Equipped for the future

As I write, it’s late December 2023 and our team is working on the first WORLD issue of 2024. To those of you who’ve come along with WORLD this past year, thank you! Even without knowing the future, I think we can safely predict that 2024 will bring with it important news for us to report. Our prayer here is that we will ­faithfully deliver the news, along with a Biblical perspective on the news, for your benefit, in the coming year.

And now, some WORLD news. Entering the new year, the major restructuring work of WORLD editorial, led by our Editorial Council, is well behind us. With just a few more steps, which we will complete at the beginning of 2024, we’ll complete our transition to a structure that combines the best of traditional editorial oversight with what Solomon called the wisdom of many counselors. Here’s what that looks like:

First, I will no longer serve as a member of the council. Everyone agrees that I have served my purpose in that ex officio role, which was to help clear obstacles to the restructuring, and that purpose was always meant to be temporary.

Second, all of WORLD’s editorial departments will once again report to the office of the Chief Content Officer (CCO). We’ve split the CCO job between Nick Eicher and Lynn Vincent, both of whom are extraordinarily well equipped for the role, but in different ways and with different areas of expertise. Both Nick and Lynn will continue their editorial roles with WORLD Radio and WORLD Magazine.

Finally, we are adding representatives of WORLD News Group’s student ­divisions to the Editorial Council—Rebecca Cochrane, editorial director of God’s WORLD News, and Brian Basham, program director of WORLD Watch. We’re also adding Leigh Jones to the council, in her new role of executive editor of our features team.

With these three changes, the entirety of the organization’s editorial output is brought under the purview of the CCO office, including the now organization-­wide Editorial Council.

All these teams are at the heart of WORLD’s mission and, as always, they have big plans for the coming year, so they need prayer and encouragement. Pray for them today. Encourage them when you can.