The Evangelical Press Association, which was founded in 1948 and counts more than 300 member organizations, publications and individuals that reach an audience of more than 20 million people, is weighing a name change and seeking a new executive director to succeed Lamar Keener.
Following a year-long strategic planning effort, EPA’s board has proposed a name change to Christian Communicator’s Network. EPA explained the rationale for the change in the July issue of its Liaison newsletter.
Lamar Keener
The word “evangelical” now says more about politics than theology. “Press” made sense 78 years ago in the era of print journalism, but today many members create digital content or videos. “Association” would give way to “network” to highlight the long-term connections forged by members.
“The word ‘evangelical’ increasingly carries political, cultural and sociological meanings that often obscure its theological intent,” says the EPA board’s proposal. “The word ‘Christian,’ by contrast, is immediately understood around the world. It communicates our identity more clearly while remaining fully consistent with our evangelical convictions,” which “have not changed.
“Our theology remains evangelical. Our public identity becomes more clearly Christian,” the statement says.
Voting on the change will conclude Sept. 30. A number of groups already refer to themselves as Christian communicators.
EPA was founded amid a flurry of evangelical organizing in the 1940s. The National Association of Evangelicals came first in 1942, followed by the National Sunday School Association in 1943, World Relief and the National Religious Broadcasters in 1944, the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies in 1945, and the National Association of Christian Schools in 1947.
Back then, Billy Graham was the public face of evangelicalism. He insisted on the primacy of evangelism over divisive theological or social issues. Graham helped unite otherwise divided denominations for his massive evangelistic crusades, and he worked behind the scenes to forge bonds of unity among a diverse assortment of Christian groups. He helped launch Christianity Today in 1956.
“The term (evangelical) was very popular among some Christians in the 1970s and 1980s who used it as a self-descriptor to differentiate themselves from both Mainline Protestants to their left and fundamentalists to their right,” wrote historian Daniel K. Williams.
Since the 1980s, evangelicalism has become increasingly associated with conservative GOP politics, and in the last decade, Donald Trump, spawning an ex-vangelical movement and name changes by a number of churches and groups that once embraced the label.
BNG reported on this trend in 2017: “Thinking of ditching the term ‘evangelical’ to identify yourself as Christian? Get in line.”
“Our name — evangelical — is coming to mean something our founders did not intend and something we may not recognize,” said the Evangelical Free Church of America in 2018.
EPA Executive Director Lamar Keener is moving on after 12 years at the helm. A former publisher of Christian newspapers and magazines, he has been an EPA member since 1988.
EPA hopes to have its new leader in place by Jan. 1, 2027. It is seeking candidates with experience in nonprofit leadership and fundraising and wants a leader who can strengthen the association’s membership, programs, annual convention and awards, and long-term financial sustainability.
Candidates should submit their materials to admin@evangelicalpress.com.