Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 25, 2020 – Two-time GRAMMY award-winning hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and New York Times bestselling author Lecrae Moore has signed a contract with Zondervan for his new book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith, which releases October 13, 2020. Lecrae is represented by Margaret Riley King and Mel Berger of WME Entertainment. North American and non-exclusive open market rights were acquired by Senior Acquisitions Editor Mick Silva.

In his first book, the New York Times bestseller Unashamed, Lecrae was transparent about adversities experienced in his life—childhood abuse, drugs, alcoholism, a stint in rehab, abortion, growing up fatherless, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. In I Am Restored, Lecrae shares how growing stronger in his faith has helped him create transformation in the lives of others. Lecrae bares his soul, sharing deep wounds, past trauma, and conflicts with family, church, and personal challenges in hopes that his process of restoration will help others.

“My forthcoming album, Restoration, chronicles the process of healing, and my book, I Am Restored, is about the journey toward healing,” says Lecrae. “My prayer is that I Am Restored will inspire readers to embrace the freedom and healing they need and to escape the despair, anxiety, doubt, and fear so many of us battle.”

“We need more artists willing to break barriers like Lecrae,” says Mick Silva, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Zondervan Books. “His story of allowing trauma and deep personal struggles to break the barriers within himself ultimately shows where his deep faith comes from. I believe his voice could be prophetic for our time.”

In addition to earning accolades for his musical talent, Lecrae has gained wide recognition for maintaining a strong commitment to his faith and values. “More caught than taught” is how the artist describes his incredible journey that includes two GRAMMY awards, a history-making #1 and RIAA Gold certified album, Anomaly, the masterful 2014 offering which topped Billboard’s coveted Top 200 Albums chart. His New York Times bestseller, Unashamed, was released in 2016. Lecrae resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and three children.

Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.

For media inquiries, contact Trinity McFadden at trinity.mcfadden@harpercollins.com.

From Jordan Lee Dooley, author of the national bestseller Own Your Everyday, two new nonfiction books to WaterBrook.  In the first book of the new deal, tentatively titled Own Your Ambition and slated for a May 2021 publication, the social media influencer, entrepreneur and host of the SHE Podcast presents tools to clarify and take hold of your dreams–and to pursue them well–so you can live with focus and without the pressure to overwork yourself.  A second book will follow.  Senior editor Susan Tjaden has acquired world rights from Bryan Norman at Alive Literary.

For rights queries, please contact Denise Cronin, decronin@prh.com.

WaterBrook is an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

17th Annual Celebration of the Best 

For the 17th year, Outreach magazine is celebrating some of the best outreach-oriented books and curricula by honoring them as Outreach Resources of the Year.

The Outreach Resources of the Year aims to highlight valuable resources for church leaders and bring deserved attention to resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach their communities for Christ. This year’s titles address issues in evangelism and discipleship, apologetics, the church, leadership, racial reconciliation, and social justice, among other concerns. The resources are featured in the March/April issue of Outreach magazine.

More than 150 resources published between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, were submitted for consideration and placed into 11 categories. An expert in each category evaluated the resources and chose what they considered to be the best. The experts also chose how many resources to recognize, and whether to include any as “Also Recommended.”

The Outreach Resources of the Year are:

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP

“Some of the most important evangelism findings of this generation”

Resource of the Year
You Found Me by Rick Richardson (IVP)

Also Recommended

• The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra (Moody)
• Unlikely Converts by Randy Newman (Kregel)
• Faith for Exiles by David Kinnaman (Baker)
• Gospel Witness by David Gustafson (Eerdmans)

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APOLOGETICS

“Raising the hard questions … and answering them”

Resource of the Year
Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin (Crossway)

Also Recommended

• Narrative Apologetics by Alister McGrath (Baker)
• Cultural Apologetics by Paul Gould (Zondervan) 

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CHURCH

“Practical and biblical steps almost any church can undertake”

Resource of the Year
Taking It to the Streets by Harry Louis Williams II (IVP)

Also Recommended

• Why Church? by Scott Sunquist (IVP)
• The Church of Us vs. Them by David Fitch (Brazos/Baker)

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 LEADERSHIP

“Six powerful ministry trends sweeping across North America”

