwest District. Portland.
Oreg.; Richard Bock. manager of manufacturing, The Lindsay
Company, St. Paul, Minn.: Rev. William Hughes. pastor. Faith
Church, Arlington Heights, Ill.; Paul W. Krueger. CPA. senior
consultant. Alexander Grant & Company. Bloomington. IIL;
Gilbert C. Langholz, financial planning consultant. Gilbert
C. Langholz & Associates, San Antonio, Tex.: Enno Sauer.
president, Rohm & Haas Kentucky, Inc., Louisville. Ky.: Elmer
E. Schemm, George Schemm Agency. Saginaw. Mich.: and
Dr. Ralph L. Reinke. president of Concordia Publishing House.
Serving as an advisory member is Rupert Dunklau. member of
the synodical Board of Directors.

Special Services to the Church

While the bulk of Concordia’s creative and productive tal-
ents are directed to the many needs of the church in books,
curricular materials, periodicals, multimedia aids, and church
goods, many of the Synod’s needs in the areas of evangelism,
stewardship. and mission take special priority. The synodical
staff relies heavily on the creative skills and talents of our
highly trained artists, technicians, and planners particularly
in day-to-day production. printing, mailing. and addressing
requirements.

Installed in early 1974, our on-line IBM 370 computer. in
addition to meeting Concordia's operational needs, provides the
synodical office and the Lutheran Layman’s League with a
complete electronic data-processing program. We view this
function as part of the continuing and developing ministry and
service of CPH. Residual service uses of our computer capability
include follow-up address service to avoid “backdoor” losses
of membership and fiscal inventory and reports.

Curriculum

Recently the head of another denominational publishing
house commended Concordia on its program of having two
separate and complete curricula available for use in our Sunday
schools: Mission:Life and Life in Christ. Most denominations
provide their constituency with only one. Together with the
Board of Parish Education, Concordia is continually revising
and improving the Mission:Life program. as well as filling the
needs of those churches who continue to use the more traditional
Life in Christ curriculum. Currently Missouri Synod churches
use 65% Mission:Life and 35% Life in Christ.

Our Bible-based vacation Bible school curriculum, in addi-
tion to serving The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. finds
ready acceptance outside the LCMS.

Periodicals

Many secular magazines have not survived during the past
biennium. Changing communication habits and the heavy
burden of rising production and mailing costs have caused
several to cease publication. In the face of these and other
factors, Concordia has suspended publication of only two: Der
Lutheraner and Concordia Theological Monthly. Continuing

are the following regular periodicals: The Lutheran Witness/
Reporter. Lutheran Education. Interaction, Portals of Prayer.
Taegliche Andachten. My Devotions. Happy Times. Church
Music. and Strength for the Day.

Even though costs continue to rise, we have held subscrip-
tion prices as low as possible. However. Concordia has suffered
losses on the sale of periodicals ($75.000 on the Witness) in the
past year. We have in effect subsidized some of these periodicals
to insure greater distribution to our members.

People and Products

To the nearly 600 employees of Concordia Publishing House
today, the “publishing” part of our corporate name means more
than just printing and binding books and pamphlets, the major
function of the past. They know that publish means “make
public.’ whether through books, paperbacks, pamphlets. tracts.
periodicals, textbooks, and curricular materials; through in-
creasing use of modern visual, audio. and electronic media; or
through ecclesiastical arts, music, and Christian fine arts.

Keeping pace with modern communication in design, color.
and production technology. Concordia people are proud of the
products they produce in all facets of ‘making public,” whether
it’s the printed page or tapes, cassettes, posters, recordings,
films, filmstrips, painting, and sculpture. More and more of
our offerings for the teaching of the faith are a combination
of all or some of the above, blending and correlating various
communication media into instructional packages and kits. all
to help the church improve its educational task of nurturing
young and old, resulting in lively, eager participation in home,
group, and congregational learning and devotional situations.

Distribution

Concordia products are available worldwide. in Europe.
Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, but nowhere are they
more readily accessible than in the United States and Canada.
Eight full-time Concordia sales representatives cover the conti-
nental USA, calling on over 5,000 Christian supply stores, book-
stores, and other distribution outlets. making our products
accessible and known to markets far beyond the membership
of the LCMS. Roughly 65% of our customers purchase all of
their Concordia materials directly from one or more of these
outlets. Canadian customers are served through our distributor-
ship in Calgary, Concord Canada, which in turn also services
Christian supply stores throughout the provinces.

Whether you order items by phone or mail, directly from
Concordia or through one of our many distribution outlets, our
aim is to serve you efficiently and economically. Indeed, the new
computer with its TV tubes allows for more rapid order process-
ing and was installed to serve you the user to the best of our
ability.

We Look to the Future

Concordia looks to the future with confidence, based on our
pledge to continue our utmost efforts in the mission of ‘‘pro-
claiming another life through Christ.” Our product delivery
system is geared both to long-range planning (What will the
church and its people need in 1980?) and current need (What
books and products will we publish in fall 1975?). We look for-
ward to the challenge of developing and producing new ma-
terials in the biennium ahead and to the strategies needed for
effectively marketing them to the church and to the world. The
board of directors, its management, and all of its employees
look to a growing future for Concordia Publishing House under
God's blessing and guidance.

Board of Directors
Concordia Publishing House
Arthur L. Linnemann, Secretary

7-07

Report of Commission on
Church Literature

As man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God. so the sustenance of the church and the means of evan-
gelizing the world remains the Gospel.

As the church continues to communicate the Gospel to the