Christianity Today is in “chaos” with staff departures and layoffs, according to the editor of another Christian journal.
Warren Cole Smith, editor of MinistryWatch, wrote Oct. 12 that “even from the outside, the chaos (at CT) is not hard to see.”
The recent appointment of Erik Petrik as chief content officer and incoming editor in chief is only part of the story, Smith charged, saying he has obtained insider information from other current and former employees.
The day Smith’s column was published, Deputy Editor Bonnie Kristian announced her resignation from CT, according to his report.
Warren Cole Smith
Smith, a veteran of Christian journalism who is well placed for insider information, is the sole source so far of the details laid out in his Oct. 12 column. That column has been quoted and amplified by others via social media, but Christianity Today has not made any public statement other than its Oct. 2 announcement about Petrik.
Smith contacted Nicole Martin, president of the umbrella organization Christianity Today International, and quoted her in his column. There, she does not dispute his reporting that “simultaneous to Petrik’s appointment, the magazine was laying off 20% of its staff and 40% of the editorial team. … This recent round of layoffs followed two rounds of staff reductions in 2025 (in March and September), which shed another 20 people.”
Instead, she told Smith this: “The recent changes bring our projected expenses in line with our projected income going into FY 2027 and beyond. This also gave us an opportunity to accomplish a strategic shift sooner than anticipated. Historically CT has hired staff editors, which then allowed us to source great writers from the wider evangelical community. We are returning to that model.”
Smith interprets that to mean Christianity Today will return to using more freelancers and non-journalistic writers whose work is then processed by staff editors. The recent trend had been to invest in staff writers with journalistic credentials.
The “chaos” Smith sees is illustrated, he said, by the fact that in seven years, the flagship magazine has had six editors in chief: Mark Galli, Daniel Harrell, Tim Dalrymple, Russell Moore, Marvin Olasky and now Erik Petrik.
In Petrik’s appointment, Smith sees signs of embracing other media than the journalistic backbone of the magazine.
“Petrik is not a journalist. His background is in film, pastoral ministry and entrepreneurship. Easier to understand, but all the more disappointing for those of us who value journalism,” Smith wrote.
As of Oct. 13, the Christianity Today website listed 84 employees.
The official announcement of Petrick’s appointment did mention the desire to align all forms of media under his leadership, including podcasts and other new media.
According to the organization’s IRS Form 990 filed for tax year 2024, CT took in $10.5 million through contributions and grants and had total income of $22.9 million. Of that, $7 million came through program service revenue.
That happened against expenses of $17.5 million, the report states, meaning the organization took in $5.5 million more than it spent.
More recent financial data is not publicly available.
Christianity Today International is just completing its One Kingdom Campaign, a multi-year effort with a $32 million goal. Since that campaign launched in 2024, the ground has shifted underneath the evangelical world with Donald Trump’s return to the White House and increasing divisions within the evangelical church.
Christianity Today has sought to remain true to its founding principles, which has angered the vocal far-right segment of the church. CT has been panned as “woke” and out of touch with the Trump-infused extremism of the white evangelical world while viewed as too conservative and cautious by the progresive side of Christianity.
As of March 2026, the One Kingdom Campaign brought in $26.5 million in gifts. There has been no further public update since that time.
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