Episode 271: Breaking the Echo Chamber - Wider Voices in the Banner — Lora Copley (Part 1)
“We [the people of God] can have a vision of a better future…God is too big, his gospel is too grand, the church is called to this…bold vision of making disciples and planting churches and of something large…He can take us far beyond our capacity and our ability…If The Banner can be part of a vision like that, then sign me up.” —Lora Copley
Summary of This Episode
On this episode of the Messy Reformation, we’ve got a returning guest who is serving in a new role—Lora Copley (Episodes 67-68). Lora has spent the last nearly six months as the interim editor of The Banner, and has now been approved by the COD to be the next editor-in-chief. She begins by describing the process up to this point. When someone asked if they could put her name into the mix, she allowed it but didn’t expect anything to come of it. When contacted and asked for her resume, she thought she’d be ruled out for being unqualified. The offer for the interim position came while she was at the Multiply conference in Florida, and she prayerfully felt called to accept it. She shares, “We [the people of God] can have a vision of a better future…God is too big, his gospel is too grand, the church is called to this…bold vision of making disciples and planting churches and of something large…He can take us far beyond our capacity and our ability…If The Banner can be part of a vision like that, then sign me up.”
Jason asks about the learning curve then, and she admits it’s been huge. Rather than taking a year of learning as one can do in a church or campus ministry context, the interim was to make changes. There was a need to be responsive to Synod 2025, which meant first, Lora needed to go back and listen to Synod 2025. She didn’t hear a call for “large, dramatic changes.” She heard a call for The Banner to give information, give articles that edify the church, stimulate critical thinking, and, “We want you to be mindful of our confessional…public-representative role that The Banner…plays by being…a front-door for different folks coming into our church…” She differentiates how CRC Communicates speaks for the denomination while The Banner speaks to, about, and she prefers “with and within the denomination.” There’s a covenantal aspect that parts of the denomination shouldn’t be overlooked or neglected.
Willy shares his appreciation for witnessing Lora’s COD interview and now getting to hear some of that shared more publicly. They talk a bit about what changed from feelings of inadequacy to now being willing to step into this more permanently. Lora shares, “Some of it was the natural, organic result of when you begin investing in something.” As she invests more, she’s felt released from other aspects of a call.
Jason asks Lora to walk us through what it looks like for an article to be published. She first sets up that there are three distinct sections to The Banner. “Our Shared Ministry” articles come from CRC Communications, and they have their own look in the print editions. Feature articles are planned a year in advance as are typically the Faith Matters, which are solicited articles. Columns are shorter and typically come from freelance writers that the editorial team reviews submissions each month. She does note, over the last six months, submissions have really ramped up, which helps in being able to provide “content that is highly valued among the denomination.” Jason asks what’s behind the uptick, and Lora shares how she’s well-networked and is reaching out intentionally to get writers. He encourages her to continue that—continue finding a wider swatch of writers across the denomination to break the echo chamber that has been perceived in the past.