The EthicsDaily.com board of directors sees a bright future for the organization and the Baptist movement.
Meeting on March 8-9 at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, the board heard (and unanimously approved) Executive Director Mitch Randall’s vision – the “E3 Initiative” – that will guide the organization into a new era of increased collaboration and fruitful ministry.
1. Educate: EthicsDaily.com will continue to be the organization’s main source for informing readers about important ethical and social justice issues through weekday articles and documentaries (both full-length and micro-documentaries) and exploring new avenues (such as podcasts).
2. Engage: EthicsDaily.com will work to facilitate conversations in local churches on contemporary issues, help churches and organizations tell their stories through promotional videos and develop a global database to foster partnerships in the pursuit of social justice and the common good.
3. Empower: EthicsDaily.com will provide support to individuals, congregations and other groups for engaging in applied ethics and social justice.
The E3 Initiative will involve providing reliable and timely resources via EthicsDaily.com, engaging regularly with local congregations and their leaders and facilitating Baptist collaboration through initiatives like #Baptists4Dreamers.
In the long term, EthicsDaily.com hopes to create a program through which small grants will be provided to churches and student groups to engage in applied ethics and social justice.
Coverage of initiatives that the grants help establish would be provided through articles and videos posted to EthicsDaily.com.
“EthicsDaily.com is positioning itself to be a leader within the Baptist movement and hopefully among mainline Christianity as we communicate and advocate for applied ethics based upon a common good and seeking social justice for all people,” Randall said.
“I’ve been very impressed in a short time with the passion that Mitch Randall has brought to his work at EthicsDaily.com – the kind of passion that inspires others to partner with him and the organization,” said Kevin Heifner, chair of EthicsDaily.com’s board of directors. “He will work very effectively to renew old partnerships, work collaboratively to forge new friendships and continue the vital prophetic voice that EthicsDaily.com offers.”
Cliff Vaughn (media producer) and Zach Dawes (managing editor) reported on several EthicsDaily.com initiatives and emphasized the organization’s ongoing efforts to reaffirm and rejuvenate current partnerships and to establish new collaborative endeavors.
Vaughn shared about a website redesign currently underway that will involve a complete overhaul of EthicsDaily.com. Currently, the projected completion date is May or June 2018.
Vaughn also highlighted several collaborative endeavors undertaken in the past year. These included:
- Working with David Wilkinson and Baptist News Global (BNG) on a video production honoring Babs Baugh. It was presented at an Oct. 23, 2017, dinner in San Antonio recognizing and celebrating the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation for its generous support of BNG and numerous Baptist endeavors.
- Producing a promotional video for the Baptist World Alliance at their request, which premiered during the BWA’s General Secretary’s Dinner on March 6 in Pentagon City in Virginia.
- Beginning conversations with several organizations about co-producing micro-documentaries, including Pam Durso and Baptist Women in Ministry (women in ministry focus) as well as Michael Cheuk and Charlottesville Clergy Collective (racism focus).
Collaborative endeavors highlighted by Dawes included:
- #EthicsDailyLocal, a November 2017 series highlighting the work of six community-based organizations in the U.S. who are working for justice and the common good.
- #ProfilesInGoodwill, an ongoing series designed to profile Baptist leaders and raise awareness of how goodwill Baptists are engaged in ministry around the world.
- Planned article series in which a variety of contemporary issues – such as human trafficking, malaria prevention, mental health, creation care, taxation, human rights and criminal justice – are addressed by a diverse group of global contributors.
Randall’s March 8 editorial focused on the need to redefine the Baptist meeting and shared his hopeful vision for the Baptist movement.
“The meetings I have been a part of over the last five years in Baptist life are starting to take on a new vibe. They are beginning to feel more like theological strategy sessions for the future,” he wrote. “As this new generation of Baptist leadership emerges, exciting and creative pathways arise with them.”
Leaning into this hopeful future, Randall emphasized that EthicsDaily.com “will partner with churches and organizations that are tired of the status quo, knowing the future will bring both an abundance of change and an unending supply of opportunities.”
Editor’s note: EthicsDaily.com relies on the generous support of readers to help us pursue social justice and the common good. Donations can be made here.
