According to a plan announced in May, President and Publisher Harold Smith called the latest actions “necessary.”
“We find ourselves — as does our industry — in the midst of a perfect publishing storm,” Smith said in a written statement. “The impact on employees who are truly gifted — and the impact on the church as a whole — is a sobering reality for me and the entire CTI team that remains.”
Cuts became necessary as CTI experienced drops in both print and online advertising revenue over the past six to nine months, according to Chief Operating Officer Carol Thompson. Those declines, she said, came on the heels of shrinking circulation figures at certain CTI publications over the past five years.
Each of the four publications scheduled for closure will cease publication later this year. Some layoffs took effect immediately, others will take effect this summer.
CTI will continue publishing nine print magazines and newsletters, including its flagship Christianity Today and Leadership Journal.
