As The Christian Science Publishing Society prepares to take its next steps forward, it is helpful to pause in gratitude for the great progress already made, such as remarkable progress in the adoption of digital and Web-based publishing. Today online subscribers to The Christian Science Journal, Sentinel, and Herald throughout the world have immediate access both to today’s periodicals and all past issues. And access to a variety of formats of the Bible Lesson is also just a click away.
At the same time, The Christian Science Monitor now reaches a larger readership than at any time in its history. Many millions around the world read its insightful coverage online, and in doing so, many are introduced to the idea of “Christian Science” for the first time. One of these readers recently wrote to us: “I thought ‘Christian Science Monitor’ would be some extremist, ridiculous thing denouncing science and coming up with its own version of events, driven by its own agenda. I expected this website to be absolutely nutty. However, I think you guys have an absolutely fantastic, accurate website with uncompromising integrity. Better than mainstream media.” Active engagement with, and appreciation for, the publications of our Church by readers, subscribers, and advertisers, has contributed to reducing the annual Publishing Society operating deficit by more than two thirds.
While much remains to be accomplished, we feel this remarkable progress has been the result of a consecrated focus on the spiritual purpose given to each of our publications by its Founder, Mary Baker Eddy. Those working in the Publishing Society, as well as those writing for our publications, show a daily commitment to feeding the spiritual hunger of our readers and the world, and we are enormously grateful to them.
We also recognize that this progress would not have been possible without the strong working relationship that exists between our Church and its publishing arm. After all, Mrs. Eddy made clear to early workers in our Church, that “she had not wanted to set up a separate trust to conduct the church’s publishing activities but had been forced to take this step by the then-existing statutory limitations on the earnings of a church” (see Robert Peel, Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority, p. 417). Over the years of our Church’s history, the configuration and level of managerial involvement of the Trustees have varied greatly, but the unity between the Church and her Publishing Society has grown steadily stronger. We feel that valuing the spiritual purpose of our publications has been the driving engine behind the financial progress we’ve seen.
Over the last several months, the Christian Science Board of Directors and Board of Trustees have been praying deeply together about the next steps forward to strengthen the unique mission of our periodicals to answer the world’s cry for Christ-healing. The Trustees, who have been working full time but largely remotely, recognized a more efficient and effective way of meeting current management needs would be to have Trustees located in Boston who could be readily available when needs arise but overall could take a more part-time approach to the work. Therefore our dear friends and colleagues, Judy Wolff of Virginia and Linda Kohler of Vermont, chose to step down from the Board of Trustees in order to make such an arrangement possible.
The Trustees elected Margaret Rogers, who also serves as a Director, and Lyon Osborn, who serves as Treasurer and also brings extensive experience as a former Manager of the Publishing Society, to join Scott Preller on the Board of Trustees. Because much of the work of the Trustees involves communication between managers and the Directors, having these three officers of the Church serving at this transitional time in the publishing industry will help streamline the management of the Publishing Society and further strengthen its working relationship with the Church. This structure will also enable the Trustees to focus more on exploring the publishing partnership that Mrs. Eddy established between the Publishing Society and Christian Scientists throughout the world. We look forward to better understanding the role members have in promoting Christian Science through our publications.
Words can scarcely begin to express our deep thanks to Judy for her more than seven years and to Linda for her two and a half years of devoted service to the Publishing Society. They, along with former Trustee Michael Pabst, have worked diligently to improve all of our products and have focused particularly on improving access to those products in our international fields. Their dedication to enlivening the music available in our churches has been invaluable in developing the expanded Hymnal Supplement, which the Publishing Society expects to release sometime in 2015. We know our entire Church family will join us in thanking Judy and Linda for their unwavering devotion to promoting Christian Science.
With gratitude,
Scott, Margaret, and Lyon
Board of Trustees, effective February 1, 2014
