June 2025 New Horizons

Fifty Years of Great Commission Publications in Retrospect

by Allen D. Curry

When I began to work for the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as associate general secretary, Great Commission Publications (GCP) existed in name only. In fact, the name was a registered alias so that the publications of the committee could carry the name of Great Commission Publications. It was not until 1975 that GCP as a corporation came into existence. At that time the OPC and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) engaged in a joint venture to establish a corporation to publish educational materials for churches. The idea of a joint venture was a new idea for both denominations. The corporation was made up of the OPC and the PCA; the Christian Education Committees of each denomination elected trustees who would oversee the operation of the corporation. I found it almost comical that no one knew exactly how a joint venture was to carry out its business. In fact, the attorney who drew up the papers for incorporation would send minutes with blanks to fill in dates ... Read more

GCP: A Joint Partnership Celebrates Fifty Years

by John R. Muether

This fall marks the golden anniversary of a quiet story of Reformed ecumenicity: the partnership between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America in Great Commission Publications. It is a milestone that not many in either denomination may be aware of and one that no one imagined celebrating when the collaboration began in 1975. The origins of Great Commission Publications go back to the early days of both denominations. A common concern of the OPC when it separated from the northern Presbyterian Church in 1936, and the PCA when it left the Southern Presbyterian Church in 1973, was the liberalism in the Sunday school literature of those mainline churches. Christian education was a high priority for both churches from their start, if they were to persevere in faithfulness to the Word of God. Big Dreams and Small Budgets In 1950, the OPC’s Committee on Christian Education adopted “Great Commission Publications” as the trade name for its curriculum materials. It ... Read more