Being Your Denominational Magazine

For decades, The Banner has been the official magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. Since 2015, this magazine has worked under a mandate and publishing guidelines that called for editorial staff to show “the diverse positions held within the church” and permitted staff to “lead and encourage a responsible discussion of the issues important to the life of the church through editorial comment and publication of articles that represent the various views held within the church” and permit “people of the church to voice their views and reactions even though some of these views may be unacceptable to others in the church.”

With these guidelines, while no organization is perfect at living out its goals, we have acted sincerely and with an enormous amount of thought. In doing so, we have upheld an almost 160-year tradition and published an award-winning magazine.

Now Synod 2025 has asked The Banner to stop doing those three things and to change some of our approach in being the denominational magazine. Our biblically prophetic and responsible criticism and evaluation of trends within the church must include “proper acknowledgement and respect for the official positions of the CRCNA and within the confines of our confessional commitments.”

While these parts of the The Banner's guiding documents have been important, they have not stood alone. The Banner’s mandate is much larger than those bullet points, and we intend to continue to fulfil it with editorial integrity while functioning within these changes.

Lament

When it comes down to it, journalism is about telling the truth. The truth is I lament synod’s removal of those parts of our guiding document. I lament, especially, the way synod did it.

When Synod 2014 considered changing The Banner’s mandate, it appointed a study committee to look at it for a year and report back. With that year of study and consideration, it came back with a report and decision. I lament that Synod 2025 did not do this. By going about it in this way, I believe synod not only did The Banner a disservice but did its readers—the CRC membership—a disservice by giving the appearance of curtailing its journalistic integrity.

In fact, our editor, Shiao Chong, felt he could not continue under this new mandate, choosing to resign in protest. I respect Chong’s decision, and our team greatly appreciates the pastoral way he has led The Banner and the level of depth and thought he has brought to this role.

Journalism is also about understanding nuance and being able to view one event from multiple perspectives. For those of us who choose to continue this work, we hope and believe it is possible to maintain a thriving journalistic publication that does all synod’s mandate calls for while also maintaining a level of independence that allows us to speak to the members of the CRC in the same way we always have.

A Closer Look

As we look closer at the ways the mandate has changed, and more importantly, how it has stayed the same, we believe the one addition and the few guideline changes will not much change how we operate. It most certainly will not change how we cover the news of the CRC. As for features, we have always worked within the Christian Reformed belief system. We have often included editor’s notes sharing the official stance of the CRC when an author offered a criticism. And any articles with criticisms we have printed have been allowed very carefully, often with much revision and an eye for humility and grace. Now we will be more consistent in this practice, with even more clarity and specificity about the official positions of the denomination.

I want to point out specifically what has remained the same within The Banner’s mandate. We staff are still called to report in an honest, unbiased manner information about activities affecting the church. We are still called to present materials to edify readers so as to encourage them to grow in Christian maturity and faith and to live out their faith in daily life. We are still called to provide a vehicle through which church members can express their views and opinions on pertinent issues. All these things we have done. All these things we want to do. All these things we will continue to do to the best of our ability, God willing.

What also has not changed is our editorial freedom to “inform … readers and subscribers about what is occurring in the church (including relevant problems, needs, and concerns) even though some persons, congregations, or agencies may prefer that such information not be disseminated.” We have no intention of dropping this mandate. The Banner is a journalistic institution whose journalists love the church and want to love it well by raising “relevant problems, needs, and concerns,” as the guidelines require of us.

The final section of the mandate is on editorial integrity. Nothing in it has changed. Synod has always expected editorial integrity of the Banner staff, and as a journalist and an editor, I can tell you plainly that if my fellow editors and I didn’t feel we could maintain it, we would not remain. We happily will continue to use editorial integrity in our decisions and in our writing as we keep this magazine running.

Will you come with us?

 

I invite you to read below the mandate of The Banner to see what has changed and what has remained the same. New parts are underlined. The sections with a strikethrough are the ones synod has removed.

The Mandate of The Banner

Adopted by Synod 2015 (Acts of Synod 2015, p. 641)

The Banner is a publication of the Christian Reformed Church in North America rather than an independent magazine. Accordingly, the editorial staff, led by the synodically appointed editor in chief, is accountable to the church for the style and content of this magazine. This accountability to the church is realized in a number of diverse, sometimes overlapping, and at times conflicting responsibilities to various groups and structures within the denomination.

