Ada, Mich. (September 8, 2026)—Baker Publishing Group is celebrating two 2026 Carol Award wins from the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), with Bethany House author Gabrielle Meyer and Revell author Suzanne Woods Fisher both honored this year. The winners were announced during the Awards Gala at ACFW’s annual conference on Saturday, August 29, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Meyer won in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category for Every Hour Until Then (Bethany House), edited by Jessica Sharpe. The novel is part of Meyer’s Timeless series, which follows characters who live parallel lives across two different historical eras; the series has sold more than 100,000 copies to date. Meyer is also a Christy Award winner.

Fisher won in the Contemporary category for Capture the Moment (Revell), edited by Andrea Doering. Set at Acadia National Park, the novel is part of Fisher’s National Parks Summers series. Fisher is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty books, with over 1.5 million copies sold across her contemporary and Amish fiction titles.

Three additional Bethany House titles were named finalists: A Song in the Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse (Historical Romance), A Star in the West, part of the On a Midnight Clear novella collection, by Karen Witemeyer (Novella), and Hearts in Circulation by Sarah Monzon (Romance).

The Carol Awards are ACFW’s annual recognition of the best Christian fiction published in the previous calendar year, spanning eleven categories and open to both traditionally published and independently published titles. The award is named for Carol Johnson, the longtime Bethany House editorial director credited with launching Janette Oke’s career and championing Christian fiction throughout her tenure in the industry.

Meyer’s next Timeless novel, Echoes of Yesterday, releases in May 2027 from Bethany House. Fisher returns to her Doctor to the Amish series with A Plain Confession, releasing October 20, 2026, from Revell.

Bethany House seeks to uplift readers’ families, faith, and free time with our library of industry-leading fiction and bestselling, Christ-centered nonfiction.

Revell publishes books that help bring the Christian faith to everyday life. Whether through fiction, Christian living, self-help, marriage, family, or youth resources, each Revell publication reflects relevance, integrity, and excellence.

Contact:
Emily Vest
616.676.9185 x 160
evest@bakerpublishinggroup.com

A Christmas Carol Devotional by bestselling author Rachel Dodge invites readers on a 25-day Advent journey of redemption, hope, and faith

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 2026) — For generations, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has reminded readers that transformation is possible and that Christmas has the power to change hearts. In A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens’s Beloved Classic (Zondervan Gift, September 8, 2026), bestselling author Rachel Dodge pairs the enduring themes of Dickens’s beloved story with Scripture, prayer, and thoughtful reflection to help readers prepare their hearts for the Christmas season.

This beautifully designed 25-day Advent devotional follows Ebenezer Scrooge’s remarkable journey from bitterness to generosity, inviting readers to discover biblical truths woven throughout one of literature’s most cherished holiday stories. Each day’s reading includes a key Scripture, a retelling from the classic novel, a devotional reflection, and a closing prayer that encourages readers to experience the hope, grace, and joy found in Christ.

“Few stories have captured the heart of Christmas quite like A Christmas Carol,” said Rachel Dodge. “My hope is that readers will not only revisit a literary favorite but also encounter the deeper message of redemption, generosity, and God’s transforming love that continues to speak to us today.”

Filled with charming line-art illustrations and timeless insights, A Christmas Carol Devotional encourages readers to slow down during the busyness of the season, reflect on God’s faithfulness, and embrace the lasting hope of Christmas. Perfect for individual Advent reading, family traditions, church groups, book clubs, and gift-giving, this devotional offers a fresh way to experience one of history’s most beloved Christmas stories.

A Christmas Carol Devotional is available NOW wherever books are sold. Excerpts and photo assets can be found here.

About the Author
Rachel Dodge is the bestselling, award-winning author of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, The Secret Garden Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days through the Prayers of Jane Austen. She teaches writing, speaks at conferences and retreats, and writes for Jane Austen’s World blog. Pairing classic books with cozy devotional content is her happy place. Rachel loves timeless beauty, quiet moments, and helping readers find comfort and encouragement in the pages of beloved stories.