Resource of the Year
Liquid Church by Tim Lucas and Warren Bird (Zondervan)

Also Recommended
How to Lead in a World of Distraction by Clay Scroggins (Zondervan)

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 RACIAL RECONCILIATION

“Fresh language and metrics in the much-needed dialogue around race in America”

Resource of the Year
InTENSIONal by D.A. Horton (NavPress) 

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CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL

“Effortlessly explaining global mission history without condescension”

Resource of the Year
Christian Mission by Edward Smither (Lexham)

Also Recommended

• Global Arts and Christian Witness by Roberta King (Baker)
• Teaching Across Cultures by James Plueddemann (IVP) 

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 SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

“Straight talk and readable writing, always with a gracious mood that stems from his strong alliance with Christ”

Resource of the Year
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan (Multnomah)

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 THEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL STUDIES

“Everything about outreach is rooted in what one thinks the proper response to the gospel is”

Resource of the Year
Paul and the Language of Faith by Nijay Gupta (Eerdmans)

Also Recommended

• For the Life of the World by Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun (Brazos/Baker)
• The Mosaic of Atonement by Joshua McNall (Zondervan)
• Justification: Two-Volume Set by Michael Horton (Zondervan)

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 SPIRITUAL GROWTH

“In the end, it’s about a Father who doesn’t merely wait for us, but comes running to welcome us back”

Resource of the Year
On the Road With Saint Augustine by James K.A. Smith (Brazos/Baker)

Also Recommended
The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley (IVP) 

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 COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS

“Deftly explores the dicey issues of unhealthy relationships”

Resource of the Year
When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas (Zondervan)

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KIDS AND YOUTH

“God gave us all ‘one big heart’ to love and celebrate the value of others”

Resource of the Year
One Big Heart by Linsey Davis with Beverly Davis (Zonderkidz)

Also Recommended

• The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible by Joanna Rivard and Tim Penner (Zonderkidz)
• So the Next Generation Will Know by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace (David C Cook)

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WHO MADE UP THIS YEAR’S PANEL?

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP: Michelle Sanchez, executive minister of Make and Deepen Disciples for The Evangelical Covenant Church, and an Outreach magazine contributing editor.

APOLOGETICS: Ed Stetzer, an Outreach magazine contributing editor, who holds the Billy Graham distinguished chair of church, mission and evangelism at Wheaton College and the Wheaton Graduate School, where he also directs the Billy Graham Center.

CHURCH: Bob Whitesel, a church coach, consultant, practical theologian, John Wesley scholar, founding professor of a seminary and author of 13 books.

LEADERSHIP: Greg Ligon, chief innovation officer at Leadership Network and co-author of The Multi-Site Church Revolution and A Multi-Site Church Road Trip.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION: York Moore, national evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and the author of Do Something Beautiful.

CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL: Robert Gallagher, director and professor of intercultural studies at Wheaton College Graduate School. He co-authored Encountering the History of Missions and Breaking Through the Boundaries.

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: Knute Larson, an Outreach magazine consulting editor and a coach of pastors and churches. He pastored for 43 years, and is the director of Pastorpedia, a monthly video and blog for church leaders, accessible through OutreachMagazine.com.

THEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL STUDIES: Scot McKnight, author or editor of some 60 books and the Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Glenn Paauw, director of content for the Institute for Bible Reading. He is the author of Saving the Bible From Ourselves.

COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS: Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, founders of the marriage assessment SYMBIS.com and authors of The Good Fight, Crazy Good Sex and Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.

KIDS AND YOUTH: Russell St. Bernard, an Outreach magazine consulting editor, the director for ministry operations at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, and founder of After the Music Stops.

Outreach magazine offers the ideas, insights and stories of today’s outreach-oriented, Bible-based churches. Founded in January 2003 by church communications company Outreach Inc., Outreach is an award-winning, bimonthly periodical for church leadership and is available by subscription and on Amazon.com. Find out more at OutreachMagazine.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (February 26, 2020) – Outreach Magazine (www.outreachmagazine.com), which provides practical resources for pastors and volunteer leadership in all areas of outreach, has announced that NavPress (@NavPress) book InTENSIONal: Kingdom Ethnicity in a Divided World (SC, 978-1-63146-691-5, October 2019) by D. A. Horton has been selected as its Resource of the Year in the Racial Reconciliation category. The book will be highlighted in the March/April issue of Outreach as well as online.

