By Jordan M. Tew, Executive Director
It is my pleasure to share this annual report with the local churches of the BMA of America. I want to say thank you for allowing me to serve as the executive director of your Baptist Publishing House. It is my joy and privilege to minister in this capacity. As I begin this report, I want to reaffirm my commitment to the BMA Doctrinal Statement and the Principles of Cooperation.
Colossians 3:16 begins with the phrase: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” I believe the outcome for everything we do at Baptist Publishing House should be for the Word of Christ to dwell richly in the hearts of
believers. The Bible does not speak of Christ’s Word dwelling lightly or casually within us, but richly. Therefore, we aim to provide resources that are rich in Scripture and rich in doctrine.
Our goal is to provide churches with the highest quality Sunday school and children’s ministry curriculum, discipleship and evangelism supplies, and other church resources such as our doctrinal statement, church manuals, and historical BMA books. We resource the local church.
I would like to share some of the past year’s milestones as well as future plans with you. It is important for local churches to know what we have. I want to give an update on our products:
• DiscipleWay en Español — This year, we have seen a handful of books come off the presses. Most exciting to me is the printing of DiscipleWay in Spanish. Over the past few years, these books had become difficult to keep in stock. Further, the print quality was not very good. To fix these problems, we had to rework and reprint the books. Thanks to the support of BMA churches, we are able to offer these books free of charge to those who cannot afford this curriculum.
DiscipleWay in Spanish is used in churches throughout Latin America and in Spanish speaking churches in the U.S. Further, it is required reading for some seminary classes. By making this easily available and affordable, we have been able to support the ministries of local churches and the preparation of pastors.
• Brief Studies in Christian Doctrines — In 1957, Dr. J.E. Cobb wrote a book titled Brief Studies in Christian Doctrines. The book was revised later by Dr. James Silvey and served BMA churches, pastors and college classrooms well for many years. However, the book was last printed in 2003 and remained out of print for 22 years. In January of 2025, Brief Studies in Christian Doctrines received a new cover, and the title was updated to Baptist Doctrine, a simple title that reflects the longstanding and reliable truths we believe. I am excited to share that this book remains unchanged on the inside and is now available for people to read once again.
• DiscipleKidz and Student Ministry Curriculum — DiscipleKidz is almost completely finished! The development and writing of our new children’s curriculum has taken nearly four years. I am pleased to share that the third and final book is being assembled and will be available soon. Once this book is released, our people will have access to over 150 lessons that cover the entire Bible, clearly present the gospel, and are designed to be used by any size church.
A curriculum for 7-12 grade is also in the developmental phase, and the goal is to have a draft ready by the end of the year. This resource will reflect our commitment to Bible study, evangelism and discipleship.
• Sunday School Quarterlies — Producing Sunday School curriculum each quarter is our single greatest task. This past year, we released studies on Mark 5-10, I Corinthians 12-14 (Spiritual Gifts), Mark 11-16 and the Psalms of Asaph. This year, we will be offering studies on the Doctrine of the Resurrection, The Epistles of John, Colossians and Exodus. The Lord has blessed us with phenomenal writers, and I am grateful for them.
This has been a year of development for Baptist Publishing House. I would like to share some details on the overall health of this ministry:
• We have developed several new writers. Each one has gone through several months of training and writing to become a curriculum writer. One of the most exciting things about the writers we are adding is that they are all pastors of BMA churches. I believe this will only strengthen our connection to local churches, which is very important to me.
• We have developed better processes for ensuring our products reflect biblical and grammatical accuracy. The biggest change we have made is adding a dedicated proofreader to our editorial team. In publishing, mistakes are bound to happen. However, we want to minimize those as much as possible.
• We have developed greater financial security. This year, we received another good and clean financial audit. Our financial resources continue to grow as churches continue to support this ministry on a regular basis. Because of this, I am pleased to say that all of our bills are paid, and we have been able to add some to savings. Without the support of BMA churches, we would not be here. Thank you for standing behind us by using BMA curriculum, giving monthly and taking part in our annual Day of Sharing.
Finally, I want to share my heart regarding the relationships we aim to foster with churches and other BMA ministries. We are completely committed to the local church. Everything we write and produce is intended to support the beliefs and mission of BMA churches. We believe Jesus instituted the local church, and He has chosen to use it to fulfill His Great Commission through it. Therefore, we want to maintain a strong relationship with pastors and churches. I am always willing to hear your questions, concerns or suggestions.
We want to work alongside and support other BMA departments such as BMA Seminary, BMA Global, Lifeword, Daniel Springs Camp and BMA Financial; BMA colleges such as Jacksonville College, Central Baptist College, and Southeastern Baptist College; and BMA Auxiliaries such as Sunbeams, Galileans, WMA, and Brotherhood. We are here to help you to the best of our abilities, as you have need.
We also want to continue building relationships with BMA churches in other countries, missionaries and church planters. Our publications are available to them, and we stand ready to support them as they make disciples of all nations. May the Lord be honored and glorified in all we do!
Recommendations
• We recommend the adoption of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-2026.
• We recommend that the Executive Director be paid a salary of $62,987. Benefits include one-half of Social Security, $250 per month for healthcare expense reimbursement, retirement at 6% of salary, and travel reimbursement.
• We recommend that $11,000 of the Executive Director’s salary be designated as a housing allowance.
• We recommend that Jordan Tew stand as nominee for Executive Director.