For more about Rachel:

• Website: https://racheldodge.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindredspiritbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/racheldodgebooks
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/racheldodgebooks
• Substack: https://substack.com/@kindredspiritbooks

About Zondervan Gift
Zondervan Gift, an imprint under HarperCollins Christian Publishing, offers curated collections of beautifully designed gift books that inspire, uplift, and celebrate life’s meaningful moments. Specializing in devotionals, journals, seasonal titles, and books for special occasions, the imprint focuses on nurturing faith and encouraging personal reflection through thoughtfully crafted content and stylish, on-trend design. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, you can explore the collections at zondervan.com/gift.

For media inquiries, interview requests, or review copies, please contact:
Chasity Edwards
Director of PR
Chasity.Edwards@harpercollins.com

 

Tim Kurth offers a Principles Based Governance model for Christian churches, schools, and ministry organizations.

ST. LOUIS—Author Tim Kurth has seen the brokenness in church governance and has spent decades helping congregations address the consequences. In Principles for Good Order: Creating Organizational Harmony Through Effective Governance, Kurth introduces a transformative model built on the foundation of John Carver’s Policy Governance®, which Kurth has carefully adapted for Christian congregations, schools, and ministry organizations.

“I confess to being a wild-eyed optimist and overly aspirational,” Kurth writes. “I do believe the institutions of the church can be better and that Principles Based Governance can play a significant role in making that happen. I am eternally hopeful that God is raising up even now the kinds of leaders, lay and ordained, who can implement and execute Principles Based Governance for the sake of a stronger witness to the world. Not flawlessly, for we will never escape our sinful nature this side of glory. But striving for progress, not perfection, with this model as our guide, I do believe better can be achieved.”

Drawing on deep theological conviction and hard-won practical experience, Kurth makes a compelling case that good order is not merely an organizational nicety—it is a Gospel imperative. When boards function as they should, pastors flourish. When pastors flourish, congregations thrive. When congregations thrive, the Great Commission advances.

Visit cph.org/goodorder for more information about the book. Contact Erica Sontag to schedule an interview with the author.

About the Author
Tim Kurth recently retired as vice president of ministry solutions at the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Previously, he was a Lutheran school teacher as well as a director of Christian education for congregations in the Chicago area. Throughout his years of service, Tim helped to start a Lutheran high school and develop international nonprofit ministries. He enjoys participating in short-term missions, which have taken him to six countries. Tim is a father of two and grandfather of three, and he currently lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife, Leah.

About Concordia Publishing House
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the publishing arm of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For 155 years, CPH has been providing individuals, churches, and schools with products that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. From books and Bibles to church supplies, curriculum, and software, CPH offers more than 10,000 products to support the proclamation of the Gospel worldwide. Visit CPH online at cph.org.

CONTACT:
Erica Sontag, Public Relations
Phone: 314-268-1303
Email: erica.sontag@cph.org   

Sep. 14, 2026 — Grand Junction, Mich. — Though the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA.org) closed ChristianBookProposals.com (CBP) August 10, 2026, ECPA has given Publishing in Color (PIC) a boost by transferring CBP’s digital infrastructure to Go, Know, Grow™ (GKG) book proposal services at publishingincolor.com. In 2024, GKG began to encourage author development of excellent proposals toward self-, hybrid, and traditional publishing.

ECPA President Jeff Crosby explains, “For over a decade, Christian Book Proposals served as a bridge connecting authors with evangelical Christian publishers through ECPA. In deciding to end CBP in the midst of a very changing publishing environment, we saw value in Publishing in Color receiving its technology framework, to enhance what they were already building.” Crosby noted that all names, emails, and proposals were removed from the system prior to sharing the technology platform with the team at Publishing in Color.

PIC Assistant Director David Dinkins says, “It’s so exciting to watch God work! The acquisition of the CBP asset came right when God wanted it to and, at PIC, we lean hard in that direction. God had given us PIC through founder Brian Allain, to serve people trying to break into publishing on their own. The CBP asset feels like the upgrade we needed to continue that work.”

