The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) has seen sales slip due to falling membership and attendance in Sunday school, among other reasons, company officials said. Declining sales, fierce competition within the Christian publishing industry and changes in church attendance have hit the longtime United Methodist institution, United Methodist News Service (UMNS) reported.

Neil Alexander, publisher and CEO, said curriculum sales-the largest part of the UMPH's business-have declined since their peak more than 35 years ago. “Long-term changes in attendance patterns have caught up with us and they've caught up with every denominational publisher that is part of the Protestant Church-Owned Publishers Association,” he said.

According to UMPH executives, sales peaked most recently in 1989 and '90 when the United Methodist Hymnal was published, then dipped before steadily climbing to another peak in 2002.

Another downturn followed, with sales falling 5.5% below budget in 2004; 4% below in 2005; and 2.5% under in 2006. Total sales from 2006 were $108 million, UMNS reported.

“The Publishing House is not losing money,” said the Rev. Judith Smith, associate to the president with UMPH, established in 1789 in Philadelphia as the Methodist Book Concern. “Even though our gross sales have declined in recent years, we have managed our expenses very carefully and consequently we have achieved our budgeted net operating revenue nine out of the last 10 years.”