06/30/2016

ELCA publisher adopts new name

CHICAGO (June 29, 2016) – Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has adopted a new name: 1517 Media.

Beth A. Lewis, president and CEO of 1517 Media, said the new “doing business as” identity “expresses our rootedness in the Lutheran reforming movement – ignited by events in the year 1517 – and the gifts this tradition continues to offer to the whole church, society and the individual.” The Protestant Reformation sparked by Martin Luther began in 1517. 

1517 Media creates resources that communicate the gospel, enhance the faith and enrich the life of the Christian church and the communities it serves. The publishing house designs and develops innovative resources for congregations, higher education and the home – delivered in a wide range of media, including print and digital formats, videos, apps and online subscription services.

“When I first heard the new name for the ELCA’s publishing ministry, I smiled at the old and the new, the past, present and future all rolled into one,” said the Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin and ELCA Conference of Bishops liaison to the 1517 Media board of trustees. “1517 Media connects us to our Reformation history and conveys the vision needed as together we communicate God’s liberating grace for the sake of the world.”

1517 Media has three publishing units:

    •  Augsburg Fortress, which serves Lutheran congregations in North America with resources to support worship, faith formation and the congregation’s life.

    •  Fortress Press, which supports students and teachers across the ecumenical and interreligious landscape with resources for the classroom and for individual study.

    •  Sparkhouse, which creates Christian faith formation resources for children and youth in congregations. Resources for the home are created through Sparkhouse Family.

“For 200 years our publishing predecessors in North America have carried on a Lutheran reforming perspective under a variety of imprints, along the way reaching ever-wider audiences,” said Lewis. “And even as the reformers embraced the emerging media of their day, we will embrace a wide array of media to meet the needs and support the ministries of the diverse audiences we serve. We think 1517 Media captures both our rootedness and the innovative, forward-looking commitment of the organization.”

More information is available at http://1517.media.