Editing Free Methodist Church (section)

==Publishing==
Like John Wesley before him, B. T. Roberts recognized the Christian's responsibility for publishing.

Before the founding of the church in 1860, B. T. Roberts began publication of a monthly journal, ''The Earnest Christian''. In 1868 ''The Free Methodist'' (now ''Light & Life'' Magazine) began. A publishing house was established in 1886 to produce books, periodicals and Sunday school curriculum and literature.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

===Beginnings===
Early leaders, T. B. Arnold and B. T. Roberts privately financed and produced several publications.

The official publishing institution was established by the church at the 1886 General Conference. The church purchased the publishing business built by Rev. T. B. Arnold for $8,000. Arnold was named first publisher and B. T. Roberts was elected editor of ''The Free Methodist''. The Free Methodist Publishing House is recognized under its trade name Light and Life Press.

===Growth and development===
The Free Methodist Publishing House operated at three locations in Chicago, Illinois. In February 1935, it moved along with Free Methodist Headquarters to Winona Lake, Indiana.

During its history, the Free Methodist Publishing House built up a plant and accumulated property worth several hundred thousand dollars. It also contributed thousands of dollars out of its profits to other activities of the church.<ref>B. H. Gaddis, publisher, 1933–1954</ref>

Over the years, as the ministry of the Free Methodist Church expanded, various departments of the general church gradually moved into Free Methodist Publishing House accommodations. This was provided at vast cost and without the investment of any capital by the general church.

In 1960, the Free Methodist Publishing House board issued a deed in favor of the general church, whereby the church became the owner of the old property, plus nearly eight acres of land. For this the general church paid nothing, but agreed to make payments of $5,000 per year over a ten-year period to the Free Methodist Publishing House.

=== Audio publications ===
In 1944 the Free Methodist Church began a weekly radio show called The Light and Life Radio Hour which featured hymns, sermons, prayer, and scripture reading. The show ran until 1980 and featured several different hosts over the years including Dr. Leroy Lowell, Myron F. Boyd, and Robert Andrews.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historical.fmcusa.org/radio-broadcasts/|title=Light and Life Hour Broadcasts|date=2013-08-14|website=Marston Memorial Historical Center|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-26|archive-date=February 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226054302/https://historical.fmcusa.org/radio-broadcasts/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016 Josh Avery began The FMC Radio Show which was a spiritual successor to The Light and Life Radio Hour but embodied a very different focus. In a podcast format, the show is subtitled "your officially unofficial source for all things Free Methodist". Instead of worship and sermon, the show means to act as a uniting factor in the Free Methodist Church by informing listeners about different things that are happening in the denomination.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fmcradio.podbean.com/|title=The FMC Radio Show-- Your Officially Unofficial Source for All Things Free Methodist|last=Development|first=PodBean|website=fmcradio.podbean.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref>

Today, the Light+Life podcast features ministries of the Free Methodist Church that tell their stories of ministry fruitfulness.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightandlifefm | title=Light + Life Podcast • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters }}</ref>

===Ministry===
''Arnold’s Commentary'' was published from 1894 to 1980. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the church pioneered fully graded church school materials. In 1960 the ''Aldersgate Biblical Series'' was developed as the only inductive curriculum of its time.<ref>''Snapshots'', Donald E. Demaray, 1985, 229–230</ref>

A fully equipped printing area consisting of letterpresses, offset press, cutters, folders, bindery, linotypes etc. contributed toward making the church independent of commercial printers for the production for its printing needs at that time.

Acting on the recommendation of its executive committee, the board voted in 1988 to phase out printing operations.<ref>Light & Life Magazine, January 1989</ref> This decision and the 1989 General Conference decision to move the Press and Headquarters from Winona Lake to Indianapolis in 1990 shifted the focus of the Press. Where formerly, the Press produced and published Sunday school curriculum, this venture is now carried on in cooperation with other holiness denominations.

Beginning in 2008, the Wesleyan Publishing House, publishing arm of the Wesleyan Church, began serving the distribution and customer service needs of Light and Life Press.

===Mission statement===
Light & Life Communications, the official publishing arm of the Free Methodist Church, is a not-for-profit corporation that exists to serve in partnership with its parent body, the Free Methodist Church. Its primary purpose is to publish and distribute materials that enable the church to fulfill its stated mission. Light & Life Communications also offers its services and materials to all who seek to make Christ known.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Light + Life Magazine — Digitally Delivered Discipleship {{!}} FMCUSA|url=https://lightandlife.fm/|access-date=2021-12-13|website=lightandlife.fm|language=en-US}}</ref>