About us
Methodist Publishing produces resources to support the Methodist Church in its mission and ministry. It was established by the Methodist Conference in 2009 and continues the long tradition of publishing set in motion by John Wesley. The resources it produces:
- Reflect Our Calling and the Priorities for the Methodist Church.
- Highlight and develop the charisms of Methodism.
- Supply core Methodist Church needs.
- Meet the requirements of the Methodist Conference.
Its publications include the Methodist Prayer Handbook, Methodist Diary, Annual Membership Ticket, Minutes of the Annual Conference and Directory (not for general sale), Constitutional Practice and Discipline, The Methodist Worship Book, the Easter Offering and Junior Mission for All (JMA) fundraising materials.
Proposals for new publications are considered by a Publishing Board, chaired by the Secretary of the Conference. The Board is regularly approached to publish, or offer various levels of support to, unsolicited proposals, or to review and promote theological resources by Methodist authors published elsewhere in the Christian book trade. However, Methodist Publishing is not a ‘publishing house’, and the publishing services team no longer publishes books that may be of wider interest and commercial value, but are not part of a specific campaign or programme of work for the Church.
Please note that:
- The Board will not consider publishing unsolicited manuscripts submitted directly by authors outside the Connexional Team.
- The Board are unable to offer support for any proposal that is of interest to an outside publishing house, whether or not they are seeking financial assistance from the Methodist Church to publish, that was not developed in partnership in the course of the work of the Connexional Team. The Board do not feel they should support any publication the exact content of which is as yet unknown.
- The Board are mindful of the commercial value an endorsement by ‘the Methodist Church’ could have and so intend to decline to show support for any publications submitted purely ‘for review’.
The publishing services team is part of the Connexional Team at Methodist Church House.
Its order fulfilment service is managed by Norwich Books and Music, a division of Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd. Norwich Books and Music is the country's foremost provider of specialist distribution services to Christian publishers and Churches. Based in modern premises in Norwich, the company also distributes publications for the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, Canterbury Press, the Royal School of Church Music and a number of other Christian publishers.