Disciples World logging off and closing down

After eight years of distinguished effort, Disciples World magazine has joined the slow parade of religious publications into oblivion. It has succumbed to "declining subscription and advertising revenue and charitable gifts." Not only has it ceased print publication but also the Web site will log off, forever.

It announced on Dec. 16:

By unanimous action of its board of directors, DisciplesWorld, Inc., is dissolving and winding down. The corporation will liquidate its assets to attempt to meet obligations to creditors. Any donations received will be used to pay those obligations.

The associated story said:

DisciplesWorld won numerous awards from the Associated Church Press, a trade association for religious publications. Following its first year, DisciplesWorld received second place in the “Acorn Award” category for best new publication. In 2006, 2007, and 2008, it placed second in the “Best in Class” category for denominational magazines, and in 2008 it won the top award for editorial courage for the January/February 2008 issue on the ordination of gays and lesbians.

The magazine’s subject matter included controversial issues such as war, gun control, and immigration. In November 2008, the editors devoted an entire issue to the survivors of the Jonestown mass suicide in Guyana, 30 years after the tragedy.

Faced with declining revenue from subscriptions, donations, and advertising, DisciplesWorld came close to shutting down in 2007 and again in 2008. In early 2009, the magazine received a major grant to formulate new strategies to adapt to the changing publishing landscape. DisciplesWorld had planned to re-launch its website in January 2010 with expanded features, including the ability for site users to post news articles and share content.

The Web site will remain in place during the wind-down period.

RIP.