How to Read The Banner for All It’s Worth

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.

Ever since my family moved from the mission field back to the United States, I have looked forward to reading The Banner when it comes out each month. When I was a teenager, I didn’t always understand what was being discussed, but the fact that there existed a magazine that was focused on “my church” was always a great joy to me. Whenever a new issue arrived, I would eagerly search every page looking for the names of pastors I knew, churches that had supported my family in the Dominican Republic, and pictures of people or places I recognized. Even though we lived in Houston, a giant city with maybe two Christian Reformed churches at the time, The Banner made me feel connected to a larger family I knew I wanted to know better.

I listened to the conversation at Synod 2025 regarding The Banner with great interest. It made my heart heavy to hear people say that they no longer looked forward to reading The Banner. I was horrified to hear a personal accusation against the now former editor, Shiao Chong, of “weaponizing” speech. I’ve personally found his navigation of the challenging realities of a denomination in conflict to have been very fair, nuanced, prophetic, and pastoral. I was disappointed that more people didn’t express appreciation for The Banner and lament Chong’s resignation. I know I don’t speak for the denomination, but I am not content to let silence reign where gratitude is called for. I’d like to publicly express my appreciation for Chong’s dedication to stewarding this denominational treasure through a very difficult chapter of our church’s history.

I wanted to write this article because I find that when people grumble about The Banner, I fear they have forgotten to read it correctly. I do not claim to be a better reader, but as a lifelong Banner reader who has fallen into the storm of negativity myself, I feel I’ve learned a few things about how to get the most out of it. I now find that reading The Banner brings me closer to God and my sisters and brothers in the Christian Reformed Church.

Now The Banner has been given an updated mandate, so here is my updated mandate to you, dear reader:

1. Read Prayerfully and Relationally

In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy (Phil. 1:4).

When I pick up The Banner to read, I do so with excitement and desire to learn more about the people who I am in relationship with because of our mutual membership in the Christian Reformed Church. I am not always excited or convicted by the views that people express, but I am eager to better understand people who think differently than I do, and The Banner introduces me to people who share my core convictions as a Reformed Christian. What better place to begin a conversation? When I read an article that particularly moves me, I can reach out and thank the person for sharing their wisdom and experience. When I read an article I find confusing or objectionable, I can reach out and ask that person to help me to better understand their perspective. When I read about church members and pastors and missionaries and denominational employees, whether it’s the work they’re doing, the struggles they’re facing, or the questions they have, it is an invitation to lift them up in prayer and enter deeper into relationship.

2. Read in Print

See with what large letters I write with my own hand (Gal. 6:11).

One of the most common complaints I hear about The Banner is, “All the articles are so controversial, why can’t they focus on highlighting the good work the church is doing?” To me, this is a dead giveaway that people are only engaging with the magazine online. If you pick up a physical copy of The Banner, you will find that nearly half of the magazine is devoted to “Our Shared Ministry,” a central (literally in the middle of the magazine) and vital section of The Banner that is devoted exclusively to—you guessed it—highlighting the good work the churches and our denominational agencies are doing! Stories of transformed communities, transformed churches, and transformed lives are literally central to The Banner.

Why don’t people who engage with The Banner online recognize this? Because online, articles are promoted by engagement. This is common across the internet, of course, but it means that more sensational and controversial items are highlighted. This isn’t The Banner’s fault; it’s a consequence of what reader engagement looks like in the digital world. Research increasingly demonstrates and confirms that our online engagement is consistently motivated by negative emotions such as fear and rage. Recent studies from Stanford, Tulane, the National Institutes of Health, and others have found that content that evokes frustration and anger are consistently shared more widely across all digital platforms and thus promoted by digital algorithms. Christians are not immune to this reality. We must actively work against it. My solution to this is simple. I engage with The Banner exclusively in print. I find it is the best way to put things in context, to get a good sense of balance, and to highlight the positive. Others might find different solutions to this, but I find that this is the best for me.

(By the way, if you want to read the full issues online, you can do so here, where you can download full PDF versions of each print issue.)

3. Read with Appreciation and Support

I have not stopped giving thanks for you (Eph. 1:16).

Finally, I always try to pick up The Banner with gratitude and thanksgiving. Independent journalism is a heritage of the Protestant Reformation, when supporters and critics of the church used the newly invented printing press to share news and ideas, and hold leaders and institutions accountable. To have a journalistic publication focused entirely on our little denomination is an invaluable gift! In addition, The Banner is really an excellent publication. The Associated Church Press, a venerable independent institution that connects and promotes religious communicators and Christian journalists, regularly recognizes the excellent quality of The Banner with annual awards. Reading The Banner affords me the opportunity to give thanks for the editorial staff, the denomination, and the contributors who write articles and submit letters.

As our church faces an unprecedented crisis in giving toward denominational causes, I also am intentional to turn my appreciation into financial support by giving to ministry shares. But within the next few years, ministry shares will no longer support The Banner, so I am resolved to give to The Banner directly, treating it like my other magazine subscriptions. It is worth it! The Banner is a gift. It is ours to steward and ours to keep—if we can.