The Episcopalian

The Episcopalian was introduced in April 1960 as a “Journal of Contemporary Christianity Serving the Episcopal Church.” This magazine was a continuation of the previous publications The Spirit of Missions and FORTH, and was predecessor to Episcopal Life.

At the time of its launch, management shifted from the DFMS National Council to the Church Magazine Advisory Board, authorized by the 1958 General Convention and appointed as publisher through 1961.

By 1962 The Episcopalian had incorporated as an agency of the General Convention. The Board of Directors of The Episcopalian Inc., assumed responsibility for publishing the magazine, thus maintaining independence from the management by the DFMS.

Throughout its thirty-year existence, the publication covered a wide variety of topics from church-related news and controversy to news of national and international importance. While continuing the features aspect of FORTH, the newsprint version took on slightly more topically pressing issues and drew on a variety of contributing voices.

In a somewhat controversial decision, Executive Council voted to transfer ownership of The Episcopalian, Inc. to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society on August 1, 1989 and would cease its publication in March 1990.

While The Episcopalian, Inc. had been in financial difficulty, the decision to transfer what was considered an independent journal from Philadelphia to New York was widely criticized. There was fear and apprehension that any publication managed by the DFMS would no longer be independent or fully representative of The Episcopal Church’s diverse range of opinions.

Its successor, Episcopal Life (later, Episcopal News Monthly) was created by the Executive Council and published by the DFMS.

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