Editor notes
By Daniel J. Lehmann Changing times
prompt merger Better use of articles the goal
T
he times they are a-changin’, so the lyric goes, and that’s true for The Lutheran and the communications efforts of the ELCA.
Over the past two years, professionals were engaged to help leaders assess The Lutheran’s situ-
ation in order to make informed decisions about its future—a general interest denominational publication in an increasingly fractured digital age. That ulti- mately led to an examination of the magazine’s reach, as well as other commu- nication vehicles at the churchwide offices. The conclusions aren’t a complete surprise. The final report found that the
ELCA still needs a flagship communications vehicle that is part of a unified storytelling effort to increase the reach and impact of news, features and other content for the ELCA’s entire membership and beyond. The report promoted a “create once, publish everywhere” dictum to inform and encourage the faithful. After some months of planning, in February the magazine and the ELCA’s
Marketing Communications team merged. The new Strategic Communications team has two groups: “Publications” and “Communications and Marketing.” The Publications group, led by the magazine’s editor, includes The Lutheran, Seeds for the Parish, Stories of Faith in Action, Living Lutheran (the story and blog microsite of
www.elca.org), as well as public and media relations. Key to this rearrangement is the creation of a “story tsar,” an editor respon-
sible for determining and placing articles to make the best and maximum use of all that is written about our members, congregations, agencies, synods and churchwide organization. This coordi- nation of storytelling was fragmented in the past, resulting in lost opportunities to share what the ELCA as a whole is up to. The magazine’s editorial integrity remains unchanged. Journalism will still
Journalism will still break out on (The Lutheran’s) pages.
break out on its pages. The magazine will continue to publish articles that serve as a mirror on life within our denomination, addressing both promise and problems but always in a way that encourages and uplifts. Further study will be conducted on the circulation and distribution model of
The Lutheran. Readers of this column know about the slow but steadily declin- ing fortunes of circulation and revenue. This church still needs a magazine—in print form for those not plugged into the digital age as well as electronic. The Lutheran, for now, remains a viable operation, reaching a couple hun-
dred thousand readers each month. However, as a magazine primarily pur- chased by congregations for members, its reach is increasingly concentrated in a minority of churches. Leaders will look in the coming year for ways to put the magazine in the hands of those not currently receiving it—again both in print and digital formats.
4
www.thelutheran.org
The Lutheran is the magazine of the ELCA
Subscriptions & customer service Subscription issues, address changes, billing questions: phone—800-328-4648 email—subscriptions@
augsburgfortress.org
Editorial offices: 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631
(800) 638-3522; (773) 380-2540 Fax: (773) 380-2409 Email:
lutheran@thelutheran.org Web:
www.thelutheran.org
The Lutheran is a member of the Associated Church Press
Editor Daniel J. Lehmann
lutheran.editor@thelutheran.org
Section editors Julie B. Sevig Congregations & Community
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org Elizabeth Hunter Church & World
elizabeth.hunter@
thelutheran.org
Manager, editorial production Andrea Pohlmann Kulik
andrea.pohlmann@thelutheran.org
Interim art director Kathryn Hillert Brewer
kathryn@brewer-com.com
Study guide editor Robert C. Blezard
rcblezard@hotmail.com
Senior administrative assistant Barbara A. Fletcher Advertising
barbara.fletcher@thelutheran.org advertising@thelutheran.org
The Lutheran is published monthly through Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440. (ISSN 0024-743X USPS 322080)
For display and classified advertising sales: (800) 638-3522 Ext. 2541;
advertising@thelutheran.org.
Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement.
Subscription rates: $19.95 a year; outside N. America add $9.20 for postage. Payable in U.S. funds. Send subscription requests to The Lutheran Circulation, Augsburg Fortress, PO Box 1553, Minneapolis, MN 55440-8730. Or subscribe online:
www.thelutheran.org.
On tape: Customer Service, Box 1553, Minneapolis, MN 55440; (800) 328-4648.
On microfilm: National Archive Publishing Company (NAPC), 300 N. Zeeb Rd., PO Box 998, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-0998.
Copyright ©2015 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Duplication in whole or in part in any form is prohibited without written permission from the publishers. Printed in the U.S.A.
Nonprofit Periodicals Postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Lutheran, Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, PO Box 1553, Minneapolis MN 55440-8730.
The Lutheran magazine belongs to the people of the ELCA in all our diversity. The magazine: • Nurtures awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives and the world. • Shares stories of God’s people living their faith. • Connects us with the global Christian community. • Provides an open forum for discussion. • Challenges us to bring God’s grace and care to all.
MICHAEL D. WATSON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52