PIC Director Joyce Dinkins adds, “We’re ever passionate to help authors progress in providing what readers want and need. That’s why we emphasize proposals—in PIC conference classes, 1-on-1 appointments, and Go, Know, Grow™ proposal first-read critique services. Recent testimonials affirm that the support PIC provides writers is beneficial, and we pray that adding the CBP asset gives authors more coaching and hands-on opportunities with professional editors.”

Publishing in Color’s fall conference, October 26-30, features workshops using the new digital proposal template. While the proposal template will be available at no charge to conference registrants, Joyce says, “Additional services are accessible; tiers of guidance include the first-read proposal critique, as well as proposal content sample editing; coaching, and manuscript editing with vetted professionals.”

David adds, “Publishers and agents who participate in annual PIC conferences will be able to sign up for access, to review acceptable author proposals. We welcome others to join our community and share what they create, acquire, contract, and develop. We’re committed to growing relationships and content for Christian publishing’s audiences.”

Publishing in Color has been an affiliate member of ECPA since 2023, when Joyce Dinkins Publishing, LLC received ownership from Brian Allain, who operated PIC successfully for almost a decade. Joyce Dinkins has voluntarily served ECPA on committees and at events since 2015 and has worked on staff and by contract with ECPA members since 1987. David Dinkins became PIC advisor in 2023, and assistant director in 2025. Publishing in Color serves to grow ethnic content in Christian publishing.

ECPA is the trade association for Christian publishing dedicated to resourcing its members through networking, information, and advocacy.

CONTACTS:
Joyce Dinkins, PublishinginColor.com (PIC), publishing_in_color@proton.me
Jeff Crosby, ECPA, 630-989-0222  

LONDON, 10 September 2026 — The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK Group) announced today that it has won Publisher of the Year at the Christian Resources Together (CRT) Awards 2026, as well as Audiobook of the Year, Biography of the Year and Christian Life Book of the Year for three of its leading titles.

Staying Faithful by Traitors winner Harry Clark won Audiobook of the Year, All The Times You Were Not There by Emma Fowle was awarded Biography of the Year, and God, AI and The End of History by John Lennox won Christian Life Book of the Year.

The winning titles were announced at the CRT Awards ceremony on the 9th of September, as part of the annual CRT Conference, a leading event bringing together Christian publishers, retailers, and authors.

The CRT Awards highlight the very best in Christian publishing, bookselling, and resources that inspire and equip the church.

SPCK Group is the UK’s third-oldest publishing house and has been active since 1698. Under CEO Sam Richardson, the company merged with Inter-Varsity Press (IVP UK) in 2015 and acquired Lion Hudson in 2021, becoming the largest Christian publisher in the UK. On September 2nd, SPCK Group announced its acquisition of US based publisher William B. Eerdman’s, a landmark partnership which will establish SPCK Group as the world’s leading independent Christian publisher of theology, biblical studies, and Christian trade.

Sam Richardson, CEO of SPCK Group, says:  “Being named Publisher of the Year is a huge moment for SPCK Group. It recognises an extraordinary year for our authors and our team — a year in which we’ve grown, reached new audiences and seen books about Christian faith become part of much bigger cultural conversations.

That is what we want SPCK Group to be doing:  publishing books that engage seriously with the world we live in, strengthen and equip Christian readers around the globe, and bring light and truth to some of the most difficult questions of our time.

To win the CRT Audiobook of the Year, Biography of the Year and Christian Life Book of the Year awards as well. makes this recognition especially meaningful. These are exceptional books by exceptional authors, but great publishing is always a team effort. Our editorial, marketing and publicity teams work with enormous creativity and ambition to make sure these books travel far beyond their expected audiences.

One of the most exciting developments this year has been seeing major mainstream media increasingly engage with our books, our authors, and the ideas they are putting into the world. Securing John Lennox’s appearance on The Diary of a CEO, where he discussed God, AI and The End of History alongside his new autobiography, My Story, was a standout example. Together with extensive national and international coverage for our award-winning titles, it shows that books rooted in Christian thought can speak powerfully into the biggest conversations of our time. Our recent acquisition of Eerdmans, announced this month, will further strengthen our commitment to independent Christian publishing, enabling us to bring the very best Christian writing to readers around the world and to champion a rich diversity of voices, traditions and perspectives.

