Christian Standard 2009 Publishing Schedule Changes
Christian Standard announced a small change to its 2009 publishing schedule, moving from 52 weekly issues to 48 issues for the year. The adjustment allows for four double issues while keeping the same amount of content and helping manage rising publishing and postage costs.
- Christian Standard will publish 48 issues in 2009 instead of 52.
- Four issues will serve two weeks and include at least 32 pages.
- The magazine also announced 12 special themed issues for the year.
By Mark A. Taylor
You can sort most CHRISTIAN STANDARD readers into one of three categories.
Some read or at least skim every page every week.
Some read some of the magazine some weeks, when they have time or when they see something that particularly interests them. They don’t feel bad about what they choose to skip.
Some receive a copy every week and want to read it—but they feel guilty when they fall behind. Unread issues stack up beside them in an accusing pile.
We’d like to serve those in all three groups, and we’d like everyone to feel good about each new issue. (No one needs another source of guilt, even if it’s false guilt!) This, plus some hard realities in today’s publishing world, have prompted us to try something new in 2009.
A Change to the 2009 Publishing Schedule
Instead of 52 weekly issues, we will publish 48 times this year. Starting with the Spring quarter, those ordering quarterly will receive 12 issues per quarter instead of 13.
CHRISTIAN STANDARD is not the first publication reeling under higher postage costs. While some have drastically cut their publication schedules, we believe this small step is the best one this year. We can mail a 32-page issue cheaper than two 16-page issues, saving money while giving you the same amount of content without jacking up our prices.
So, four times this year we will publish an issue to serve two weeks. We guarantee that each of these issues will be at least 32 pages (instead of our usual 16). Each of these special issues will contain both of our biweekly features, “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview” and “BUZZ” as well as all the other material you’ve come to depend on.
Meanwhile, we want to tell you about 12 special issues we’ll publish in 2009. Like last year, once each month we’ll publish a special, thicker issue devoted to an important theme (and open to a wider range of advertisers than our 16-pagers). This, the first of those special issues, comes with our promise to keep improving our content and the way we send it to you.
12 Special Issues in 2009
January 2: Vacation Bible School
February 15: North American Christian Convention Preview
March 15: Christian Colleges
*April 19, 26: Megachurches
May 17: Senior Citizens
June 14: Smaller Churches
*July 12, 19: Distribute at NACC
September 6: Church Planting
*October 4, 11: Declaration and Address/Great Communion
November 1: Reading Resources
November 29: Distribute at Missionary Convention
*December 20, 27: Christmas and New Year’s
*Designates double issue
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).
