By Megan Young
Associate Editor
Tony Martin, editor of The Baptist Record, journal of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, is set to retire at the end of the year after 25 years of service to Mississippi Baptists.
Martin began working for The Baptist Record in 2000 as associate editor alongside longtime editor William Perkins. After Perkins retired in 2023, Martin took over the helm of the publication.
During his career at The Baptist Record, Martin helped shepherd major transitions to the historical newspaper that was first published in 1877. Previously a weekly, 12-page publication supported by subscriptions and ad sales, The Baptist Record went completely digital in 2020 with a website available to everyone free of charge.
No longer bound by the schedule, space, and monetary restrictions of a print publication, Martin embraced the opportunity to provide increased news coverage and Gospel influence — not only to Mississippi Baptists, but to a wider national and global readership.
“The news is still the news, but we don’t have the constraints of limited pages,” said Martin. “We don’t have to sell ads anymore. Somebody in Bangladesh can read The Record.”
In addition to technological changes, Martin helped The Baptist Record contend with growing competition from other news sources in the digital world. Aware that readers can get their news from numerous online sources, including social media, he sought to make The Baptist Record invaluable through its distinctive coverage of Mississippi Baptist life.
“I want readers to know that we want to provide them with content that is meaningful and encouraging to them,” said Martin. “That we’re not like anybody else. We are The Baptist Record — Mississippi centric — and you’re going to get stuff from us that you can’t get somewhere else.”
Throughout his time with The Baptist Record, Martin always prioritized focusing on good news. Mindful of the increasingly negative coverage of secular news outlets, he remained steadfast in his belief that spreading the good news of the Gospel and its work among Mississippi Baptists through storytelling was essential.
“I want people to feel better after they’ve looked at The Record than before they started,” said Martin. “And I think you do that by telling them good stories. Good Mississippi stories. What we do convention-wide, there’s a lot of good that goes on. Let’s talk about that.”
Martin is perhaps best known for his “In the Margins” weekly editorial column. Often focusing on mental and spiritual health, Martin utilized anecdotes and a conversational style to convey biblical truths that connected with Mississippi Baptists on a personal level.
“Tony has been a tremendous blessing to Mississippi Baptists over the last 25 years,” said Shawn Parker, MBCB executive director-treasurer. “He’s a wonderful wordsmith, which has been evident in his news coverage and editorial writing for the Baptist Record. Most of all, Tony is filled with the joy of the Lord, which comes through in every aspect of his work.
“We’ll truly miss him at the Baptist Building, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the Lord continues to use him.”
Comments are closed.