When I came to Group twelve years ago I was excited about all the ways that we were working to meet the needs of pastors. We had just launched a new magazine for pastors called Vital Ministry (which later became Rev! magazine) and for many years we created almost a dozen books per year for pastors. We started publishing electronic newsletters for pastors almost 5 years ago first under the title Rev. Magazine Update, then with the title Leading Ideas and finally this last year with the Smart Ministry name.

Our leadership team at Group recently came to the conclusion that after twelve years of serving pastors with practical ideas in a variety of formats it was time to scale back our efforts. Group remains committed to providing innovative resources for church leaders, however we have made the decision to cease publication of Rev! magazine effective with the Jan/Feb 2010 issue. Rev! magazine subscribers will receive more information along with their final issue in the next few weeks.

Group has also made the decision to sell the Smart Ministry newsletter to our editor. Brian Proffit remains committed to serving you with weekly interviews, tips, book reviews, news items, and other resources that pack a lot of valuable ministry insight into bite-sized pieces perfect for your busy schedule. In addition, Brian has purchased Preaching Plus from Group and will be serving our current Preaching Plus subscribers as well as adding new subscribers to his brand new and enhanced website called Preaching Unleashed.

I hired Brian to serve as our Senior Editor of Pastoral Books at Group 6 years ago and have watched him deliver editorial excellence with a heart for those serving on the front-lines of ministry. I believe you’ll continue to be encouraged and hope you’ll continue to read Smart Ministry every week.

It has been a great honor for our team to serve you. Thanks for choosing us as a source of ministry encouragement. “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

You’re in good hands and I trust you’ll continue to enjoy weekly delivery of the Smart Ministry newsletter from BP Resources. I suggest you all add info@preachingunleashed.com to your address books to make sure your email software delivers each issue promptly. Enjoy the change!

Dave Thornton
Director of Church Leadership
dthornton@group.com