Power of the Press

Early missionary’s story leads to publishing powerhouse

"We are working the power of the press for the kingdom of Christ, and hoping all the while to pitch our plans on a larger scale—a scale more commensurate with the opportunities and abilities and responsibilities of the Baptists of the South." —James M. Frost

Through its publishing imprint B&H Publishing Group, Lifeway is closely associated with Christian books, but that wasn’t always the case. At its founding, the organization was barred from publishing books. For the first few years after the founding of the Sunday School Board in 1891, the Board maintained the commitment to avoid the book industry. That all changed in 1897, when then Board President James M. Frost became inspired by a missionary’s story.

The Story of Yates

Missionary bio opens door to book publishing

Matthew Tyson Yates was one of the first missionaries appointed to China by the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) where he served for 42 years. Deeply moved by Yates’ story, James M. Frost decided to publish the book The Story of Yates the Missionary in 1898—without permission from the Southern Baptist Convention, but with approval from the Board’s trustees.

“It was a book which for every consideration should be published,” wrote Frost, “especially by Southern Baptists.”

Frost’s risk paid off. Despite some objections, the Convention unanimously adopted a report at the 1898 annual meeting requesting the Sunday School Board be given the freedom to publish more than Sunday school curriculum. The publication of the Yates book brought book publishing to the forefront of the Board’s ministry.

An Imprint is Born

Board launches Broadman Press

It was not until 1910 that the Southern Baptist Convention officially authorized the Sunday School Board to publish books. Slowly, book publishing became more prominent at the Board. In 1922, the Book Publishing Department was established. And in 1933, the Board launched Broadman Press.

Broadman Press continued to serve as the book publishing arm of the Board until 1992, when it merged with Broadman Supplies and Holman Bible Publishing to form Broadman & Holman, later shortened to B&H Publishing Group. The combining took place as Holman marked its 250th anniversary and Broadman had established decades of successful publishing.

Publishing Success

Championship golfer drives B&H to best-seller list

In 2000, B&H found itself for the first time on The New York Times best-seller list with Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography. The book, detailing the career of the championship golfer who died in a plane crash, spent 13 weeks on the coveted list. Other B&H books have followed. In 2008 The Love Dare, by filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, reached No. 1 and spent more than 130 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. Others have included The Resolution for Men, Fervent, and Unashamed. B&H books have also enjoyed significant success in the Christian market. Former Lifeway President Thom S. Rainer has topped the Christian Booksellers Association list with multiple books, including I Am a Church Member.

B&H Today

Becoming a leader in Christian publishing

B&H Publishing Group has emerged as a leading Christian book publisher and has expanded to include Bibles, Christian living, kids, academic, Spanish-language, and a host of other books. That’s a long way from publishing one missionary’s story without permission. Just as The Story of Yates inspired a generation to support missions, B&H publications equip believers to live on mission and share the transformational power of the gospel with people around the world.

More Than a Bookstore

Shining a light in local communities

“Among the various ventures of the Sunday School Board, none is more interesting and far-reaching in its possibilities than this chain system for supplying our people with good books.” — Isaac J. Van Ness, President, 1917 – 1935

What began as a small shop in Louisville, Kentucky, expanded to more than 170 stores nationwide by 2019, making Lifeway Christian Stores one of the largest Christian bookstore chains in the United States. For almost a century, Lifeway Christian Stores served as lighthouses in their communities, providing a trustworthy place for people to find hope, comfort, and biblical solutions for every stage of life. From the beginning, stores were seen as ministry centers to aid in the work of local churches.

By coming alongside individuals, families, and churches as they seek to know and serve God, Lifeway provides biblical solutions that spiritually transform lives and communities.

Solid Progress

From Baptist Book Concern to Lifeway Christian Stores

In 1925, the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay) purchased the Baptist Book Concern (est. 1890) in Louisville and changed the name to Baptist Book Store. That store became the first fully owned bookstore in the chain. Over the years, the Board expanded its reach through stores in cities and towns across the nation.

Baptist Book Stores became Lifeway Christian Stores in 1999, conducting business through retail stores, online, catalog, and direct sales.

