Nazarene Publishing House (NPH) was founded by the Church of the Nazarene in 1912. Since that time NPH has become one of the world's largest publishers of Wesleyan-Holiness literature, each year servicing more than 11,000 churches from several denominations. This important institution has helped resource the church's mission "to make Christlike disciples in the nations." Its business divisions such as Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, Lillenas Publishing Company, WordAction, The House Studio, and Barefoot Ministries assist NPH in this mission.

In recent years, however, the net earnings of NPH have diminished significantly. The contributing factors to its current state include declining local church Sunday School material orders, fewer choral music sales, a changing environment in all publishing ventures, and the increasing availability of online resources. NPH has been working diligently to reinvent itself in order to meet these growing challenges. However, it has had to rely heavily on financial reserves for the past ten years to cover operating costs. Under the current structure, this practice is not sustainable and will not be sufficient for the foreseeable future.

We are now at a critical juncture in the survival of NPH, and unless major changes are made, the sobering reality is that NPH could cease operating as we have known it. Therefore, the Board of General Superintendents is calling the Church of the Nazarene to prayer, seeking divine intervention and guidance for the future of NPH.

In 2012, hoping to face the challenges of online publishing and the new market realities, the General Board elected Gerald Smith as president of NPH. He gave a business he owned, Premier Studios, to NPH as part of an agreement to divest himself from a potential conflict of interest — and in doing so to add Premier's digital and video production capabilities to NPH. The new approach for NPH utilizing the Premier Studios business was not as successful as was expected. At the meeting of the General Board in February 2014, Gerald Smith announced that he would not be seeking re-election for a four-year term as president of NPH.

In April, the Board of General Superintendents appointed Jim Van Hook to the position of interim CEO of NPH. Since then, he and the NPH Board have been diligently working on a restructuring plan that will continue to provide Wesleyan-Holiness material, but in a way that addresses the new realities. A part of this restructuring plan included the termination of 36 NPH employees this past Friday. Please join us in prayer for these employees and their families during this very demanding time.

Finally, on July 28, in consultation with the NPH Board, the BGS declared vacant the office of NPH president by removing Gerald Smith from that position. A search committee has been formed, and plans are being made for the securing of new leadership for NPH.

NPH has encountered precarious periods in the past. In 1922, faced with a severe financial crisis, the group responsible for publishing endeavors asked the Board of General Superintendents to intervene in an attempt to save NPH. Led by R. T. Williams, the general superintendents launched a campaign to pay off the debt ($1.3 million in 2014 dollars) and persuaded a young accountant named Mervel S. Lunn to accept a leadership position. God enabled the church to respond, and the crisis was averted. NPH then progressed into some of its greatest days.

Today we are confronted with another critical chapter for NPH. The Board of General Superintendents is doing everything in its power to help the church navigate these difficult waters. With the help of our faithful God, and the support of Nazarenes around the world, we believe another miracle is possible. Please join us in prayer toward that end.

--Board of General Superintendents

Related: "Board of General Superintendents announces major restructuring at NPH"