Tale of the CRC Printing Press

It wasn’t Gutenberg’s press, but for almost 90 years the printing press had an outsized effect on the location and size of the Christian Reformed Church’s denominational facilities in Grand Rapids, Mich.

After 50 years of publishing De Wachter (in Dutch) and The Banner (in English), the Publications Committee of the CRC purchased a printing press of its own in 1918.

Those early years were complicated by both world wars and by poor quality “war paper,” in amounts limited by the government. Conscription caused a lack of manpower. Its initial rental space on the third floor of a building proved troublesome. The committee reported to Synod 1922 that “when (the press) is in operation the floor shakes and the papers suffer. (We have) attempted to reinforce the floor but it has not stilled the vibration entirely.”

In 1923, the committee was able to purchase a two-story property on Market Street in Grand Rapids for $13,000. It marked the first time the denomination had office space in a building of its own. Within three years it was free of debt.

The enlargement of The Banner taxed the capacity of the printing plant, so a larger press was purchased, making it possible to print 24-32 pages of The Banner instead of just 16. But with growth came a need for more space. In 1936, the Publications Committee made a desperate appeal to synod. “We have no room for the placement of new machinery, which we ought to procure. We have no editorial room, nor room for proof-reading and committee meetings. Parking space is becoming a very serious problem. Our loading space is very limited.” The committee found a solution in a property on Jefferson Avenue.

After the war, pressures decreased somewhat and The Banner again returned a profit. The Publication Committee decided to print a 32-page Banner for 10 months in 1948, increased from seven months in 1947.

By 1950, what had started as a small operation had become a full-fledged CRC publishing house. A new MiehIe Vertical Press was purchased to save significant floor space. An automatic feeder increased production by a third. An Elliot Addressing Machine was purchased.

In 1953, a tract of land at the corner of Kalamazoo Avenue and 28th Street in Grand Rapids was purchased. When costs exceeded what was allocated, the Publications Committee picked up the cost and paid it from the publishing profits.

In 1958 more than two million copies of Back to God Radio messages were printed. Each month 113,500 copies of the Family Altar booklet were printed and mailed, in addition to 1,185 Home Study Courses. In 1961, an offset printer was acquired. In 1962, a two-color offset press was added, and that year The Banner’s Easter and Christmas covers were printed in four colors.

By 1981, the printing operation was producing millions of dollars of services annually in its production unit. It provided duplicating, short-run printing, copying, mailing, purchasing, service contracts, and mailing list usage. The scope of work included writing, translating, art, layout and design, composition, copy editing, copyrighting services, printing, binding, pamphlets, books, church school materials, music and liturgy resources, audiovisual materials, and, of course, The Banner.

When an onsite warehouse was added, denominational agencies, including the printing plant and warehouse, occupied about 127,000 square feet. School groups and others were often seen touring the building, especially the printing plant. WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids produced a film about the operation.

The 1989 decision to purchase a new four-color press for $1 million committed the CRC to stay in the printing business for the foreseeable future. That future lasted almost 20 years.

As technology changed, so did the requirements of publishing. Paper was getting replaced by pixels. In 2007, the printing plant was closed. “The decision to close the plant has come after … evaluating our … future space needs for the building,” said John Bolt, the CRC’s director of finance and administration at the time. The creative, print, and distribution activities remained inhouse.

The space once used for the printing operation was repurposed for meeting rooms and offices. But as the denomination’s workforce diminished, more and more space at what was affectionately known as “2850” went unused. In 2026, the building that had been the face of the CRC in Grand Rapids was sold and demolished. The new CRC-U.S. Ministry Support Center, located on the East Beltline, contains 25,000 square feet.

The Banner continues to be produced by editors and artists in the new building, but the thundering noise of ancient presses has been replaced by the quiet hum of computers.