LifeWay Christian Resources' publishing arm has been buoyed by a number of recent best-sellers

Buoyed by a number of recent best-sellers, B&H Publishing Group has seen an “incredible turnaround,” according to its parent company, LifeWay Christian Resources (LCR) publishing arm.

During LifeWay's trustees meeting Aug, 27-28 at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, N.C., Thom Rainer, president of LCR, told the group that he was encouraged with "the incredible turnaround of B&H Publishing Group, which was once an afterthought but is now a strategic part of our organization," Baptist Press (BP) reported.

B&H Publishing has released a number of best-sellers in the last year, including The Resolution for Men by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, and The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer—both tie-ins to the faith-based police drama Courageous.

B&H also recently launched B&H Kids, a new children’s imprint. Releasing this fall, the first titles will feature two film tie-ins, including Firebird by Brent McCorkle and Amy Parker (October)—a story featured in the movie Unconditional, released last month. The other tie-in is Courageous Teens by Michael Catt and Amy Parker, released in September and the latest in a string of products based on the 2011 Sherwood Pictures movie, Courageous.

Rainer cited the "incredible success" of the launch of the new, three-year Gospel Project Bible study curriculum, which examines the larger narrative of the Scriptures and how the gospel changes lives. The first quarter was in its fourth printing at press time, and it is “very likely that half a million people will be engaged in The Gospel Project by the spring,” said Ed Stetzer, general editor the curriculum.

"We're not going to stop with the Gospel Project," Rainer said. "We're planning other curriculum launches and relaunches. We're not going to be satisfied until we've brought curricula to the bride of Christ that is deeper and more relevant to churches and individuals."

Meanwhile, LifeWay's trustees passed a motion to continue selling the updated New International Version (NIV) Bible in its LifeWay stores. The action was in response to a motion referred by the Southern Baptist Convention this summer requesting that LifeWay reconsider its decision in February, following an exhaustive study, to continue selling the NIV 2011 translation, BP reported.

"Our decision to sell the 2011 NIV does not constitute an endorsement of it,” board chairman Adam Greenway, who chaired the study committee, told trustees. “We endorse what we publish, and we publish and endorse the HCSB [Holman Christian Standard Bible]."

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