Lifeway Christian Stores have changed over the decades, moving from brick-and-mortar locations to a robust online store that reaches customers around the world. Today, Lifeway continues to serve churches and individuals with a wide range of resources through multiple channels, including LifeWay.com, our Customer Service Center, regional and national events, and a number of retail partners. Lifeway assists millions of customers every year, providing Bibles, books, Bible studies, reference tools, children’s products, Christian music and movies, gifts, and church supplies.

Even Keel

Sunday School Board weathers tough financial years

"This brief period has carried us through the depths of a nationwide depression to the peak of a worldwide war. This has been a decade to try the souls of men and test our faith in God. We have found His grace sufficient." —T. Luther Holcomb, Lifeway president, 1945

In the summer of 1928, business was booming for the Sunday School Board. Receipts were up, having reached $1.9 million, the equivalent of more than $26 million today. At the end of the fiscal year, there was enough left over to fund half a million dollars of denominational ministry.

A year later, income dropped by $45,000, the first decline in nearly four decades. It was a sign of things to come.

Stability Amid Panic

Focus on ministry sustains Board through lean times

While businesses everywhere were failing and financial panic had reached around the world, the Sunday School Board remained stable. The loss of revenue led to cutbacks—fewer books published—and counting every penny. Despite those challenges, the staff remained committed to the ministry and optimistic for the future. Writers and editors found creative ways to encourage readers to keep the faith during the long years of the Depression. The staff launched a new worship music department, started new publications, published a guide to building new churches, distributed millions of evangelistic tracts, and trained hundreds of thousands of Sunday school workers.

The Board was able to survive and grow. Its leaders valued mission more than money. They still funded ministry for the denomination and kept vital programs going despite the nation’s hard times.

War Clouds Gather

Employees Keep Calm and Carry On

The Sunday School Board continued to thrive, even after the outbreak of World War II. By 1945 receipts had doubled—despite wartime shortages of paper, book cloth, stamping foil, ink, and type metal. Employees adapted to the paper rationing by limiting the number of pages in periodicals and publishing curriculum without covers for one quarter.

Wartime circumstances required new resources. The Board published On the March with the Master, a devotional with daily Scripture readings, and the quarterly publication On Duty for God and Country, along with more than a dozen books for those in military service. Books, tracts, Bibles, and other supplies shipped to chaplains around the world.

As the war ended, the Board began to plan for the future. Among its concerns—meeting the spiritual needs of a post-war world.

A Biblical Approach to Sex and Purity

Youth movement sparks national conversation

"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to be sexually abstinent from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship."

LifeWay’s True Love Waits began in a local church and steadily spread to teenagers across the nation and ultimately around the world. In February 1993, youth at Tulip Grove Baptist Church in Nashville committed themselves to sexual abstinence before marriage. In the weeks that followed, True Love Waits gained national attention and changed the conversation about teenage sex and abstinence. In July 1994, True Love Waits volunteers displayed 210,000 commitment cards on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In the 20 years since, millions of teenagers have made pledges to remain sexually pure.

Beyond Borders

True Love Waits makes worldwide impact

The True Love Waits movement has impacted countless lives by its message of purity in a culture that emphasizes the opposite. Not only has the movement made a difference in the lives of American teens, True Love Waits has spread to more than 100 countries around the world. Missionaries Larry and Sharon Pumpelly introduced True Love Wait in Uganda in 1994. It became a catalyst for bringing people together to address the AIDS problem in that nation. The Pumpellys helped spread the message of abstinence and biblical purity to other countries across the continent. In some African nations, it has helped make strides in controlling the AIDS epidemic.

More Than the Wait

Students find true identity in Christ

Building on the legacy of True Love Waits, Lifeway relaunched the program in 2014 with a new resource called The True Love Project. The core message of True Love Waits has always been that "purity is possible because of Jesus and is for Jesus." The True Love Project brings that to the forefront. New resources continue to ground students' concept of love in their identity in Christ.

In the midst of a culture that is sex-saturated, today's generation needs to see how the gospel impacts their purity and how their choices in purity are about more than their sexual decisions.

Whether on the national stage, a village in Uganda, or a classroom at a local church, True Love Waits has always had one message at its core—only Jesus can make a person pure.