Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

Significant anniversaries provide an opportunity to take stock of where one has been and where one is headed. This month, I celebrate 25 years of ministry with American Baptist Home Mission Societies. While my portfolio has changed during that time, one constant has been my involvement with The Christian Citizen.

First published in 1996 as a print magazine focused on lifting voices for biblical justice, The Christian Citizen is now a digital-first publication speaking on issues of justice, mercy and faith.

“We strive to sort through the complexities and confusions of political struggles while raising the vision of biblical justice and its guidelines for good government,” I wrote for the publication’s first issue. “In so doing, we seek faithfully to connect the life of discipleship to the life of citizenship.” Today, as then, “to this work, we invite you.”

Today there are more opportunities than ever to connect with the publishing ministry of The Christian Citizen. Whereas we once published 2 to 3 print issues annually, now we publish 15 to 20 articles online each month while maintaining our commitment to print. Beginning in 2018, each print edition, appearing in January and July, has featured some of the best content we’ve published digitally in the prior six months.

We publish Christian Citizen Weekly, an e-newsletter that provides early access to online stories and highlights articles of interest from other publications. We produce the “Justice. Mercy. Faith.” podcast which includes interviews with and stories by Christian Citizen writers. We continue to expand our presence on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and MinistrElife.

In early March, we began publishing a series of articles on ministry responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Our writers offered ideas for ensuring ministry continuity as churches shifted to online forms of gathering and tips and practices for pastoral care amid social distancing and shelter in place orders.

As the initial wave of the pandemic began to crest in May, our writers turned to societal inequities and long-term challenges from the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the poor and vulnerable to disparities in health care access and economic opportunity. As churches began to consider re-opening buildings and returning to in-person worship, our writers offered perspective on what pastors could expect and how life should be different as our society seeks to return to normal.

Later this year, Judson Press will publish “#InThisTogether: Ministry in Times of Crisis,” featuring expanded versions of some of what we published in response to COVID-19.

In the coming months, we will share additional opportunities to connect with and support this publishing ministry. In the meantime, subscribe to Christian Citizen Weekly, follow our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, and find us on social media.

To have been involved with this publication from the start, to serve now as it’s editor, is a joy and a blessing. I look forward to what the future holds and thank you for your faithful readership and support thus far.