The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide.[1]
ECPA was cofounded by Hugh Revell Barbour and his brother Bill through a partnership with Christian publishers[2] and has operated since 1974,[3] with what the organization describes as a focus on "building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry".[4]
Since 1978, ECPA has presented the annual Christian Book Awards (formerly Gold Medallion Book Awards) in several categories, including Christian Book of the Year.[5][6][7] ECPA also presents the annual Christy Awards for Christian Fiction,[8] the Top Shelf Awards recognizing book design excellence,[9] and the industry's Milestone Sales Awards.
In 2021, ECPA created a Diversity & Inclusion Standing Committee and hired Jeff Crosby as president and CEO to succeed Stan Jantz.[8][10]
Programs and services ECPA provides include Christian bestseller lists,[11][12] and a weekly news publication, Rush to Press, that recaps industry news.