All these responsibilities are governed by The Banner’s synodical mandate to

(1) inform readers about what is happening in the CRC as well as the church at large,

(2) provide articles that edify and encourage Christian living,

(3) stimulate critical thinking about issues related to the Christian faith and the culture of which we are a part in a way that encourages biblical thinking about these issues, in line with our confessional heritage; and

(4) offer tools to help readers find fresh awareness to seek, learn, worship, and serve as Reformed Christians in contemporary society; and

(5) represent the denomination publicly to the broader Christian church and to the world at large by speaking from a distinctly Reformed perspective in line with our confessions and synodical decisions, representing the CRCNA as its official publication.

I. Lines of accountability

Lines of accountability have been established by previous decisions of synod and CRC Publications. For the editorial staff, accountability runs through the editor in chief, who is directly accountable

A. To the Board of Trustees, the body mandated by synod to publish this denominational periodical. This accountability includes

1. Reporting periodically on editorial activities and decisions.

2. Reporting reactions, criticisms, and suggestions received from readers and churches.

3. Recommending needed changes in policies and procedures.

4. Carrying out all approved policies and procedures.

B. To the executive director, the administrative head appointed to manage and coordinate the work of denominational staff. This accountability includes

1. Keeping him/her informed of possibly sensitive or controversial issues being addressed and listening seriously to any advice offered regarding such issues. The executive director should, at his/her discretion, consult with other CRC ministry leaders.

2. Being fiscally responsible.

3. Following approved personnel procedures.

4. Working cooperatively with Ministry Support Services.

II. General responsibilities: In addition to this direct accountability, the editorial staff carries general responsibilities inherent in the nature of a denominational magazine:

A. To its subscribers and readers in the Christian Reformed Church for

1. Reporting in an honest and unbiased manner information about activities affecting the church. 2. Presenting to the readers the issues pertinent to the life of the church in a way that shows the diverse positions held within by the church and encourages biblical and Reformed thinking about of these issues.

3. Edifying readers so as to encourage them to grow in Christian maturity and faith and to live out their faith in daily life.

4. Providing a vehicle through which church members can express their views and opinions on pertinent issues.

B. To the ecclesiastical assemblies (councils, classes, synod) of the CRC for

1. Keeping church members informed about important decisions taken.

2. Reporting significant trends or policy directions.

C. To the official agencies of the CRC for

1. Presenting and explaining their ministry on behalf of the churches, making sure the information disseminated is accurate.

2. Keeping church members informed about important changes in their programs and personnel.

3. Encouraging church members to support and participate in the ministries being carried out.

III. Freedom of editorial staff In order that it may carry on these diverse responsibilities, the editorial staff must be granted the freedom to do the following:

A. Inform its readers and subscribers about what is occurring in the church (including relevant problems, needs, and concerns) even though some persons, congregations, or agencies may prefer that such information not be disseminated.

B. Investigate and determine the facts regarding any occurrence in the church that appears to merit reporting to readers.

C. Lead and encourage a responsible discussion of the issues important to the life of the church through editorial comment and publication of articles that represent the various views held within the church.

D. Permit people of the church to voice their views and reactions even though some of these views may be unacceptable to others in the church.

E. C. Provide a biblically prophetic and responsible criticism and evaluation of trends within the church and society and of actions, decisions, policies, programs, etc., being considered by or already approved by ecclesiastical assemblies and agencies with proper acknowledgement and respect for the official positions of the CRCNA and within the confines of our confessional covenant commitments.

IV. Editorial integrity

The following guidelines for editorial judgment will be used in determining what materials (editorials, articles, news stories, etc.) are published in the pages of The Banner: A. The Banner materials should be faithful to Scripture and the confessions.

B. The Banner materials should edify and educate readers.

C. Truth must be written but always in love.

D. Criticism must be constructive and fair.

E. Editing of materials should always maintain the intent of the author while making the writing more effective in presenting the author’s views.

F. No author should be demeaned by editorial comment or by the way an article, column, letter, etc., is presented.

G. Selection of authors should aim at equity of representation (U.S./ Canada, minorities, men/women, younger/older, conservative/progressive, etc.).

H. Nothing deliberately inflammatory, insulting, or divisive should be published.

I. Nothing that serves the interest solely of one individual, organization, or group in contrast to other individuals, organizations, or groups or in neglect of the general interest of the churches should be published.

J. The Banner should give preference to CRC authors.

K. Heads/titles should not be misleading or sensational; they should accurately reflect the heart of the story/article.