Planning for WORLD’s future

Each Wednesday, we gather virtually as a staff to reflect on God’s Word, encourage one another, and lift up needs in prayer. Recently, our focus has been on God’s generosity and our call as His children to reflect it. Time and again, your support has shown us what godly generosity looks like in action. You’ve given us reason after reason to give thanks.

Calendar 2024 was a year that tested us—yet your extraordinary generosity carried us through. In late September, rains from Hurricane Helene brought record flooding that devastated our offices, but with you in our corner, we were able to recover swiftly. You gave so generously in October that we considered the very reasonable possibility of a quieter December. Instead, you did the opposite. You gave more. Remarkably, by the end of December, your giving had exceeded all expectations, surpassing the already generous contributions of the previous year.

For many nonprofits, December is pivotal—whether that’s due to tax considerations or the spirit of giving that marks the season. For WORLD, too, December holds special importance, not just financially but as a testament to your commitment to our mission. So, thank you for your God-reflecting generosity!

Here’s an update on our building: Likely it is now our former building. After discussions with our landlord, who faces his own challenges with Biltmore Village properties, we’ve determined it’s time to search for a new space.

Our main office in Biltmore Village back in 2013. Photo by Kevin Martin

The good news? This transition gives us a chance to rethink our future space. We envision a facility designed to support growth: more room for training, advanced video and audio production, and flexible workspaces tailored to how we work today.

The bad news? While we had hoped to plan until August 2026, we now need to act sooner. Thankfully, our kind hosts are giving us time, though not 20 months. Please pray for us. We need wisdom to know what kind of space we need, and then we’ll need to go find it.

This Feb. 4 marks the one-year anniversary of Joel Belz’s death. We have spent a good bit of time in the past year thinking and talking about how best to carry on Joel’s legacy at WORLD. Even in writing that, I can imagine Joel wincing, as that is the sort of conversation he might have discouraged. Joel never dwelled on his legacy. Instead, he lived the life God gave him and left questions of legacy in God’s hands.

But we must honor Joel’s legacy. Doing so means continuing his vision for a uniquely Christian journalism—one that reflects Biblical truth and stands apart from all others. We thank God that we are not the only ones doing this sort of ­journalism—Joel’s legacy extends through many journalists all over the world—but we feel an institutional responsibility to keep pursuing this throughout the entire organization, and to keep expanding it.

As we look ahead, we ask for your prayers: that God would guide us in pursuing sound journalism, grounded in facts and Biblical truth. We’re eager to grow this work, but we also know that our best plans succeed only as He directs every step.