The June 18, 2015, issue of the printed Word & Way is the final one in newsprint tabloid format. As it begins its 120th year of service, Word & Way will make its appearance as a glossy magazine in July. The magazine will appear monthly.
Our magazine format will offer some distinct advantages immediately. Regular readers will notice we use bigger and thus easier-to-read type. We will work harder to be more visual and utilize photography more effectively. Our new format will be 8.5 x 11 inches, easier to read and to handle. Stories will not be as lengthy. The first issue will contain 24 pages.
The Word & Way print version, of course, has an electronic counterpart — the Word & Way website (wordandway.org). Our print format change — we hope — will encourage as many readers as possible to come to rely on both the magazine and website. We’ll continue to use our e-newsletter Between the Lines to promote both.
The format and frequency of the print magazine will require changes in location of some of our features.
For instance, our two outstanding weekly Bible study commentaries will become staples on our website but will no longer appear in our print version starting in July. Authors John Howell, academic dean emeritus at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and Michael Olmsted, now retired and living in Springfield, Mo., after 45 years of pastoral ministry, will continue their long-tenured service in writing these Bible study guides. Space will not permit us to continue these in print.
We will promote these lessons in our print issue and present them so they can easily be found on our website and even printed for distribution among Bible study class members as needed.
We’ll make needed adjustments and improvements in some other areas as we move through our transition. Reader feedback — both print and online — is always sought and welcomed.
Our intent is to cover the Baptist scene among Missourians as Word & Way has done since 1896 and to continue more recent efforts to inform and connect others from the Baptist family from Midwestern states like Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa.
We at Word & Way also hope both our magazine — with its updated presentation of news, opinion and other materials — and our website, also recently updated, are able to engage new generations of Baptist readers, including the children and grandchildren of ardent long-time subscribers.