These awards belong to our authors and to the remarkable people across SPCK who champion their work, and to the booksellers and bookstores who put these books into readers’ hands and help them find their audience. We’re deeply grateful for the role they play in bringing important books into communities and conversations across the country. Most of all, these awards encourage us to keep doing what we believe publishing can do at its best: put important ideas into the world, start conversations that matter, and offer the transformative hope of the Christian faith to as wide an audience as possible.”

Press contact:  Emily Beater; ebeater@spck.org.uk

SEPTEMBER 2026 | LISLE, IL—InterVarsity Press (IVP) is excited to announce Season 7 of The Disrupters podcast, launching September 16 with new host Rev. Dr. Caleb Campbell.

Each season of The Disrupters has asked a specific question about disruption. Seasons 1 and 2 of The Disrupters asked the question, “What does it mean to disrupt the church?”

Seasons 3 and 4 asked the question, “What does it mean to disrupt culture?”

Season 5 of The Disrupters asked the question, “What does it mean to disrupt ourselves and the noise during an election season?”

The question for Season 6 was, “What does it mean to disrupt leadership?”

In Season 7 of The Disrupters, Campbell invites listeners into a deeper conversation about how power shapes our relationships, our churches, our politics, our communities, and our witness in the world. Through honest conversations with pastors, theologians, activists, historians, scholars, and thought leaders, this season asks this disruptive question: “What does it mean to follow a king who chose a cross instead of a sword?”

Campbell said, “I am excited to learn from thoughtful and impactful leaders who are serving the American church and who are working to discern how to steward their power in ways that reflect Jesus in a time when many within the American evangelical church are tempted to a corrupt theology of power.”

Together, Caleb and his guests examine the assumptions, narratives, and systems that shape our perspectives of power. They explore how power can be hoarded, abused, and weaponized, while offering a vision for faithful power expressed through humility, service, courage, generosity, and love.

“I hope that listeners will be inspired and encouraged to steward their power in the way of Jesus,” Campbell said.

Campbell is the lead pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and the author of Disarming Leviathan. He also serves as a director for the Surge Network and the J29 Coalition.

The Disrupters Season 7 guests include:

September 16, Episode 1
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah (ThM, Harvard; DMin, Gordon-Conwell; ThD, Duke) is Robert B. Munger Professor of Evangelism and Church Renewal at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The Next Evangelicalism, Many Colors, and Prophetic Lament, and he is the co-author of Unsettling Truths.

September 23, Episode 2
Margaret Bronson grew up in a Christian Nationalist cult, then spent twelve years with her husband as a pastor’s wife in more “mainstream” evangelical churches. She writes for The Deconstruction Doula, organizes and leads peer support cohorts and retreats alongside her coauthor, Erin, and gathers resources for the community.

September 30, Episode 3
Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra is the academic dean of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community and the associate professor of mission and global transformation at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is the author of Faith-Rooted Organizing with Dr. Peter Heltzel, Buried Seeds with Rev. Brandon Wrencher, and the team-authored God’s Resistance.

October 7, Episode 4
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). She formerly served as the senior director of advocacy and outreach for World Vision US on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. She is the author of Social Justice Handbook and Just Spirituality, and coeditor of Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice.

October 14, Episode 5
Jonathan P. Walton is an author, speaker, facilitator, and leader at the intersection of faith, politics, climate, and emotional health. He is the executive director of the Center for Beauty and Resistance, serves as a senior associate for A Rocha USA focused on the northeast corridor of the United States and writes The Crux on Substack. He has written five books, including Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive and Beauty and Resistance.

October 21, Episode 6
Vermon Pierre is a founding pastor and the lead pastor at Roosevelt Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of Gospel Shaped Living and Dearly Beloved. He is also a cohost for The Un-Silent Church podcast.

