Managing editor’s note

When I started with Vision Video in 2012, my husband had to convince me to take the job.

I graduated from college in late 2010, right in the middle of an economic recession, and I could not find a job in any writing-adjacent fields. In fact the only positions available were the sort I had been told to go to college to avoid: low-paying, high-stress, customer-service-related ones.

Two years later I had found the opportunity with Vision Video that promised growth and work with Christian History Institute. It started, however, as a customer-service position—and hesitation welled inside me. Was I setting myself up for disappointment?

Thank the Lord for wise counselors who can see the forest for the trees.

Mission matters

What I found at Vision Video (VV) and Christian History Institute (CHI) was a culture I never experienced in any other work environment. Every week President Bill Curtis met with staff to share a devotional and prayer. Though we all came from various faith traditions, we found in common our brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. During high call-volume times, we rallied, united, and encouraged one another; sure, customer service can be stressful, but we had great customers who loved and supported what our organization was doing. You’d be surprised at the difference that makes.

It’s been over a decade since I took a chance on CHI, and I’ve been here through a lot: two babies, my spouse’s ministry changes, a major move, and more. People ask me why, and I think it boils down to one thing: Mission matters. It is reflected in the way an organization operates, in the content it produces, and especially in the way it cares for its people. VV and CHI have changed over the years and so has my own role, but the vision that Ken had from the very beginning lives on at the organization’s core.

I have partnered with Christian History for 45 issues in various roles, learning, growing, and changing the entire way. It is now my joy and honor to see that vision continue as managing editor. I am so grateful for the leadership and direction that Jennifer Woodruff Tait has provided for CH; I have learned so much from her and expect I’ll be picking her incredibly knowledgeable brain in the future. I am also thankful for Dawn Moore, my mentor and predecessor at CHI; for the continued counsel and expertise of Chris Armstrong, senior editor; and for the steadfast commitment of the CH team. Please be sure to look back at past issues of the magazine to get to know them in our “Meet the team” feature on the “Letters to the editor” pages!

As you will see on the following pages, we have adapted some of the most popular stories CH has told throughout the years. Most are condensed, and we have updated some language and scholarship to give you the most accurate historical picture we can, but the heart of each story remains the same. And though we couldn’t retell them all, we sought to capture the stories of the faith that you, our readers, have found most impactful throughout the years. With this 150th issue, one of milestones, capstones, and new beginnings, I hope you will celebrate with us what makes Christian History the unique publication that it truly is—its mission, yes, but also its people, who love and believe in that mission and bring it to life with every issue. CH