My elevator speech when describing my work as editor of Good Faith Magazine often includes the self-deprecating use of the word “dinosaur.” It’s a nod to the reality that we’re producing a very old form of media—one that’s declining rapidly.
Perhaps no data set paints that picture more clearly than the list of the top-selling print magazines in the U.S. over the past year. The highest circulation belongs to AARP Magazine, at 22.2 million subscribers. The next highest? AARP Bulletin, with almost the same number of readers. After that comes Costco Connection at 15.3 million, with Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living lagging far behind at only 2.2 million subscribers apiece.
In other words, if you’ve had a magazine delivered to your mailbox in the past month, it may be time to schedule your next colonoscopy. Even so, it’s good to remember this truth we all knew as children but somehow forgot along the way: dinosaurs are awesome.
We now have a year under our belts since rebranding Nurturing Faith Journal as Good Faith Magazine. Although I began work as editor in late 2023, the changes we’ve made through the print publication this year have given me a deeper sense of ownership and responsibility for this historic brand. I’ve learned a few things along the way.
Owning Mistakes
As a Gen-Xer, I learned to read on print platforms. Without a library in my rural hometown, I was ecstatic as a child when the bookmobile from our county-seat library rolled into the grocery store parking lot every other week. I devoured any print publication I could find, including our local newspaper, the Chandler & Brownsboro Statesman.
By the time I began to develop my chops as a writer, the digital revolution was well underway. I was an early adopter of the blog format, which allowed writers to share their ideas with a mass audience quickly. It also offered an easy way to correct factual, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in real time.
That ability to shape and improve content even after publication is a gift for writers in the digital age—but it molds some of our brains (read: mine) in a way that favors content generation over editorial excellence. That can be a challenge when it comes to print publications.
Veteran publishers and copywriters have told me that perfection is elusive. Even when massive publishing houses and media conglomerates employed large editorial staffs, something almost always slipped through the cracks: a line gets cut off, a misspelled word replicates on multiple pages, an image is misattributed.
Our magazine designer, Cally Chisholm, along with our external copy editor, works tirelessly to produce an excellent product. As the final set of eyes on every issue, I’m ultimately responsible for any mistakes that end up permanently etched into the magazine’s pages.
Throughout the year, we’ve worked to reduce those errors, and I’m grateful for the grace the GFM community has shown as we continue refining our processes to create something excellent.
Faith Formation
For many years, the centerpiece of Nurturing Faith Journal was Tony Cartledge’s Nurturing Faith Bible Studies. Before his retirement last year, Tony poured his decades of devotion, scholarship, and pastoral care into curriculum for Sunday School classes and small groups.
He didn’t just write studies, though—he made connections and cultivated community among people seeking to follow God in the way of Jesus.
With the transition from six issues a year to a quarterly schedule, the weekly Bible studies have taken an even more prominent role in Good Faith Magazine. This year, Kathy and Nathan Maxwell have stepped into Tony’s very big shoes. Their insightful commentary has provided a strong bridge between Tony’s legacy and the future of Good Faith Bible Studies.
Just as the future of print publication is changing, so is the landscape of faith formation within congregations. Sunday School no longer holds the prominent role it once did. People are finding avenues of discipleship in new places.
Still, there remains a deep need for thoughtful engagement with scripture—for individuals and small groups alike. In 2026, we’ll be working with a team of writers from diverse backgrounds to continue and build upon the legacy we’ve inherited.
A Community of Good Faith
This year, we launched a column titled “People of Good Faith.” The feature highlights the work and witness of those who cross our field of vision and whom we believe readers should know about. They’ve included spiritual entrepreneurs, adoption advocates, pastors, and proclaimers.
In addition, this summer we published our first-ever “25 Who Inspire” list, featuring people who encourage us to continue the holy work of mercy and justice. The list included social workers, scholars, interfaith advocates, athletes, researchers, and politicians, just to name a few.
Both features highlight something essential about Good Faith Media: we’re not just a multi-platform media organization. We’re a community.
Our ecosystem has been nurtured in the waters of Baptist identity, but it’s stretching beyond denominational and sectarian boundaries. Wherever someone is responding to the spark of God in their life and community, that’s where we want to be. We’ll continue to tell their stories so that our own stories will be transformed.
Good Faith, Good Reading
If you want to temporarily quiet the residual brain-buzz of your screens, consider reading Good Faith Magazine. A yearly donation of $5,000 will make you a Good Faith Advocate and get you the magazine—but so will a yearly donation of $50.
Colonoscopy reminder not included.
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Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.
