FIRST GLIMPSE: Forward Thinking

As ONE Magazine wraps up 13 years in print, one thing has become abundantly clear. Free Will Baptists are people on the move. Of the 58,063 subscribers who received the premier issue in 2005, 24,151 changed addresses in the intervening years—just shy of 42% or just over 3% a year. While that number may seem staggeringly high, according to the 2015 U.S. Census, Free Will Baptists actually fall short of the national average of 12%. One in nine Americans makes a new driveway his or her daily destination each year. (Interestingly enough, that number has declined steadily from 20.5% in 1948.)

For the first decade or so, these frequent moves had little impact on readers, but as email and digital media have gradually replaced “snail mail,” fewer and fewer of our readers-on-the-move take time to provide a new address to the postal service. As a result, a steady stream of magazines returns to the ONE office bearing bright, yellow stickers that scream “Forwarding Address Unavailable!” Sadly, we are left only one option—delete.

With this in mind, I challenge readers to make 2018 the year of “forward thinking.” Update your post office with your new address when you move, or contact our office directly via a quick call (877-767-7659), email (editor@nafwb.org), or by clicking on the Subscribe tab at www.onemag.org.

Why is it so important to stay on the ONE mailing list? Consider several new adventures for the magazine in the coming year.

• Pastors across the denomination will soon receive the first issue of PULP1T (Pulpit ONE) magazine, an occasional bonus issue designed specifically for pastors and their families. Made possible by a grant from Free Will Baptist Foundation, the publication will encourage, inspire, challenge, and equip pastors for ministry in an increasingly difficult and hostile culture.
  

• The December-January 2018 issue will deliver an early Christmas present in the form of a complete magazine redesign, with easier-reading fonts, reformatted columns, revised news pages—even a new cover masthead. Enjoy the new look and feel in the glow of the Christmas lights as you sip a steaming cup of hot cocoa.
  

• Finally, the website will receive a complete overhaul in 2018. Redesigned for the world of social media and instant communication, onemagazine.com will make sharing, posting, and embedding content from future publications a breeze.
  

And, that is where you come in. What would you like to see on the new site? How can onemagazine.com be more beneficial for you in your daily walk with Christ? I look forward to hearing from you.

About the Columnist: Eric K. Thomsen is managing editor of ONE Magazine. Contact him at editor@nafwb.org.