Concordia Publishing House
Concordia Publishing House is the official publishing organization of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and a major producer of Lutheran books, worship resources, educational materials, periodicals, and devotional products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the publishing organization affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Established in St. Louis in 1869, it developed from the synod's earlier efforts to control the production and distribution of Lutheran books, Bibles, periodicals, hymnals, and educational materials. It is headquartered at the historic publishing site on South Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, and remains closely connected with the institutional, liturgical, theological, and educational life of the LCMS. The organization serves several overlapping audiences. Its church publishing business supplies hymnals, service books, lectionaries, worship planning materials, liturgical music, theological works, and resources for pastors and congregational leaders. Its education business produces curriculum and teaching materials for Lutheran schools, Sunday schools, congregational programs, and families. Its consumer catalog includes Bible studies, books on Lutheran doctrine and history, children's titles, gifts, music, and devotional literature. Among its best-known products are Portals of Prayer, a widely circulated daily devotional, Arch Books children's Bible-story titles, and the LCMS hymnals The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and Lutheran Service Book. CPH's history reflects the linguistic and theological development of American Lutheranism. The LCMS began as a predominantly German-speaking church body, and CPH initially issued substantial German-language material, including periodicals, hymnals, theological works, and the extensive St. Louis Edition of Martin Luther's collected writings. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, immigration patterns and the growing use of English among LCMS members gradually transformed the catalog. The 1911 merger between the LCMS and the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States brought the American Lutheran Publication Board and The Lutheran Witness into the organization's orbit, accelerating the transition toward English-language publishing. The publisher has also played a role in making historic Lutheran scholarship available to English-speaking readers. Its work has included participation in Luther's Works: The American Edition and publication or translation of writings associated with Martin Chemnitz, Johann Gerhard, C. F. W. Walther, and other Lutheran theologians. Its publishing program has sometimes mirrored debates within the LCMS over biblical interpretation, theological method, church education, and the relationship between confessional Lutheran identity and wider Protestant intellectual currents. During the controversies that contributed to the Seminex crisis, the synod rejected some educational and theological directions associated with CPH materials and later assigned CPH greater responsibility for parish-education publishing. Although its core identity is ecclesiastical rather than general-market, CPH operates as a substantial publishing and distribution enterprise. It has maintained printing, editorial, retail, wholesale, and digital capabilities, and it distributes products through its own website and church-related channels. The company introduced industrial and information technologies over time, including Linotype equipment in the early twentieth century and computer systems in the 1970s. After confronting operational and financial challenges in the late 1990s, it adopted a formal quality-improvement program. That effort was recognized with the Missouri Quality Award in 2009 and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2011, making it the first publisher of any kind to receive the latter recognition. CPH remains active as a specialized Lutheran publisher whose catalog combines worship infrastructure, theological scholarship, congregational education, devotional publishing, and children's literature.
History
The origins of Concordia Publishing House lie in the nineteenth-century efforts of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod to create a dependable and affordable supply of orthodox Lutheran literature. An early publication society established by the synod in 1849 failed after congregations and individuals proved reluctant to finance books in advance. In 1853, C. F. W. Walther and Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis created a separate Bible society, first importing German Bibles and later producing its own editions. The synod subsequently relied on outside printers, including August Wiebusch und Sohn, but this arrangement was unsatisfactory because the printer did not want its presses reserved for synodical work. In the late 1860s, the synod's publishing committee installed a small press on the grounds of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. At its September 1869 convention, the LCMS authorized a permanent typesetting and publishing operation and financed it through interest-free bonds sold to congregations, pastors, teachers, and lay members. The first publishing buildings were dedicated in February 1870 on Miami Street between Jefferson and Indiana avenues, at the site where CPH remains headquartered. Martin C. Barthel, who had operated a bookstore serving as an outlet for LCMS publications, became the manager of the wholesale business. Retail and wholesale operations were consolidated in 1874. The organization expanded its physical plant during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its formal German name, Lutherischer Concordia-Verlag, was adopted by the synod in 1878, while the English name Concordia Publishing House was in use by 1882. The Bible society associated with Walther merged into CPH in 1887. In 1891, the publishing house incorporated as a stock company, although its shares were held in trust by members of its governing board. That same year, an embezzlement scandal involving Barthel led to an investigation, criminal proceedings, and an admission that roughly $50,000 had been misappropriated. The affair helped prompt the LCMS to adopt a more formal corporate structure in 1894. CPH later reorganized as a not-for-profit organization after church-related corporate entities faced federal tax litigation during the Second World War era. Under Martin S. Tirmenstein, who served as general manager from 1891 to 1907, CPH modernized its production operation and displayed its books at major expositions, including the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It installed its first Linotype machine in 1905 and electrified the plant in 1908. German-language publishing remained central for decades. Important periodicals included Der Lutheraner and Lehre und Wehre, while the company issued hymnals, theological works, and the 22-volume St. Louis Edition of Martin Luther's collected writings between 1880 and 1910. The catalog shifted decisively toward English during the first half of the twentieth century. The 1911 merger of the LCMS with the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States brought the American Lutheran Publication Board and The Lutheran Witness into the synod's publishing network. English-language titles increasingly displaced German ones, reflecting the linguistic assimilation of American Lutherans. By the late 1940s, German-language material represented only a small portion of the catalog, although some German works continued into the 1970s. The postwar period was one of significant expansion. CPH employed more than 800 people by 1948 and enlarged its pressroom, bindery, offices, and production facilities. During the 1950s it supported projects intended to make major Lutheran theological works available in English. In partnership with Fortress Press, it helped initiate Luther's Works: The American Edition, publishing the first thirty volumes of the series. It also issued translations and editions associated with Chemnitz, Gerhard, and Walther. Theological controversies within the LCMS affected CPH's educational and scholarly programs. Catalogs in the 1960s and early 1970s reflected engagement with historical criticism, ecumenism, and contemporary Protestant educational approaches. The synod's opposition to these directions contributed to the Seminex controversy and led to the replacement of the Mission:Life curriculum. In 1992, CPH assumed responsibility for developing parish-education materials rather than serving merely as their printer. The company also adopted new production and administrative technologies, installing an IBM computer in 1974. By the late 1990s, CPH faced operational and financial difficulties and began a structured quality-improvement initiative. The program was subsequently recognized by the Missouri Quality Award in 2009 and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2011. Today, CPH remains the official publishing arm of the LCMS, producing resources for worship, congregational ministry, Lutheran schools, families, theological study, devotional practice, and children. Its best-known continuing offerings include The Lutheran Witness, Portals of Prayer, Arch Books, and successive LCMS hymnals.