“D. A. offers biblically grounded, practical, and challenging counsel to a divided church: Let’s understand, honor, and celebrate our diverse experience, backgrounds, and contributions, and in so doing, discover what it means to live as a Kingdom people,” said Caitlyn Carlson, NavPress acquisitions editor.

Added Don Pape, publisher, NavPress: “This book captures D. A.’s Kingdom heart. What an honor to bring this message to the American church for such a time as this.”

Wrote Outreach about InTENSIONal: “Horton provides fresh language and metrics in the much-needed dialogue around race in America. InTENSIONal reframes what has become a tired dialogue around racial reconciliation, expands the conversation, and roots it in a greater Kingdom theology. With real and significant implications for mission in a divided world, this book emphasizes racial ‘conciliation,’ which goes beyond reconciliation and affirms the inherent dignity and value of all racial/ethnic identities. Horton represents a fresh and powerful voice in Kingdom conversations around justice in general, and ethnic conciliation specifically.”

Added R. York Moore, national evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, who evaluated the book for Outreach:

WHO: D. A. Horton, assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University, and pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in Long Beach, California.

HE SAYS: “The American church stands at the threshold of becoming the first generation to actively present ethnic conciliation to the American landscape.”

THE BIG IDEA: This book offers vision and practical guidance for Christians who want to embrace our Kingdom ethnicity, combating hatred in our culture with the love of Jesus.

THE PROGRESSION: Divided into eight chapters, this book addresses the issues of ethnic conciliation and how we as Christians are called upon to reflect Christ in how we treat others.

An Outreach excerpt from Horton’s book is available here: https://outreachmagazine.com/resources/books/multicultural/47424-the-right-pace-to-develop-leaders.html

For additional information about InTENSIONal, as well as other NavPress products, visit: www.navpress.com.

D. A. Horton currently serves as an assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University and pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in Long Beach, CA. Prior to these roles, he served as chief evangelist for the Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI); as a church planter/pastor in Kansas City, MO; as a national coordinator of urban student ministries at the North American Mission Board (NAMB); and as the executive director at ReachLife Ministries. He is currently working on his PhD in applied theology with a North American missions emphasis at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored seven books, including Bound to Be Free and Enter the Ring. He is of Mexican-Choctaw heritage, and he and his best friend, Elicia, have been married for 15 years, and they have three children.

The mission of NavPress is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through The Message Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to people’s lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress and its rich content for the future. NavPress provides books and other content that bring spiritual impact, life transformation, and help lead in the mission of making disciples.

Charlotte, NC, February 2020—The Good Book Company is excited to announce that J.D. Greear, Pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and President of the Southern Baptist Convention, has signed a two-book deal with TGBC.

The first book, titled Searching for Christmas, will be released in October 2020. In the book, Greear will invite seekers and skeptics, as well as Christians, to look behind the events of the first Christmas and see how the baby who lay in the manger is the One who we all are longing for, and desperately need.

The second will be a trade book on prayer, releasing fall 2021. Provisionally titled “Ask,” it will take on questions about the how and why of prayer that Christians often think but don’t like to voice.

Greear commented, “I’m excited to be writing books on two such wonderful subjects—how the incarnation of Jesus literally changes everything for us, and the privilege and possibilities in prayer for the people of God. The Good Book Company is a publisher committed to making profound messages accessible to ordinary people, and I’m looking forward to partnering with them.”

Carl Laferton, Executive Vice President of Publishing at TGBC, said, “J.D. is one of the clearest and most compelling communicators of the gospel today, and I am among countless thousands who’ve been personally impacted by his speaking and writing. We’re absolutely delighted that he’s chosen to publish these two books with The Good Book Company.”

J.D. Greear is the lead pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and the 62nd President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Under his leadership The Summit has become a church of more than 10,000 members and sent out over a thousand missionaries and church planters. J.D. is the author of several books including Gospel (B&H, 2011), Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (B&H, 2013), and Jesus, Continued (Zondervan, 2014).