October 28, Episode 7
Dr. Susan Harris Howell is a psychologist and retired university professor. She has published extensively on equality between women and men. Her book, Buried Talents, explores the subtle ways women are discouraged from entering many male-dominated occupations, including ministry.

November 4, Episode 8
Youth ministry veteran Amy Williams ministers to teens involved in gangs and those lost in the criminal justice system with a key strategy of life-on-life mentoring. She is project coordinator at New Life Centers, bringing in restorative justice programming to youth at juvenile prisons. Williams is the author of Worth Seeing.

November 18, Episode 9
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero is the pastor of The Gathering Place and founding president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NALEC), a coalition of Latino evangelicals committed to the gospel and the common good. He was the former director of the Institute of Faith and Public Life at Princeton Theological Seminary.

November 25, Episode 10
Dr. Malcolm Foley (PhD, Baylor University) is a pastor, historian, and speaker who serves as special advisor to the president for campus engagement at Baylor University. He copastors Mosaic Waco, a multicultural church in Waco, TX. Foley is the author of The Anti-Greed Gospel.

The Disrupters podcast will be available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast distributors.

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church, and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.

Contact:  Krista Clayton | kclayton@ivpress.com

SEPTEMBER 2026 | LISLE, IL­­—InterVarsity Press (IVP) has announced that Greg Jao has been named president and publisher, succeeding Terumi Echols, who is retiring after leading IVP for the past five years.

Jao will guide the strategic direction of IVP as it heads into its 80th year as an award-winning Christian publisher that was founded as part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in 1947. Jao will oversee IVP’s editorial, marketing, sales, and operations teams across all its imprints.

“Greg embodies the impact of IVP, in his character, life, and spiritual leadership,” said Tom Lin, president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. “A consummate IVP advocate and promoter, a super-consumer of IVP books, with a constant heartbeat for IVP from his student days, to his first job out of college working for IVP, to becoming an IVP author himself. He is fully committed to IVP’s mission because his own life has been transformed by IVP. I’m excited about the leadership Greg will bring not only to IVP and the IVP team but also to the broader evangelical publishing world. I am fully committed to seeing Greg and IVP succeed and grow in this next season.”

“Throughout my tenure at IVP, Greg Jao was a strong partner to the staff and the mission of InterVarsity Press,” said Jeff Crosby, former IVP publisher and current president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “His knowledge of and passion for academic and trade books, and for seeing lives changed through publishing, is exceeded by few people I know.”

Jao has more than a decade of senior executive leadership experience with InterVarsity, overseeing Communications, External Partnerships, Diversity, and the Urbana Student Missions Conference. A lawyer by training, Greg has led InterVarsity’s religious liberty initiatives and shaped the movement’s thinking on cultural issues for more than a decade of senior leadership throughout his tenure. He currently serves on the Wheaton College Board of Trustees, having completed terms on the Executive Board of the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Board of Trustees for Langham Partnership/USA and for Resource Global.

“Serving IVP has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional and ministry life,” Echols said. “IVP’s mission remains vitally important and greatly needed. In a changing publishing landscape, the work of helping people deepen their lives in Christ to engage the university, the church, and the world continues to matter. I believe God will continue to guide and sustain IVP in the years ahead under the leadership of Greg Jao, a longtime proponent of IVP with a genuine heart for the ministry of the Press and InterVarsity.”

For eight decades, IVP has had a distinctive voice, one grounded in Scripture, nourished by the best of global Christian theology and piety, and reflective of InterVarsity’s mission to the university. “I grew up on authors like John Stott, J. I. Packer, Becky Pippert, and Eugene Peterson,” Jao said. “Today, I regularly use the IVP Bible Background Commentaries, The New Testament in Color, and the ‘IVP Black Dictionaries’ in my own study of Scripture. IVP books continue to deepen my faith, sharpen my thinking, and soften my heart.”

Jao believes that books will shape the next generation of Christians, too. “I’m excited by the hunger for books I saw at the most recent Urbana Student Missions Conference. College students cleaned out much of the conference bookstore by the end of the second day. Books on relationships, missions, theology, biblical studies, and cultural engagement. Though they can access more content in more ways than any prior generation, these students sought out books because they longed for the thoughtfully edited, mature reflections of wise Christians.”

