wfn.org | ELCA Publisher, Churchwide Unit Relationship Improving, Board Told

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 9, 2001

ELCA PUBLISHER, CHURCHWIDE UNIT RELATIONSHIP IMPROVING, BOARD TOLD
01-281-JB

     MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Leaders of Augsburg Fortress, publishing
house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the ELCA
Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) have agreed on a strategy
to improve the working relationship of the two units, according to the
Rev. Marvin L. Roloff, president and chief executive officer of Augsburg
Fortress.
     Roloff offered a progress report of the strategy to the Augsburg
Fortress board of trustees, which met here Oct. 25-27.   A formal
progress report, written by the ELCA Department for Research and
Evaluation, is to be presented the ELCA Church Council when it meets in
Chicago Nov. 9-11.  It summarizes factors affecting the working
relationship and strategies to improve the relationship.
     The strategy, which focuses on planning and the role of resource
management teams, is the result of actions of the DCM board in February
2001 and the ELCA Church Council in April 2001.  The DCM board
authorized the division's executive directors to "investigate
alternative" means of "publishing, producing and distributing resources"
designed to assist congregations in carrying out their ministries.
     The DCM board also requested that the Planning and Evaluation
Committee of the ELCA Church Council "review the relationship between
Augsburg Fortress Publishers and the ELCA churchwide offices,
particularly evaluating the effectiveness of the current partnership
with the Division for Congregational Ministries."
     This spring, the council requested that the ELCA Office of the
Presiding Bishop establish a task force to review the relationships
between Augsburg Fortress and churchwide units, particularly DCM. The
task force will work to determine whether or not the present
relationships best serve the ministries of the ELCA, the council said.
     After a series of meetings of  leaders from both units, Roloff
said, considerable progress has been made to build the relationship of
DCM and Augsburg Fortress.
     "We want this to work," he said of the DCM relationship and
relationships with other ELCA units. "We've made a commitment to make
this work.  Not everything is broken."
     The leaders agreed that education and worship are the top
priorities for Augsburg Fortress and DCM, Roloff said. Resource
management teams, consisting of key people from both units, will make
decisions on budgets, staff and time lines for materials to be produced,
he said.  Working relationships -- who connects with whom from the other
unit -- have been established, Roloff added.
     Both units will emphasize joint market research and analysis,
discussion of priorities and goals, funding and resource allocation, and
limitations, Roloff said.  Leaders of both units will continue their
discussions.  Ongoing issues to be addressed are cost-sharing and
revenue-sharing, efforts to introduce resources and the services
provided by the Augsburg Fortress office in Chicago at the ELCA
churchwide offices, he said.
     "We feel this is a first, right step to take as far as issues with
DCM are concerned," Roloff said.  "I think it's going well, and we've
worked hard to get it this far."
     The board of trustees also discussed or learned about other issues
related to Augsburg Fortress:
     + Augsburg Fortress operations in Canada, which account for a
small portion of the company's overall sales, are to be reviewed.
Augsburg Fortress works cooperatively with Concordia Publishing House of
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, to provide resources to Lutherans in
Canada.  Revenues are "flat," expenses are too high, and the Canadian
operation is losing money, said Bruce Keil, Augsburg Fortress vice
president for operations.
     + Overall Augsburg Fortress inventories are too high, Keil
reported.  The increases in inventory are a result of the company's
effort to establish "strategic business units," which it abandoned when
it reorganized in July.  However, the inventory is "viable" and can be
sold, he said.  Keil said he is working closely with company management
to reduce inventory.
     + Subscription rates for The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA,
will increase $1 to $7.95 annually for those on congregational plans,
reported James M. Huber, publishing director, The Lutheran.  Individual
subscription rates will rise from $13.90 annually to $15.95.
Subscription rates have remained steady the last four years, he said.
The rate increase is needed to meet rising costs, Huber added.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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