David C Cook is a good home for Standard Publishing.Īt the time of the acquisition, a number of Standard Publishing employees-including individuals from the leadership team, product development, design, marketing, and sales-were invited to join David C Cook’s ministry. Today David C Cook publishes and distributes leadership, discipleship, and worship resources around the world. In 1875 (closely paralleling the beginnings of Standard Publishing) David Caleb Cook, the company’s founder, began publishing lessons and songs for local churches to use in ministering to children. The company’s brand name was part of the acquisition, thus making Standard Publishing part of the David C Cook family. In 2015 David C Cook, a nonprofit Christian publishing organization, acquired Standard Lesson Commentary® and Quarterly adult materials, Sunday school curriculum for children and teens, and other church resources.
Many of the products are still being published (including, of course, Christian Standard and +The Lookout Bible study material, which are now owned by Christian Standard Media, a nonprofit entity). From 2015 to 2017, various product lines (including books, stickers, VBS curriculum, and magazines) were purchased by other companies.
#Christian faith publishing series
Over the years, Standard Publishing (the company) went through a series of sales and acquisitions. So, what happened? What became of Standard Publishing? Let’s examine this through the same three lenses: people, purpose, and products. The watchword that guided everything produced was “True to the Bible!” These products had a single purpose: raise a standard and tell the good news of Jesus Christ to people around the world. A line of Christian books (again for all age levels) expanded rapidly. Key to Christian Education magazine, filmstrips, and other resources later added to the training. Training for leaders and teachers came first via a small but important book titled Training for Service. Vacation Bible School programs were planned and published yearly. Take-home papers were created to help parents guide their children spiritually. Soon the company offered Sunday school curriculum for all age levels, children through adult. As the Sunday school movement grew in America, so did the number of products developed by Standard Publishing. Girlhood Days and Boy’s Life for children soon followed. From this small beginning, Standard Publishing was born, officially incorporated in 1872.ĭuring the 1870s came Standard’s first published Uniform Lessons for adult Bible study. The name was inspired by a phrase found in Jeremiah 50:2: “Set up a standard publish, and conceal not” (King James Version). The first issue of Christian Standard was published on April 7, 1866. The journal would unite and give help to leaders of churches that were part of the Restoration Movement (which started in the early 1800s). The purpose of that first meeting was to launch a journal that would focus on New Testament Christianity and its teachings. The employees became a family that supported each other and the company they served.
Welshimer were some of the early publishers and contributors. The people who became leaders of Standard Publishing in the years that followed are notable and numerous. Out of this meeting a publishing association was both formed and funded. They were passionate about teaching the truths of God’s Word. The group included doctors, lawyers, educators, and preachers. Phillips, a well-known businessman from New Castle, Pa. In December 1865 a group of leaders met in the home of T.W. Let’s take a moment to think about how most people remember Standard Publishing, which provided curriculum and products that many of us who were raised in Christian churches and churches of Christ grew up with. Me (my mind briefly wondering if anything is the same as it used to be): No. Standard Publishing is still standing strong.įriend: But it’s not what it used to be, right? Me (my stomach muscles tightening, and my heart beating a little faster): Yes. I’m still editing and helping with Standard Publishing’s HeartShaper curriculum.įriend: Standard Publishing? I didn’t know that even existed anymore. Often when I meet someone I haven’t seen for a while, the conversation goes something like this: