by Gary Long

My name is Gary Long, and I’m BGAV’s Chief Marketing Officer. I write to introduce myself and the rationale for a new print newspaper from BGAV. With the first issue that's scheduled to reach home and church mailboxes on August 1, we officially launch a one-year trial relationship with The Baptist Paper (TBP).

As a college freshman at UNC, I fancied myself a journalist, a career that wasn’t well fostered by my freshman and sophomore years, a season of late adolescence that my father would come to describe as the time “I partied my way out of a free ride to Carolina.” After being called to ministry, I served as pastor for almost a quarter century before coming to BGAV.  

Over the years I found mentorship in people like Michael Clingenpeel and Marv Knox. As a pastor for almost 25 years, I turned down every invitation to serve on a denominational committee or board, save one: The Baptist Standard of Texas. It married my old passion with my deep conviction of calling to serve the church. As a Christian deeply committed to historical baptist (yes, little “b”) beliefs and principles, I felt God had given me a second chance at my old dream, by advancing a free press that I saw as essential to a free conscience, a free church, and a free faith.  

I served on that board for many happy years. I had a cause, and I had a conviction. Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democratic societies, underpinning other basic rights such as freedom of speech and religion. Time and calling brought me back to Virginia, a place this Tar Heel has always felt at home. For us peculiar Virginia Baptists, our denominational history and theological convictions emphasize individual conscience and religious liberty, and a free press is essential to both.

So I went into marketing.

I know they’re not the same. Promotional writing is not news writing. Marketing is propaganda, and it is impossible for an organization to self-report without self-promoting. But I saw a need to be filled. Maybe you’ve noticed it?

I imagine some of you who have been around Virginia Baptist life for a while remember The Religious Herald. You might have disagreed with the editorials. Maybe you scoffed at letters to the editor. But you also trusted the reporting, and BGAV relied on the Herald to communicate with participating churches. Virginia Baptists lost a great deal when we lost that newspaper.

That’s why our marketing team is trying this one-year experiment. Jennifer Rash, TBP editor, retains editorial privilege, and her team of reporters will work with our marketing team to put the best in news, inspiration, and resources in your hands 24 times over the next year and online at BGAV.org. We will occupy the center pages with BGAV-specific content, partner with TBP to produce feature stories that are of national interest, and bring much-needed contextual reporting and analysis to Virginia.

I see this as a journey where we’ll get to know each other better, equip our churches better, and serve the kingdom better. I hope that amidst our theological diversity this venture will lead to greater unity around mission. Less bitter, more better.

This Might Not Work

What you read will not always please you. Baptists have played a pivotal role in the development of religious freedom as a principle, particularly in the early days of the American colonies. Leaders like Roger Williams and John Leland championed the separation of church and state, which included advocating for a free, uncensored press. This historical commitment aligns with BGAV's historical values of individual soul liberty—the right of every individual to relate directly to God without interference.

What we publish aims to ensure that Virginia Baptists have access to a broad range of information necessary for making informed decisions. Access to diverse viewpoints and comprehensive news coverage help us participate fully in missions, make informed decisions regarding our faith, and engage constructively in church life. This is particularly crucial in contexts where religious beliefs may influence or be influenced by societal issues.

I am thankful that Wayne Faison, our exec, is willing to take this risk with me. And I thank our Executive Board for their blessing on this effort to better inform Virginia Baptists. For me, this is significantly more than simply using print as a different channel to communicate; it is deeply intertwined with my own religious identity and practice. We may not always get this right, but I commit that this effort will support the historical values of liberty and conscience that enable informed and active participation in BGAV life. Upholding press freedom remains a vital interest for Baptists, as we offer the gospel of Christ in a context where all voices are heard and respected. 

Rev. Gary M. Long, Jr. is BGAV's chief marketing officer. He can be reached at gary.long@bgav.org.

‍