Will Missouri Southern Baptists always have The Pathway, and if so, what will it look like? I have no idea. But God does.
From the day it was born on June 8, 2002, The Pathway has always belonged to God through the churches of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). People have tried to discredit it and even silence it. Not surprisingly, it is despised by liberals. As someone who has been in journalism for four decades, I can tell you such attempts are not unusual and are even expected given the influence of newspapers. I do not know of a Christian journalist who has ever sat in an editor’s chair and not expected trouble – all the while with one’s head buried in God’s Word and on one’s knees in prayer seeking Divine guidance.
Despite the never ending challenges, The Pathway is experiencing unprecedented growth and popularity. I say this with humility and a thankful heart. The Pathway carries on because God wills it. So it will be until God decides otherwise.
I bring up this subject at a time when state conventions across the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are cutting staff, slashing budgets and in some cases, ending print editions of their state newspaper. Such is the case with the Georgia Baptist Convention, which will no longer provide a printed edition of The Christian Index – which began publishing 187 years ago. It will be offered only online starting Jan. 1. Other conventions are considering similar moves. The MBC is not one of them (more about this in a moment).
Are Georgia Baptists wrong? Time will tell. Newspapers have been swimming in unchartered waters due to the Internet for decades. Fact is no one really knows where this will all lead. We are, no doubt, in a transition phase.
Is it time to end printed state newspapers and transfer their content exclusively to the Internet? I, like many of my colleagues, have studied this matter for years, and we are no closer to an answer today than we were 10 years ago. The research data on this subject is inconclusive. Drawing definitive conclusions at this point seems risky to me, to MBC Executive Director John Yeats and the MBC Executive Board, which establishes and oversees Pathway policy.
We must communicate with Missouri Southern Baptists on multiple platforms. That is why we offer The Pathway in print, online and more recently through its free app. An intentional decision has been made for the print edition to be subsidized in part by Cooperative Program dollars and in turn, there is no subscription fee to receive The Pathway. This has been a strategic move because readers have come to expect free access to content via the Internet. Some newspapers have tried to charge for access to their online content. In most cases they have failed.
Of course for any publication content is king. The Pathway offers Missouri Southern Baptists information they cannot get anywhere else: news about how God is working through each church and person. Add biblical worldview commentaries and news articles about current issues facing Christianity – and if well written and professionally designed – success becomes more likely.
There is another strategic decision that the MBC has made about The Pathway. We have abandoned the old model of mailing bundles to the churches, replacing it with a more direct mail philosophy that enables us to enter each home. This has made The Pathway personal to many subscribers, giving them a sense of rightful ownership and bonding with the paper and the MBC. This type of relationship builds trust as we convey information, provide encouragement, facilitate spiritual growth and promote unity. Not only has this strategy boosted the print edition, but it has not negatively impacted our growth digitally.
Circulation continues to rise on all three platforms. The Pathway’s print edition is now the fifth largest paid circulated newspaper in Missouri. Our website numbers — in terms of stories read — are up (we will top 120,000 articles read by the end of the year), while the number of unique visitors are up 135 percent since 2013. Readership on all three platforms is approaching 50,000. The MBC has not seen numbers like this with its state newspaper in 25 years.
God be praised! I am thankful He has provided The Pathway with an outstanding staff. A big “thank you” must go to our readers who support The Pathway through your generous giving through the Cooperative Program. Your many acts of kindness and especially your prayers are cherished.