Directors of Baptist Center for Ethics (better known as EthicsDaily) and Baptists Today, Inc. (now branded as Nurturing Faith) approved the formation of Good Faith Media, launching in June 2020. The combined staff of the combined organizations is pictured above.
A new, expansive faith-based media company will emerge in June 2020, combining the resources of two independent, national non-profit organizations.
Directors of Baptist Center for Ethics (better known as EthicsDaily) and Baptists Today, Inc. (now branded as Nurturing Faith) approved the formation of the new entity, Good Faith Media, to provide reflection and resources at the intersection of culture and faith through an inclusive Christian lens.
A new, robust website will launch in June at GoodFaithMedia.org.
The new site will combine the offerings of both EthicsDaily.com and NurturingFaith.net, housing all content from both sites at GoodFaithMedia.org.
The resources include: news and analysis; video and podcasts; book, journal and curriculum publication; and in-person experiential trips.
“Good Faith Media brings together two historic organizations, creating a new entity dedicated to providing the very best reflections and resources for individuals, churches, organizations and institutions,” said Mitch Randall, Executive Director of EthicsDaily, who will become CEO of the new entity. “Good Faith Media will be a trusted and reliable resource for people of faith finding themselves at the intersection of culture and faith.”
The combined staff from the two organizations is enhanced by the addition of Autumn Lockett of Norman, Oklahoma, as Executive Director of Development and Marketing. Also, writer/editor Bruce Gourley of Nurturing Faith will assume full-time responsibilities.
“Good Faith Media is greater than the sum of its two parts,” said John Pierce, who has led Baptists Today/Nurturing Faith for 20 years and will serve as Executive Editor/Publisher for the new organization. “This combined and expanded team is well equipped to provide more high-quality resources and experiences than ever before.”
George Mason, who helped facilitate the envisioning process, will bring his interview-style “Good God” podcast into a strategic partnership with Good Faith Media.
A generous gift from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation will fund the launch of the new entity, with additional funding coming from other organizations and individuals in support of GFM’s important mission.
“There is a meaningful, sacred movement along with interesting transition happening in our broader faith community,” said Jackie Baugh Moore, vice president of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation.
“Good Faith Media is the result of a series of conversations, in that context, regarding the need for a creative, effective, engaging platform to help bridge us to the next generation of faith thinkers and leaders who are trying to learn and respond to critical issues and changes facing our communities and beyond.
“The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation is proud to offer our enthusiastic support for this new venture that will be a significant tool to help people of faith as they respond to their individual and collective calls to make a positive impact in their own communities and connect them to others,” Baugh Moore said.
“We believe this is a wise and timely decision by two organizations that believe more can be done to recognize and follow God’s movement in our world by joining efforts, being responsible and efficient with resources and creatively engaging multiple generations where they are.”
David Turner, Chair of the Nurturing Faith Board of Directors, expressed gratitude for the Baugh Foundation’s generosity in bringing Good Faith Media to life.
“I am very excited about the formation of Good Faith Media,” said Turner, who is senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. “This new media enterprise harnesses the strengths of Nurturing Faith and EthicsDaily.com, strengths enhanced by strategic partnerships with Good God Podcasts, CBF and the Center for Healthy Churches, to form something altogether new that has the potential to be a significant voice in the progressive Baptist movement.”
“Mitch Randall brings great energy and vision to the position of CEO, and Johnny Pierce brings tremendous insight and experience into his role of publisher,” he said. “We are especially grateful for the partnership and encouragement in the creation of this new entity of Jackie Baugh Moore, Babs Baugh, the Baugh Foundation, George Mason and Kenton Keller.”
“Through an extensive period of negotiations and due diligence, representatives of the two groups discovered an energy and sense of trust that led to a shared vision of the new venture,” said Kevin Heifner, M.D., Chair of the EthicsDaily.com board and a member of Providence Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“I’m excited about the potential for Good Faith Media to serve as a platform for ethical reflection and interaction for all individuals of faith to advance the common good.”
Baptists Today was founded in 1983 by veteran journalist Walker Knight (1924-2019) to produce an autonomous national newspaper, first known as SBC Today. The publication evolved into Nurturing Faith Journal and, in recent years, the mission expanded to publish books and Bible studies and to provide Nurturing Faith Experiences.
Baptist Center for Ethics was founded in 1991 by Robert Parham (1953-2017) to provide timely resources, including opinion columns, news articles, documentary films, Bible studies and video interviews. Following Parham’s death in 2017, Randall became Executive Director of the organization now known as EthicsDaily.
Considering the fiscal realities common to local churches and faith-based non-profits, as well as the complementary nature of resources and overlap in readership, both entities see this as a proactive step in light of the changing landscape of religious life.
Good Faith Media will provide a positive example of people of faith coming together rather than dividing or falling apart, and it will allow the challenges of this new era to be engaged from a position of strength rather than survival.
Combining an entrepreneurial mindset and a nimble staff, GFM plans to become a leading resource for people of faith who wish to stay informed about the pressing issues of the day and to be equipped to engage constructively in working for justice.
Learn more at GoodFaithMedia.org
This article originally appeared at EthicsDaily.com.
