In a recent meeting of the Board of General Superintendents (BGS), a decision was made to place an interim chief executive officer (CEO) at Nazarene Publishing House.

"I am pleased to announce that Jim Van Hook, retired founder and president of Brentwood Music, former Benson Company executive, and dean of the Music Business College at Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee, has accepted the invitation of the BGS to serve as the interim CEO of NPH," said BGS Chair David W. Graves. "The general superintendents decided that it is in the best interests of NPH to put an interim leader in charge of the 102-year-old publishing ministry of the Church of the Nazarene."

Van Hook will assume the interim CEO appointment effective Thursday, May 1.

"While I am fully aware that we face significant challenges, I am also confident of the potential contributions that the Publishing House can make to the Kingdom through the Church of the Nazarene," Van Hook said. "It is an honor and a privilege to respond to this opportunity to serve."

The move follows the announcement at the 91st General Board Session in February that the current president, Gerald Smith, would not be seeking re-election to that office.

The General Board Executive Committee met by conference call on April 25 to discuss the NPH matter and receive an update from the BGS chair.

"After a presentation by David Graves, the Executive Committee of the General Board voted to concur with the BGS plan to move in this direction," said Judge Charles Davis Jr., president of the General Board. "We appreciate the general superintendents taking that step and support them as we move through this important transition at NPH."

The BGS met frequently over recent months with the NPH Board chair, Brad R. Moore, and others, seeking to find solutions to the challenges facing NPH that are similar to those currently confronting denominational and mass market publishers in the USA.

In 2013 the BGS approved conducting a financial and legal review to examine the situation at NPH. The results of the review were received by the BGS at the end of 2013.

"In spite of incurring operating losses for several years, no World Evangelism Funds have been used to offset those losses at NPH," Graves said.

The NPH Board recently articulated and reaffirmed that the primary mission of NPH should continue to be providing Wesleyan-Holiness books and curriculum for the Church of the Nazarene. That focus changes the need for the expertise of Premier Studios LLC.

Negotiations are underway to determine how best to conclude the business relationship between NPH and Premier LLC.

Here is a transition timeline issued by the BGS:

Step 1

• A search committee was recently appointed to identify candidates for a new president and CEO of NPH. Its first meeting was held on April 2. That committee includes the BGS chair, David W. Graves; the BGS secretary, David A. Busic; the General Board president, Judge Charles A. Davis Jr.; and the NPH Board chair, Brad R. Moore.

• The interim CEO's time of service will coincide with the search process. The BGS chair will have supervision of the interim CEO since the head of NPH is to be amenable to the general superintendent in jurisdiction (Manual 338.5).

Step 2

• The BGS also voted to retain an executive recruiter to assist in the search, pending a determination as to responsibilities of the NPH president/CEO. The executive recruiter will report to the BGS chair and be under the general supervision of the search committee. A search could take up to six months, underscoring the need for an interim CEO. The General Board Executive Committee voted to support this decision as well.

Step 3

• When candidates are identified by the executive recruiter and approved by the search committee, the recommendation(s) will go to the NPH President Nominating Committee. This committee is comprised of all six members of the Board of General Superintendents, three members of the General Board Executive Committee, and three members of the NPH corporate board (Manual 338.5).

• The nominating committee will review the pertinent information and references, conduct interviews, and send one or more names to the General Board, which will then vote on the new NPH president (Manual 335.19).

Step 4

• The responsibility for the election of a new NPH president/CEO belongs to the General Board. That election is administered by the Office of the General Secretary. When the ballots are tabulated and an election is declared, an announcement will be made by the BGS on NCN News.

Speaking on behalf of the Board of General Superintendents, Graves issued the following statement:

"The BGS wants the church to have confidence in the election and governance processes by our being transparent and accountable to the denomination in these matters.

"For more than four generations NPH has played a key role in making Christlike disciples in the nations by helping Nazarenes share the gospel of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness around the world.

"We ask for your prayers during these days of decision-making as to the future of Nazarene Publishing House. More than anything, we want God's will to be done."

Comments or questions about this news release should be sent to bgs@nazarene.org.
--Board of General Superintendents