ABOUT THE GOOD BOOK COMPANY
Founded in 1991, The Good Book Company (TGBC) is an international Christian publisher. Their Bible studies, books, devotionals, videos, tracts, evangelistic courses, and training materials are used throughout the English-speaking world, and in translation in over 35 languages worldwide. Everyone at TGBC is passionate about the Lord Jesus, His word, His church, and His gospel of grace. They create and publish biblical, relevant, and accessible resources that will encourage Christians to keep going, keep growing, and keep sharing their faith. Find out more at www.thegoodbook.com

WESTMONT, IL—Outreach magazine has honored IVP’s You Found Me and Taking It to the Streets as Outreach Resources of the Year, with three additional books from IVP making the short list for the Also Recommended resource in its category.

The Outreach Resources of the Year aims to highlight valuable resources for church leaders and bring deserved attention to resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach their communities for Christ. More than 150 resources published between November 1, 2018, and October 31, 2019, were submitted for consideration and placed into eleven categories. An expert in each category evaluated the resources and chose what they considered to be the best. The experts also chose how many resources to recognize, and whether to include any as Also Recommended. The resources are featured in the March/April issue of Outreach magazine.

You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Nones, Millennials, and Irreligious Are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith was honored as the best Resource of the Year in the evangelism and discipleship category. Researcher and practitioner Rick Richardson unveils the findings of the Billy Graham Center Institute’s groundbreaking studies on the unchurched. A study of two thousand unchurched people across the country reveals that the unchurched are still remarkably open to faith conversations and the church. Even unchurched “nones” and millennials are quite receptive if they are approached in particular ways.

Kevin Palau, president and chief executive officer of the Luis Palau Association, said, “At a time when many are assuming that the Christian movement across America is down for the count, Rick Richardson provides far more than a ray of hope. In his new book, You Found Me, Rick describes the strategies that the top ten percent of churches growing through actual conversion (conversion communities) are using to make headway in evangelism, living out and joyfully sharing the good news. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, a proudly progressive and unchurched place, we’ve seen great gospel progress through active engagement with our community, which is seeking to continually encourage and equip everyday believers to share their faith. Unchurched people are far more open than we give them credit for. There’s so much more we can do to share in the harvest, which Jesus continues to assure us is ripe and ready!”

Outreach’s best resource in the church category was Taking It to the Streets: Lessons from a Life of Urban Ministry by Harry Louis Williams II. Known around Oakland, California, as “O.G. Rev,” Rev. Williams’s calling is to the streets: to the hungry, homeless, addicted, incarcerated, and vulnerable. In this book he takes on racism, the plight of children in the inner city, gentrification, urban violence, the prosperity gospel, and more, all from the perspective of someone who understands these phenomena from the inside. Taking It to the Streets offers firsthand accounts of urban life alongside large-scale considerations of its systemic challenges, all in the context of the life-giving good news of Jesus.

“Rev. Williams seeks to take his readers beyond the headlines and stereotypes to expose the reality of communities and people who have been neglected and abandoned by society,” said Michael L. Pfleger of Faith Community of Saint Sabina in Chicago. “He tries to educate people on the realities of whole segments of our society who have been demonized and treated as throwaways. He reminds us that the good news of Jesus calls us not only to do the acts of charity that call us to care for our brothers and sisters but to demand justice and transform a society that has become comfortable with leaving brothers and sisters on the side of life’s road.”

IVP titles chosen as Also Recommended resources include:

CHURCH:

Why Church? A Basic Introduction by Scott W. Sunquist

“In a post-Christendom era, a primer on what the church is all about is sorely needed. Sunquist offers us a book that is fluent and fresh, combining profundity and down-to-earth simplicity, with healthy doses of humor and no-nonsense realism. After reading it, you are very likely to agree with him when he writes: ‘the church is really one of God’s best ideas.’”
—Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Professor of Theology, Duke University

CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL:  

Teaching Across Cultures: Contextualizing Education for Global Mission by James E. Plueddemann

“Masterful weaving of both theory and practice . . . Teaching Across Cultures will be helpful to virtually every audience whether the differences are cultural, generational, ethnic, gender, or regional. We all want to be better teachers. We are all concerned with outcomes as a result of our teaching; this book takes us there as well.”
—From the foreword by Duane Elmer, author of Cross-Cultural Servanthood

SPIRITUAL GROWTH:  

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley

“Habitually choosing what is best over and above what is loud and urgent has never been more difficult than in a culture of perpetual distraction. ‘But where do I begin?’ people ask. In this book, Justin Earley offers the answer. Follow his lead, and you will find much of your life handed back to you.”
—John Stonestreet, president of The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/awardwinners.