For almost eighty years, IVP has earned the industry’s top honors, year after year, including Christianity Today Book Awards and the ECPA Christian Book Award, formerly the Golden Medallion. IVP is the proud publisher of award-winning titles including, Prayer in the Night and Liturgy of the Ordinary, by Tish Harrison Warren; Reading While Black, by Esau McCaulley; The New Testament in Color, edited by Esau McCaulley; Walking Through Deconstruction, by Ian Harber; Nailing It, by Nicole Martin; and countless others.

InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church, and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, IVP is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, and publishes across six imprints: IVP, IVP Academic, IVP Formatio, IVP Español, IVP Bible Studies, and IVP Kids. Learn more at ivpress.com.

Contact:  Krista Clayton, kclayton@ivpress.com

LONDON, 2 September 2026 – The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK Group) announced today it has acquired Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

With a history dating back to 1698 and a joint backlist of over 5,000 titles the combined group becomes the world’s leading independent Christian publisher of theology, biblical studies, and Christian trade.

SPCK Group and Eerdmans will be uniquely positioned to provide authors with full coverage of marketing, sales representation, and distribution on both sides of the Atlantic.

Under the agreement, the entity is committed to continuing the vision of each individual press and their imprints. SPCK Group will add sales, marketing, and distribution services for Eerdmans titles in the UK and other international territories, and Eerdmans will provide the same for SPCK Group books in the United States and Canada. Transaction terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

Eerdmans, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., was founded in 1911. Anita Eerdmans—the third member of the Eerdmans family to lead the publisher—is stepping down from Eerdmans Publishing. Anita will now serve as president of the newly formed Eerdmans Foundation, a non-profit which will act as an advisory and fundraising board for Eerdmans Publishing.

“I could not have imagined a better organizational structure for the press moving forward,” Anita said. “Stepping away from the company that has been in my family’s name since its inception 115 years ago was certainly no light decision, however, I’m truly thrilled with where we are headed. Sam Richardson and SPCK Group value publishing and independent thinking in the same way Eerdmans does. Together, the new entity will allow Eerdmans to be successful for another 100 years. I’m looking forward to starting the Eerdmans Foundation and taking on a role I haven’t yet been a part of in publishing.”

William Bergkamp, who has served as senior vice president for Eerdmans since 2024, now becomes its president and publisher.

“I’m excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead Eerdmans into this new future, and I am committed to upholding the legacy of excellence the press has built,” Bergkamp said. “Becoming a part of SPCK Group is a remarkable opportunity to work at greater scale, combining remarkable talent on both sides of the Atlantic to serve our authors and readers even more effectively. The future of Eerdmans, as part of SPCK Group, is very bright.”

Bergkamp will lead the Eerdmans team, which will remain based in the U.S., and will report as part of SPCK Group’s Senior Leadership Team to Sam Richardson, Chief Executive of SPCK Group.

SPCK Group, based in London, was founded in 1698 and its patron is His Majesty the King.

“This agreement emerged from a number of exciting, inspiring, and energizing conversations with Anita and the leadership team of Eerdmans,” Richardson said. “We are convinced that this is a partnership of like-minded publishers, who will be stronger together and will be able to generate significant economies of scale which will benefit our authors, readers, and partners in the US, the UK, and beyond. While there is plenty of hard work ahead, our successful acquisitions of IVP UK and Lion Hudson mean that we are perfectly positioned to continue the growth momentum of both publishers without missing a beat.”

The imprints of the company will include SPCK Publishing, Form, IVP UK, Apollos, Lion, Lion Cub, Candle, Starshine,  Publicaciones Leon, Eerdmans, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Pillar, and Here Below. The imprints are among the market leaders in theology, biblical studies, Bibles, and children’s books, providing a one-stop shop for Christian readers and book buyers.

