In the early days of the internet, I bought the norperfectyet.com domain on a whim. It was a Methodist joke, for our holiness movement founder, John Wesley, had urged his preachers to “strive to be perfect in love,” and to “expect to obtain [perfection] in this life.” I, Bill Kemp, am not perfect yet. For me, personal growth is all about striving to become more perfect in love. Church is a community, or as the Bible says, an assembly (ecclesia) which exists to love each other (fellowship) and to love the world (missions). I always felt that my websites should support both individuals and congregations as they seek perfection in love.

On 911, at age 45, I was alone, on sabbatical, in predominantly Moslem country, preparing to board a ferry to Patmos, where John wrote the book of Revelations. It was a beautiful place to be stuck. I had already decided to leave parish ministry and transition through midlife into a career focused on consulting and writing. I enrolled in classes relating to transition and conflict resolution. My first published books were step-by-step guides for difficult transitions. The Church Transition Workbook, published by Discipleship Resources, introduces laity and clergy to the work of non-anxious leadership in post-traumatic times. Going Home was co-authored with Diane Kerner Arnett as a short guidebook for Christians who have received a terminal diagnosis. Both books speak of transition as a process that shouldn’t be short-circuited, but managed in a spiritually aware way.

Over the next six years, I published six more books through Discipleship Resources, before it merged with Upper Room, and dropped its church leadership imprint. I also wrote, but failed to find, a publisher for three novels. This was about the same time that Amazon introduced the Kindle and offered a way for authors to publish both print-on-demand paperback books and eBooks. My early efforts as an independent author/publisher were difficult, but I was determined to achieve perfection. This hope is akin to a penguin attempting to fly.

In 2019, I collaborated with four other authors to publish a simple guide for United Methodists navigating the transition and schism their denomination was going through. I enjoyed the spirit of collaboration and wondering if my little press could help others become published authors.

Then COVID-19 came, and the bottom dropped out of the consulting and workshop work I was doing. In this downtime, I bought the domain: www.morethantheflu.com and published there the five-step process I believe underlies any successful transition. I sensed then, and still believe, that our experience of a global pandemic, and the parallel rise of MAGA politics in America (“an ill wind that blows no man good”), has irreversibly changed our world. We are midway through a time of transition, and very few people in church leadership, or in politics, understand how to manage transition healthily. This year I am working on a book, “Five Smooth Stones for Saints in Trouble,” to address this need.

In 2024, I brought my son, Matthew, into the business. We established the NPY Book Store and began to update and reprint my back-listed titles. Many of my earlier books were available only in print editions, with outdated covers. Our plans are to expand NPY’s catalogue, reprint former best sellers in eBook, and add study guides and videos where appropriate. Audio books and related podcasts are also in the works. Scripting biblical drama, both as one-act performances within the weekly worship service and as full-length stage productions, is what hooked me to become a writer in the 1990s. Today, we are seeking to provide plays that the average congregation can perform at nominal cost. In each of these endeavors, I will look for like-minded authors and playwrights to freelance with us.

We are living in transitional times. Our local churches will look very different five years from now. Doing our mission to love the world is both more difficult and less appreciated in our current political context. And yet, I find hope in the words of Saint John: