New magazine out soon for Disciples of Christ

Christian Century, March 27, 2002

An ex-editor and a former publisher of the Disciple magazine, which folded this year, are launching an independent magazine in late April called DisciplesWorld even as an official communication task force of the Indianapolis-based Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) explores its options.

Starting with a comparative shoestring of $100,000 donated by an unnamed layperson, ex-publisher James C. Suggs of Carlsbad, California, and ex-editor Robert L. Friedly of Indianapolis said they were responding to an outpouring of protests and pleas from clergy and church members for a magazine of news and opinion. The Disciples' board of publication "suspended" the Disciple early this year in light of a steadily declining circulation, down to 19,000 subscribers.

Upset over the potential rupture in a 178-year-old tradition of having at least one Disciples publication serving the church, Suggs and Friedly expressed confidence that subscriptions and advertising will undergird Disciples World. The Board of Publication made the 19,000-name circulation list available to the pair, who obtained sponsorship of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society to secure "related organization" status. "Disciples ... know how important free but responsible journalism is to this church," said Suggs.

"It will express views outside the Disciples' Vatican," said Friedly, who spent many years himself at the headquarters in public relations and as editor of the Disciple from 1990 to 1998. "There used to be a saying, `Disciples don't have bishops, they have editors,'" he said in an interview. "I think we can have 20,000-25,000 circulation before long." The new journal will be housed at the historic Downey Avenue Christian Church in Indianapolis.

The denomination's communication task force met March 6 and was directed to make recommendations to the July meeting of the Disciples' Administrative Committee. Task force chair Frank Caperton, retired executive editor of the Indianapolis Star, said the group hopes "to encourage new voices in church-wide communication," according to the Disciples News Service. Other goals include developing and using electronic networks as well as identifying what "specific publication or publications will follow" the Disciple magazine. --J. D.