EPA Board Recommends Name Change for Organization

For more than 75 years, the Evangelical Press Association has served as the premier professional association for evangelical publishers, editors, writers, journalists, and ministry communicators. Through professional development, fellowship, ethical standards, and recognition of excellence, EPA has strengthened Christian journalism and publishing for generations.

That legacy remains one of our greatest strengths.

Over the past year, however, the Board of Directors has engaged in an extensive process of prayer, research, strategic planning, and discussion regarding the future of the organization. Through the Vision Casting Retreat, industry analysis, comparative research, and member feedback, one conclusion became increasingly clear: Our mission has expanded beyond what our current name communicates.

The recommendation before the membership is not driven by marketing. It is driven by mission.

• • Our theology has not changed.
  • Our commitment to journalism has not changed.
  • Our standards have not changed.

However, the way Christian communicators fulfill that mission has changed dramatically. Today’s members communicate through magazines, newspapers, websites, digital publications, newsletters, podcasts, blogs, social media, and emerging technologies. The Board believes the organization is defined not by the medium through which its members communicate, but by the calling they share—to communicate biblical truth with professionalism, integrity, and excellence.

For these reasons, the Board unanimously recommends changing the organization’s name to Christian Communicators Network.

Why this name?

After considering numerous alternatives, the Board believes this name most accurately expresses both the organization’s heritage and its future. Each word was intentionally chosen.

Christian

The recommendation to replace Evangelical with Christian should not be interpreted as a change in theology. It is not. The Board remains fully committed to the evangelical beliefs expressed in the organization’s Statement of Faith, Code of Ethics, and membership standards. Those convictions continue to define who we are.

The recommendation recognizes that the word Evangelical increasingly carries political, cultural, and sociological meanings that often obscure its theological intent. 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. Our theology remains evangelical. Our public identity becomes more clearly Christian.

Communicators

This is the most significant change. When EPA was founded, Press accurately described the primary means by which members communicated. Today, those same professional disciplines—journalism, writing, editing, publishing, design, and storytelling—are practiced across many platforms. The proposed name recognizes that reality.

The word Communicators does not replace journalism. It includes journalism. Journalists remain central to our mission, but they now work alongside editors, publishers, digital communicators, newsletter creators, multimedia storytellers, and other professionals whose work reflects the same commitment to editorial excellence and biblical truth. Press described the principal medium. Communicators describes the people we serve.

Network

The word Network reflects the organization’s greatest strength. EPA has always been far more than an Association. It is a professional community. Members consistently value the relationships, encouragement, mentoring, collaboration, and shared pursuit of excellence that define the EPA experience. Looking ahead, the Board envisions expanded peer communities, regional gatherings, mentoring opportunities, international engagement, and year-round collaboration. Association describes our structure. Network describes our community.

Why not keep Evangelical Press Association?

The Board carefully considered retaining the current name. The recommendation is not a rejection of our history. It is a recognition that the current name no longer fully describes the organization we have become or the future we hope to build.

The proposed name preserves our Christian identity, our evangelical theology, our commitment to journalism, our professional standards, and our heritage while better reflecting the broader community of Christian communicators we now serve and hope to serve in the years ahead. In short:

• • Our mission has not changed.
  • Our convictions have not changed.
  • Our standards have not changed.
  • Our name simply catches up with our mission.

Evangelical Press Association describes where the organization began and the field it has served with distinction. Christian Communicators Network more fully describes who the organization is, whom it can serve, and what it is positioned to become.

Board recommendation

The Board of Directors believes Christian Communicators Network best represents the organization’s identity, mission, and future. It honors nearly eighty years of faithful service while positioning the organization to serve the next generation of Christian communicators with the same commitment to biblical truth, professional excellence, ethical journalism, and Christian fellowship that have always defined EPA.

Accordingly, the Board respectfully recommends that the membership ratify the following resolution.

BOARD  RESOLUTION

Resolved, that the membership of the Evangelical Press Association approves changing the legal and public name of the organization to Christian Communicators Network.

This name change affirms the organization’s commitment to serving a broader community of Christian communicators while preserving its historic evangelical theology, Statement of Faith, Code of Ethics, commitment to journalistic integrity, professional excellence, and Christian fellowship.

Approval of this resolution authorizes the Board of Directors to implement the name change and make all necessary updates to governing documents, registrations, branding, communications, websites, programs, and related materials.

Notice of virtual member meeting

This issue of Liaison serves as the required 30-day notice for a Zoom virtual meeting of EPA members on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Access the meeting via this shortcode: tinyurl.com/epazoom.

During this meeting, members of the EPA Board of Directors will discuss the process of choosing the new name and answer questions from the membership.

Member voting

An online voting platform will be open from September 15 through September 30, 2026, for members to cast their votes for or against the new name. Eligible voters include anyone on paid staff of a member publication and all Individual members. Affiliate members, Contributing members, and Student members are not eligible to vote.

A unique Voter ID and Voter Key will be issued for each eligible voter as recorded in the official EPA member database. These will be distributed by both email and a postcard mailing. Any eligible voter who does not receive their Voter ID and Voter Key by September 20 should contact the EPA office at 480-868-2466 or email director@evangelicalpress.com.

Posted August 2, 2026