- 2006
Lutheran Service Book is published
[1]CPH issued Lutheran Service Book, a principal contemporary hymnal and service book for the LCMS.
- 1992
CPH assumes parish-education development responsibility
[1]The publisher became responsible for developing parish-education materials rather than simply printing them.
- 1982
Lutheran Worship is published
[1]CPH published Lutheran Worship as a major LCMS hymnal and worship resource.
- 1974
CPH installs an IBM computer
[1]The company adopted early computerized business and production technology.
- 1941
The Lutheran Hymnal is published
[1]CPH issued The Lutheran Hymnal, one of the major twentieth-century worship books associated with the LCMS.
- 1911
English Lutheran publishing assets enter the LCMS network
[1]The LCMS merger with the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod brought the American Lutheran Publication Board and The Lutheran Witness.
- 1891
CPH incorporates and faces an embezzlement scandal
[1]The organization incorporated as a stock company, while an audit led to criminal proceedings against general manager Martin C. Barthel.
- 1887
Bible society merges into CPH
[1]The Bible society founded by Walther was merged into the publishing house.
- 1878
German corporate name is formally adopted
[1]The synod formally recognized the name Lutherischer Concordia-Verlag.
- 1870
First CPH building is dedicated
[1]The first publishing building opened on Miami Street in St. Louis.
Products and positioning
A confessional Lutheran publishing house serving the LCMS and related congregational, educational, theological, and household markets. Its positioning combines denominational authority, historic Lutheran scholarship, practical church resources, and accessible devotional and children's publishing.
Daily devotional
Portals of Prayer
A recurring daily devotional resource built around short readings, prayers, and reflections from a Lutheran perspective. It is designed for personal and household use and has become one of CPH's most widely distributed continuing products.
Religious periodical · 1911
The Lutheran Witness
The official monthly magazine of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. It reports on synod life and Lutheran congregations while providing religious commentary, ministry coverage, and denominational communication.
Children's religious books
Arch Books
An extensive series of illustrated children's books presenting Bible stories and Christian themes in accessible formats. The series has been distributed in millions of copies and is a major part of CPH's family and children's catalog.
Hymnal and worship book · 1941
The Lutheran Hymnal
The LCMS hymnal published by CPH in 1941. It provided congregations with hymns, liturgical orders, and related worship material and remained an influential English-language Lutheran worship resource.
Hymnal and worship book · 1982
Lutheran Worship
A 1982 LCMS hymnal and service resource that represented a later stage in the development of English-language Lutheran congregational worship materials.
Hymnal and worship book · 2006
Lutheran Service Book
Published in 2006, this hymnal and service book supplies liturgical orders, hymns, prayers, and worship resources for LCMS congregations and related Lutheran users.
Theological reference series
Luther's Works: The American Edition
A major English-language edition of Martin Luther's writings developed jointly with Fortress Press. CPH published volumes 1 through 30, focused on Luther's exegetical writings, with Jaroslav Pelikan serving as general editor for the CPH portion.
German theological series · 1880
St. Louis Edition of Martin Luther's Complete Writings
A 22-volume German-language edition of Martin Luther's collected writings published between 1880 and 1910. It was one of CPH's largest scholarly undertakings during its German-language period.
Controversies
1891
Barthel embezzlement case
After an unauthorized check was discovered, an audit identified irregularities involving CPH general manager Martin C. Barthel and his son. Barthel was later indicted and admitted that he had embezzled approximately $50,000 over a period of years. The case received coverage in the publishing trade press and contributed to subsequent changes in LCMS and CPH incorporation and governance.
Brand decisions
2009
Formalize quality-improvement operationsStrategyBackground
Operational and financial difficulties in the late 1990s led CPH to pursue a structured improvement program.
Action taken
The organization implemented a quality-improvement approach focused on business performance and organizational processes.
Aftermath
The program was recognized by the Missouri Quality Award in 2009 and preceded CPH's 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
1992
Take direct responsibility for parish-education materialsStrategyBackground
The LCMS had experienced controversy over educational materials and the theological direction of earlier curriculum programs.
Action taken
CPH became responsible for developing parish-education materials rather than functioning only as the printer.
Aftermath
The change strengthened CPH's role in the LCMS curriculum and congregational-education system.
1911
Accelerate English-language publishingStrategyBackground
The LCMS was becoming increasingly English-speaking, while the existing CPH catalog remained heavily German-language.
Action taken
Following the LCMS merger with the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States, CPH incorporated the American Lutheran Publication Board's publishing assets and expanded English-language resources, including The Lutheran Witness.
Aftermath
English titles became the dominant part of the catalog during the first half of the twentieth century, while German publishing declined.
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