Recently a news story at chog.org highlighted the current state of affairs at ONEvoice!
Joseph Allison, Coordinator of Communications and Publications (and CHOG Blog reader!), has bluntly stated, "ONEvoice! magazine is at a tipping point ... The campaign will likely determine whether the magazine succeeds.”
The campaign Allison refers to is the recent subscription blitz that is underway across Church of God congregations (on which I have previously posted). Their goal is to obtain 3000 new subscriptions, the largest ever for the publication.
The same story revealed that the current subscription rate is around 2100. On average, that's less than one copy per congregation! I am astounded that our churches and pastors have not been more supportive, especially with all the whining that occurred during the years we were without a national magazine. I know there are some historical factors that come into play, relative cost may be another issue, and the supposed lack of explicit doctrinal teaching bothers some (I will have more to say on this one in the near future); but, certainly the number of subscriptions should be higher.
I remain convinced that the current campaign is an excellent one, and I sincerely hope the larger church responds to it. We need ONEvoice! I say this not only because I am a contributor, but because I believe that it is an important tool for our ongoing communication and identity.
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2 comments:
Lloyd,
ONEvoice is not at a tipping point as the term is currently used. The tipping point is the point at which a product (or sometimes an idea) is widely accepted and becomes the "in" thing to have to the exclusion of other similar products (for example Apple's iPod). My understanding from the article is that the editors are hoping the magazine is nearing a point at which it becomes self-sustaining (commonly called a break-even point).
The magazine is at a make-or-break point: if subscriptions do not increase beyond a certain level then the magazine (the latest attempt to unify an increasingly disparate group of people) will cease to exist.
I hope the magazine makes it. I am not sure if it will. If the current trend continues it will not.
David,
You are completely right about "tipping point". Malcolm Gladwell recently brought new meaning to the phrase in his excellent book by the same name. On the one hand "breaking point" may be the more accurate description, but hopefully this campaign will be more of a tipping point.
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