Mennonite Weekly Review

Six years after a nearly crippling $5.1 million debt became widely known, Mennonite Publishing Network retired the debt with a final payment to creditors Aug. 2.

MPN executive director Ron Rempel said that with interest, the payments amounted to nearly $6 million.

MPN is the publishing arm of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada.

Rempel said the debt was retired from a variety of sources. About 20 percent of the funds came from donations, 27 percent from MPN’s operational earnings and 53 percent from the sale of the Provident Bookstores chain, which was completed this summer.

In a commentary published in the Sept. 18 issue of The Mennonite, Rempel thanked the donors, customers, church leaders and publishing staff who helped MPN overcome its financial straits.

Rempel said now that the debt is retired, MPN — which publishes under the Herald Press and Faith & Life Resources imprints — can pursue new marketing and promotional strategies that he believes will help the network’s success continue.

Part of that strategy includes emphasizing MPN’s products to the supporting denominations themselves, as well as to commercial and direct-sale customers online.

“One of our [new] frontiers is just being more present to customers both in the church and beyond,” Rempel said in an interview Sept. 21. “We’re essentially a publishing company, but at the same time … with some plans to create a more robust and customer friendly Internet presence.”

Part of this online presence will take the form of a [database and e-commerce site] (http://store.mpn.net/) managed by MPN. It features all the resources, from books to videos to mission tools, offered by MC USA. MPN also lists all of its products on a similar e-commerce site managed by MC Canada.

In addition to featuring these items, MPN also will offer a “browse and buy” option for congregations exploring which resources might be best for their needs.