“These imprints all share a deep understanding of their markets and commitment to publishing books that influence and make meaningful contributions in the industry and Christian publishing,” Wendy Grisham, group publisher and deputy CEO of SPCK Group, said. “Bringing them together gives us a stronger, more joined-up team to support the authors and readers who trust us.”

Authors and customers will experience continuity throughout. Both companies have well-established sales and marketing teams who will provide stability while starting to maximize opportunities to work together on global campaigns.

The editorial teams in the UK will continue to be led by Grisham, and the editorial teams in the US will continue to be led in the short term by editor-in-chief at Eerdmans, James Ernest. Ernest is stepping down from his executive vice president role and will be retiring from the press once an editor-in-chief successor is in place.

“I am thrilled with this development, which I regard as providential,” Ernest said. “My executive vice president role was focused specifically on working with Anita Eerdmans to find the best way forward for Eerdmans after a decade of significant generational transition. Specifically, we needed to find a new CEO, provide a stable institutional context, and find the next editorial leader. With the hiring of Will Bergkamp two years ago and the union with SPCK Group, the first two goals have been accomplished. I have agreed to stay with Eerdmans long enough to see the third accomplished as well.”

Stephen East, chair of SPCK Group, said: “In recent years data suggests that the market for Christian books in the US and UK has remained robust even as other areas of non-fiction have struggled. This acquisition will create a publishing group with a unique ability to serve both these markets. But it will also be perfectly positioned to bring books to and from global markets where both literacy and Christianity are rising fast.”

SPCK Group was advised on the transaction by The Fisher Company and legal advisers Honigman LLP. Eerdmans worked with legal advisers Varnum LLP.

Media contacts:
SPCK Group:
Rio Summers, head of marketing and publicity,  rsummers@spck.org.uk,  +44 (0)7444 203 221
Eerdmans:
Jason Pearson, director of marketing and publicity,  jpearson@eerdmans.com,  +1 (616) 234-0513 

 

More than 110,000 copies sold as Gayle Boss’s bestselling Advent devotional continues to reshape how readers experience the season

ORLEANS, MA—2026 — Ten years after its original publication, All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by acclaimed author Gayle Boss continues to redefine Advent for thousands of readers seeking a quieter, more contemplative path through the Christmas season.

To commemorate the book’s tenth anniversary, Paraclete Press is releasing a Deluxe Collector’s Edition of the modern classic that has sold more than 110,000 copies across its editions and become one of the most influential Advent devotionals published in the past decade.

Originally released in 2016, All Creation Waits has steadily grown through enthusiastic word-of-mouth, church communities, independent booksellers, educators, and readers who return to it every Advent, inspiring the publication of a gift edition and an award-winning children’s edition. The book was recognized as an ECPA Christmas Bestseller in both 2023 and 2024.

Rather than centering Advent on holiday activity, Boss invites readers into the natural world, where twenty-five northern hemisphere animals—from honeybees and painted turtles to black bears and porcupines—become living parables of waiting, trust, transformation, and hope. Each daily meditation reveals how creatures adapt to winter’s darkness, offering a profound reframing of one of Christianity’s oldest seasons.

“The dark is not an end,” Boss writes throughout the book. “It’s a door. It’s the way a new beginning comes.”

That central insight has resonated with readers navigating not only the annual Advent season but also years marked by pandemic, political division, ecological uncertainty, grief, and personal loss. As interest has grown in contemplative spirituality, creation care, and practices that resist the commercialization of Christmas, All Creation Waits has become a beloved annual tradition for families, churches, schools, and individual readers.

The new Deluxe Edition honors the book’s enduring legacy with a keepsake presentation designed to become a treasured family heirloom. It features:

• A foil-embossed slipcase
• A newly designed cover
• Gilded page edges
• Full-color artwork by award-winning illustrator Sharon Spitz
• Illustrated endpapers
• Ribbon marker
• Premium collectible production throughout

The anniversary edition also marks the evolution of a publishing phenomenon that has expanded beyond the original devotional. The All Creation Waits family now includes:

• The original bestselling edition illustrated with David G. Klein’s celebrated woodcuts
• A beautifully produced hardcover Gift Edition
• The award-winning Children’s Edition illustrated by Sharon Spitz, recipient of the 2025 Christian Book Award and finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Together these editions have introduced more than 110,000 readers to Boss’s distinctive vision of Advent rooted in both Christian tradition and the wisdom of creation.

