ELCA Publishing House to Focus on Children

AUGSBURG FORTRESS FOCUS ON CHILDREN

The Board of Trustees of Augsburg Fortress
Publishers put special emphasis
on children's ministries at its meeting Oct. 9-11
in Minneapolis. Augsburg
Fortress, Minneapolis, is the publishing house of
the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. The board discussed "the
place of children in our
society and culture today" with Dr. David Walsh,
executive director for the
National Institute on Media and the Family,
Minneapolis. Walsh said he
encourages parents to take responsibility for
their children's television
viewing habits and video and computer game
playing. He pointed to a
variety of indicators that children are at risk,
including high teen
pregnancy rates and rising use of marijuana.
Walsh took the board through
a presentation on brain development and its
relation to violent media.
"The path to responsible media habits is
education," Walsh said. The Rev.
Marvin Roloff, president of Augsburg Fortress
Publishers, reported a "major
transition in the book program." The publishing
house offers Augsburg
Books for general readers and Fortress Press for
academic, clergy and
professional leaders. Augsburg Fortress has
consolidated the entire book
program into a single business unit under a new
book director, Dr. Henry F.
French. The book lines have "maintained a strong
reputation with their
audiences," but Roloff pointed out two concerns:
"profit margins and
customers requesting a stronger emphasis on books
targeted for Lutheran
audiences with Lutheran authors." Two advisory
panels on books have been
held since 1995.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or
NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html