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by Jerry Bowyer

The Christian Statesman is 125 years old this year. As one of the oldest continuously published magazines in America, it is the chief asset of the National Reform Association, and it ought to be treated with care. We have made plans to improve and expand the magazine:

Number 1: Continue to improve the format.

During the past year in which I have been the editor, we have completely transformed the look of the magazine. It's been very well received by our subscribers. We have also involved new writers by recruiting new talent and by persuading some well-published authors to write for us.

We'll continue to seek out the best writers available. We'll also continue to improve the physical appearance of the magazine--for instance, by using sharper, clearer Linotronic output (sometimes called "printing to film"). We are also considering adding another color to the cover. For now, we have changed to a finer typeface and some more interesting fonts for headlines.

You should notice a difference in the next issue. There will be some more face-lifting here and there. We're also moving toward regular departments with staff writers. Many of you have said how much you like theme issues, such as the ones devoted to the idea of a Christian third party (Sept.-Oct. and Nov.-Dec.). We intend to compromise between these two formats--using regular, reliable features from our staff writers, plus a mini-theme with several short pieces devoted to some topic of note.

Number 2: Expand our readership.

We seem to be part of what I consider an already flooded market. There have been scores of newsletters and journals serving the Reformed world-and-life view Christian market. To name just a few recent ones: Journey magazine, Antithesis, Contra Mundum, and Crosswinds: A Reformation Digest. I think there is probably room for one good opinion journal, which could be the equivalent of Commentary for the conservative Jews, or First Things for the Roman Catholics.

Among us, we Reformed Christians have enough talent to do one journal right. Some of these publications are strong in political science, some in philosophy and apologetics, some in theology and church matters, some in media or cultural critique.

Up until now we have used the Jeffrey Dahmer approach to ministry, separating the parts of the body from one another to the point where they are no longer useful. We must keep the body together to keep it functioning properly. I have been discussing with some of the other publishers the idea of a merger with The Christian Statesman.

This is typical behavior for businesses in an overcrowded market, and it has advantages for both sides. We gain new subscribers, new associate editors, and new writers. They gain a larger audience for their views and the convenience of letting someone else take care of the logistical hassles of putting a magazine together. You gain by getting a better magazine. We will keep you posted on how this idea is proceeding.

Number 3: Add a service.

A few months ago, I tried to put myself in the place of the potential subscriber and I asked myself why I might not subscribe to the Statesman. I concluded that I might not because of a lack of time. There are already so many magazines out there I can't find the time to read.

I thought about how I could deal with this objection. Merging with some of the others helps, but they won't all merge. How can I get people to subscribe to one more magazine when there are already too many? I concluded that the only way I could sell one more magazine was by turning it into 20 fewer magazines.

Let me explain.

If I were to read the relevant newsletters, journals, and magazines out there and to summarize them, I would have solved the problem.

Now a subscription to the Statesman eliminates the need for subscriptions to many of the other magazines. Our subscribers could thereby eliminate their subscriptions to many other journals, because they can rest assured that the best of their content will be summarized in The Christian Statesman.

By doing this, we take what appears to be a problem--an overcrowded market--and turn it into an opportunity.

Number 4: Increase the exposure of our writers.

Some limited-circulation journals multiply the effect of their writers by syndicating them. We would like to take the best two or three articles in any given issue and send them to a pre-determined list of newspapers, newsletters and magazines, both Christian and non-Christian. While this may not significantly increase the circulation of The Christian Statesman, it has the potential to vastly increase the circulation of some of our ideas, particularly if some editorials are picked up by large daily newspapers.

I believe that, in the next few years, The Christian Statesman can become one of the three or four best written magazines in America.

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