RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO – Faith Today, the leading national magazine for Canada's estimated four million evangelical Christians, will start offering its unique content free online later this month, just in time for a special summer issue.
Complete issues of the magazine will become available free online effective May 21 at www.faithtoday.ca/digital. The permanent free access includes five years of archives, from January 2008 and on, as well as current and future issues.
These magazines will be available to anyone worldwide – no password needed to read or print off pages or save copies for offline viewing. Observers desiring a sneak peak at a complete digital edition before May 21 can read one at www.faithtoday.ca/digitalsample.
The end of password-based access is a great opportunity for readers to invite their friends to enjoy the magazine and the vibrant community associated with its publisher, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The EFC brings together evangelical Christians, estimated to be 12 per cent of Canada’s population, for increased influence, impact and identity.
The larger reading audience will also help advertisers, whether they communicate using traditional display advertisements or engaging new media such as slideshows, video advertisements and live hyperlinks to their websites or Facebook pages..
To encourage even more readers to try out the online version, the Jul/Aug 2012 issue will be exclusively available in digital format. The next print edition that subscribers will receive will be the Sep/Oct issue. (Faith Today will phase out its digital-only paid subscription category on May 21 and upgrade its current digital-only paid subscribers to print+digital subscriptions at no extra cost.)
Plans for the Jul/Aug 2012 issue include a cover story on online ethics and civility – How are Canada’s Christians behaving online, and how should we be? There will also be a feature article on immigrant pastors in Canada and another on what churches can do to understand and support people living with mental illness. The issue will include the usual news, book reviews, letters, classifieds and columns by EFC President Bruce J. Clemenger, James A. Beverley of Tyndale Seminary, John G. Stackhouse, Jr., of Regent College, and others.
The magazine sends out six email notifications per year, announcing when each online issue is ready. New readers who may wish to receive these reminders will be able to sign up online. An online form is being prepared and the URL will be announced shortly. [UPDATE MAY 15: SIGN-UP IS LIVE AT WWW.FAITHTODAY.CA/SUBSCRIBE.]
Faith Today was founded in 1983 and is a member of Magazines Canada and the Canadian Church Press Association. It is indexed in the Christian Periodical Index. It distributes 20,000 printed copies of the magazine per issue across Canada and has a growing audience of several thousand additional readers who enjoy the magazine’s App for mobile devices, available for free download at www.faithtoday.ca.
Faith Today magazine connects, equips and informs evangelical Christians in Canada – and around the world. And now it’s free on your computer and your mobile device!
Subscriptions to the five print editions published each year automatically include the free digital versions and the special Jul/Aug “digital only” issues at no extra charge. Subscribe today at www.faithtoday.ca/subscriptions (only $29.99 in Canada per year).
Advertisers will want to consider the new, wider range of options available for reaching Faith Today readers. Advertising manager Brian Shephard is available at 705-222-5025 or ads@faithtoday.ca.
Contacts:
Bill Fledderus, senior editor
905-479-5885 x 241 editor@faithtoday.ca
Brian Shephard, advertising manager
705-222-5025 ads@faithtoday.ca