Board of General Superintendents announces contingency action plan for NPH

Kansas City, Missouri

Following recent communication about the short-term future of Nazarene Publishing House (NPH), the Board of General Superintendents (BGS) has put in place a "contingency action plan" for addressing resourcing needs of the Church of the Nazarene. This plan is the result of the announced closing of the current NPH business model.

This week meetings were held at the Global Ministry Center in Lenexa, Kansas, to outline the action plan and put people in place to lead NPH over the coming months. Speaking on behalf of the BGS, David W. Graves, BGS chair, stated, "The situation requires a multitude of skills to wind down the current operation at NPH, fulfill WordAction curriculum commitments to our local churches, and begin to envision a future publishing ministry that clearly emphasizes the biblical teaching of the Church of the Nazarene on the holy life."

The general superintendents firmly believe that the long-term publishing goal is to have a sustainable Wesleyan-Holiness voice representing the Church of the Nazarene and its mission to make Christlike disciples in the nations. This immediate plan of action will help fulfill that goal.

The following action items were unanimously approved by the BGS:

• A new NPH Board of Directors was elected and installed, filling three of the vacancies created when the previous NPH board resigned.

Bob Brower, president of Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California, was elected chair. Serving as at-large members of the NPH board will be 1) Monte Chitwood, senior vice president of D.A. Davidson, a regional brokerage firm and partner in Chitwood Pedey Investment Management Group, Spokane, Washington, and 2) Keith A. Pardue, founder of Pardue & Associates Law Firm. Austin, Texas.

As general superintendent in jurisdiction of NPH, Graves serves on its board as a non-voting member.

The new NPH board will manage the business affairs and all required legal corporate obligations of the publishing house for the benefit of the Church of the Nazarene.

• Mark D. Brown was appointed interim CEO of NPH and will work closely with the NPH board.

• A crisis management team was named to work simultaneously with the new board to coordinate the closing of NPH, provide resources in the transition, and re-envision NPH for the future.

Jack Stone (former general secretary for the denomination) will lead the team, reporting to the BGS, while also serving as a resource to the new NPH Board of Directors.

Members appointed by the BGS include: Mark Brown, NPH closure project manager; Frank Moore (general editor for the denomination), transition and resourcing project manager; Jim Van Hook (former NPH interim CEO), re-envisioning project manager; and David Wilson (current general secretary), legislative harmonization project manager.

Working in collaboration, the crisis management team and the NPH Board of Directors will focus on several goals set by the BGS:

• Proper closure of the current business model of NPH while securing care for the employees and assets of the organization

• Targeted and uninterrupted provision of ministry resources to local churches during the transition period

• A new business model that will help the Church of the Nazarene continue focusing on its mission to make Christlike disciples in the nations

According to David Graves, several months of Sunday school curriculum is already prepared and will be available to the churches. NPH is in the process of shipping the December-January-February curriculum for 2014–2015.

"NPH is also accepting orders and working through the details with the intent to ship the March-April-May (2015) curriculum during the month of December (2014)," he added.

Inquiries about WordAction materials and about books from Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City can be made by calling NPH customer service toll-free at 1-800-877-0700, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central Time.

Further announcements about NPH will be made as recommendations and plans are approved.

While the members of the Board of General Superintendents believe that strategic planning is essential to accomplish these goals, they also believe that God's blessing and favor will result in an outcome that will meet the needs of the church. They have earnestly sought the wisdom of God throughout this process.

With that in mind the BGS urges Nazarenes worldwide to continue praying for NPH and those leading this transition.
--Board of General Superintendents

 

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