Boss traces the book’s origins to a handmade Advent calendar she created for her young sons over twenty-five years ago. Instead of chocolates or Nativity figurines behind each day’s door, she drew winter animals—a turtle resting beneath frozen water, a hibernating bear, migrating birds, sleeping insects—discovering that each creature embodied a different way of faithfully living through darkness.

Those family reflections eventually became the foundation for All Creation Waits, a work that has been praised for uniting natural history, theology, poetry, and contemplative practice.

Reviewers have consistently recognized the book’s distinctive contribution to contemporary Christian spirituality.

“This book is at once gorgeous and glorious, quiet as falling snow,” writes New York Times bestselling author Sy Montgomery.

The Christian Century called it “gentle lessons in biology” that become “a metaphor for faith.”

Richard Rohr describes the animals as “unique words of God,” each announcing in its own way “the Good News of Advent.”

The Midwest Book Review praised the work as a powerful alternative for readers seeking “the eternal truth the natural world reveals” amid the consumerism of the holiday season.

Boss, who lives in western Michigan, has devoted much of her writing to exploring the intersection of spirituality and the more-than-human world. Her work reflects a lifelong conviction that careful attention to animals and creation can restore people to their deepest humanity and awaken fresh understanding of God’s presence.

Illustrator Sharon Spitz’s luminous artwork for the anniversary edition deepens that vision with richly detailed full-color paintings that celebrate both the beauty and mystery of the natural world.

As churches and readers increasingly seek Advent resources that emphasize reflection over consumption and hope over haste, All Creation Waits has established itself as a modern classic whose message has only become more relevant over the past decade.

The 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition invites a new generation of readers to discover—or rediscover—the enduring wisdom at the heart of the book: that throughout creation, winter teaches what Advent has always proclaimed—that endings become beginnings, darkness prepares the way for light, and all creation waits in hope.

All Creation Waits – Deluxe Edition
ISBN: 9798893480764| On Sale 9.29.2026 | 7 x 8.39 | 200 pp. | Hardcover in slipcase | $42.99

About the Author
Gayle Boss is the author of All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings and Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing. A lifelong Michigan resident, she writes about the intersection of Christian spirituality, the natural world, and the human-animal bond. Her work explores how attentive presence to creation restores us to our deepest selves.

About the Illustrator
Sharon Spitz is an award-winning illustrator whose work celebrates nature, wildlife, and sustainability through richly textured illustrations that blend traditional and digital techniques. She lives and works between Haifa and Berlin.

About Paraclete Press
Partnering with Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox voices, Paraclete Press is an independent Christian publisher dedicated to publishing books and music of spiritual depth, thoughtfully created and beautifully presented.

Media Contact:
Danielle Bushnell | 774-722-5181 | danielleb@paracletepress.com
Review copies and author interviews are available upon request.

 

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All Creation Waits 10^th Anniversary Fact Sheet

Ten years after its original publication and with more than 110,000 copies sold, All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by acclaimed author Gayle Boss continues to redefine Advent for thousands of readers seeking a quieter, more contemplative path through the Christmas season.

Timeline

2016 — Original edition published.

2022 — Gift Edition published.

2023 — Named an ECPA Christmas Bestseller and children’s edition published.

2024 — Returns to ECPA Christmas Bestseller list.

2025 — Children’s Edition wins Christian Book Award and becomes Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist.

2026 — Celebrates tenth anniversary with Deluxe Collector’s Edition.

Anniversary Statistics

• 10 years in print
• More than 110,000 copies sold across editions
• Four published editions
• Two consecutive ECPA Christmas Bestseller recognitions
• One Christian Book Award-winning Children’s Edition
• Readers in churches, schools, retreat centers, libraries, and homes
• Annual Advent tradition for thousands of families