By Mark A. Taylor
CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s contributing editors are a diverse group of men and women from across the country who serve from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. They do not all see everything the same way, but all of them are leading significant ministry among the Christian churches and churches of Christ as they express a deep commitment to Jesus as Lord.
Readers will regularly see most of them named as authors of articles and columns in the magazine. But that”s not the only way they contribute. Even more significant is the input they offer about writers and themes for each issue.
Their input influenced the development of this year”s editorial calendar and cover themes. And a major goal of the group’s annual retreat, conducted January 13-16, was deciding on cover themes for 2017.
Beyond that, they suggest how to flesh-out these themes: What should we say, and who should say it? Where are the ministries demonstrating why the theme is important?
They critique graphics and covers and our mix of content. They offer suggestions for new regular features.
They discuss the pressures on the church today and her potential and duty to offer hope and healing. And they help refine the answer to the most important question I can consider: How can CHRISTIAN STANDARD be a spotlight and prod to the church and its leaders in these complicated times?
I”m writing all this for two reasons: first, to publicly thank the contributing editors who serve for no remuneration only because they care about CHRISTIAN STANDARD and the readers we serve; second, to assure readers that CHRISTIAN STANDARD is still in business and actively pursuing its ministry.
In December we announced that David C. Cook has purchased many product lines created by Standard Publishing, and Standard Publishing is no longer the name of the company that remains. And to be clear, we have no connection with David C. Cook. Now we are Christian Standard Media, and we continue our commitment to the faithful service that has characterized this ministry for almost 150 years.
This means CHRISTIAN STANDARD magazine (as well as our daughter publication, The Lookout) will keep on serving readers like you with help from leaders like our contributing editors. In these challenging times, full of obstacles as well as opportunities for the spread of the gospel, we are energized and eager to honor Christ and help readers as well as, if not better than, ever.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
