Brethren Press is the official publishing house of the Church of the Brethren. We publish books and study materials, produce supplies for congregations, and carry other publishers' resources that meet the needs of our audience. We publish under the name Brethren Press and an imprint called faithQuest.
Since our beginning, the heart of our publishing program has been encouraging the faith and strengthening the church. We want our materials to help people live lives of discipleship, growing into ever more faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we publish curriculum and study resources for children, youth, and adults; the denomination's hymnal and other worship resources; materials that help Brethren better understand and articulate Brethren identity and beliefs; and books that speak to the church and to the wider world with a Brethren voice. We seek to convey Church of the Brethren distinctives such as peacemaking, simple living, and community.
Brethren Press publishes Messenger magazine, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001. The publishing house is also responsible for various interpretive resources, the Yearbook, the denominational news service, and the Church of the Brethren website.
Brethren Press began more than a century ago, in 1897, when a publishing enterprise begun by church members was transfered to church ownership. We actually trace our roots all the way back to 1851, when a forerunner to Messenger magazine was launched. That early journalistic effort grew into today's publishing house, which has been located in Elgin, Ill., since 1899. (A brief history of Brethren Press, called For This Day, is available upon request.)