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, 630.734.4013  kclayton@ivpress.com

Five Titles Selected for the “Also Recommended” Resource Category

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) February 28, 2020 — Zondervan is pleased to congratulate the eight authors who were recognized by Outreach magazine, three as Resource of the Year winners and five as “also recommended.”

For seventeen years, Outreach has highlighted “resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach their communities for Christ.” This year over 150 resources published between Nov. 1, 2018 and Oct. 31, 2019 were submitted to Outreach’s expert panel of judges to evaluate and choose winners in eleven categories.

The three Zondervan titles chosen for Resources of the Year are:

• Liquid Church: 6 Powerful Currents to Saturate Your City for Christ by Tim Lucas and Warren Bird (Zondervan Reflective) – Leadership
• When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People by Gary Thomas (Zondervan Books) – Counseling and Relationships
• One Big Heart: A Celebration of Being More Alike than Different by Linsey Davis with Beverly David (Zonderkidz) – Kids and Youth

The five Zondervan titles chosen for “also recommended” are:

• Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World by Paul M. Gould (Zondervan Academic) – Apologetics
• How to Lead in a World of Distraction: Four Simple Habits for Turning Down the Noise by Clay Scroggins (Zondervan Reflective) – Leadership
• The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ’s Work by Joshua M. McNall (Zondervan Academic) – Theology and Biblical Studies
• Justification: Two-Volume Set by Michael Horton (Zondervan Academic) – Theology and Biblical Studies
• The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible by Joanna Rivard and Tim Penner (Zonderkidz) – Kids and Youth

“Congratulations to these well-deserved authors whose words are equipping the church with resources to further the Kingdom of God,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “We are honored to see our books recognized by Outreach, and a broad representation of the imprints under our Zondervan publishing group creating a meaningful impact in the church community.”

The winning resources will be featured in the magazine’s March/April issue.

About Zondervan:  Zondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

(Nashville, Tenn.) March 2, 2020—Thomas Nelson today announced that Stephanie Newton, a HarperCollins Christian Publishing veteran and most recently the director of the backlist vault program, will become the associate publisher for its non-fiction imprint W Publishing. Newton will assist in the management of W Publishing’s publishing program by leading the imprint’s editorial team and helping the division carry out its strategy to meet revenue goals.

Newton joined Thomas Nelson in 2006 as a publicist, leading several major media campaigns for books such as the iconic New York Times bestselling Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. Published in October 2010, the book appeared on the NYT bestsellers list for three consecutive years and was #1 for more than 52 consecutive weeks.  In 2015, after working on more than 200 publicity campaigns, Newton became the marketing director of backlist content for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. This initiative later transformed into The Vault, a custom product specialty publishing program where she worked to revitalize content in a new way through fresh cover treatments, revised titles, updated content, and creating The Seasons Edition’s book line, a highly detailed and custom crafted design for fictional classics.

“We are elated to have Stephanie Newton rejoin the W Publishing team,” said Damon Reiss, v-p and publisher for W Publishing. “She has a proven track record of leading in every role she has served in, most recently with publishing our backlist titles. Her strong drive and vision are matched by her large network of relationships and attention to detail. I have no doubt that she will be a vital leader, guiding W Publishing into the future.”

Newton will assume her new position on March 9, 2020.

About Thomas Nelson: Thomas Nelson is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the publishing group provides multiples formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. For additional information visit www.thomasnelson.com

Contact: Chelsea Taff, Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications, 615.902.2137  Chelsea.Taff@HarperCollins.com

INDUSTRY’S PREMIERE CHRISTIAN FICTION AWARD ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS MARCH 1-31

Nominations for The Christy Award® are now being accepted through March 31 in nine fiction categories:

General
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
Historical
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller
Visionary
First Novel
Young Adult
Short Format

Submissions are open to works of fiction written from a Christian worldview, published traditionally or independently from March 2019 to March 2020. (Submitting publishers do not need to be members of ECPA.)
The finalists will be announced in September, and the winners will be celebrated at the Christy Award Gala in Nashville on November 11.

ECPA works with media outlets, prominent fiction community voices, and retailers to bring awareness to The Christy Award® finalists and winners. Last year, Just Read Tours (@JustCommonly) and Reading is My Superpower conducted campaigns that included book giveaways. Our valued retail partners featured the award finalists and/or winners on their sites and in special programs.  They include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, LifeWay, Logos, NetGalley (eblast to 16,600), Parable (eblast to 350,000), and Signature Marketing Network (200+ store websites and email to 200K product buyers).

For more information, visit ChristyAwards.com and click on the SUBMISSIONS tab in the top menu.

The Power of a Praying® series of 20 books has sold over 30 million units worldwide

November 18, 2020 – Tempe, Ariz. –  The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has presented bestselling author STORMIE OMARTIAN with the industry’s PINNACLE AWARD for the outstanding contribution of The Power of a Praying® series, both to the industry and to society at large.  The award was presented at the ECPA Industry Awards Celebration webcast on November 18th, held during the ECPA C-Suite Connect online conference.  Harvest House Publishers president Bob Hawkins gave a moving tribute to Stormie, and presented a video honoring her worldwide ministry.

The series’ collection of 20 books, published by Harvest House Publishers, has achieved more than 30 million in sales worldwide since the debut of The Power of a Praying® Parent in 1994.  Five of the books in the series have received ECPA Sales Milestone Awards (four Platinum Awards and one Gold Award). The bestselling book in the series is The Power of a Praying® Wife with over 8 million sold. In 2002, the book broke a 21-year industry record by claiming the number one spot on the Christian Booksellers bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months. The Power of a Praying® Husband received the 2002 Gold Medallion Book Award (now known as the ECPA Christian Book Award® program).

“Stormie Omartian is so deserving of this recognition,” said ECPA president Stan Jantz. “As impressive as her book sales are, they tell just one part of the story. For the past 25 years, Stormie’s books on prayer have had an enormous impact on the way Christians relate to God and to each other. I’m not exaggerating when I say her books have spawned a global movement of prayer.”

Stormie is the third recipient of this high honor from the industry.  Dr. Gary Chapman was presented with the Pinnacle Award last year for The 5 Love Languages® series (Moody). The first Pinnacle Award was presented to Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye for the Left Behind® series (Tyndale House) in 2007.

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Stormie Omartian is an award-winning, bestselling author and speaker whose books have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. The Power of a Praying® series includes The Power of a Praying Wife®, The Power of a Praying® Husband, The Power of a Praying® Woman, The Power of a Praying® Parent, The Power of Praying® for Your Adult Children, and The Power of a Praying® Grandparent. She is also the author of Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On; Lead Me, Holy Spirit; Prayer Warrior; and Out of Darkness, which is her personal journey out of the devastating darkness of the first 28 years of her life until she found Everlasting Light in her Lord and Savior, Jesus. Her new release is The Power of Prayer™ to Enrich Your Marriage (February 2, 2021).

The Power of a Praying® Wife broke a 21-year industry record by claiming the number one spot on the Christian Booksellers bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months. In September 2002, Stormie’s prayer series astonishingly held the top four spots on the bestsellers paperback list: Praying Wife at number 1, Praying Woman at number 2, Praying Parent at number 3, and Praying Husband at number 4. For an unprecedented three years in a row, The Power of a Praying® Wife was named a finalist for The Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year Award. Stormie personally connects with readers and listeners by sharing her experiences and lessons from the Bible, illustrating how God transforms lives when we learn to pray and trust in Him. Stormie and Michael have been married for more than 47 years and have two married children and two granddaughters.

Harvest House Publishers, a Christian publishing company based in Eugene, Oregon, publishes more than 100 books per year and carries a strong backlist offering nearly 1,700 titles. Over 145 million Harvest House books have been sold worldwide through diverse distribution channels, and additional tens of millions have sold in over 75 different languages. For more information, visit www.HarvestHousePublishers.com.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org  ECPA.org  @ECPA

Media contacts:
Stan Jantz, President, ECPA, sjantz@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998
Cindy Carter, ECPA Awards Manager, ccarter@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998