(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado)—With the planned fall retirement of Founder Sharon Mumper, the comprehensive online training program and resource-rich website of Magazine Training International (MTI) have been assumed by the Evangelical Press Association (EPA).
The two organizations have reached an agreement for EPA to assume responsibility for and continuation of the online training program and online resources previously provided by MTI.
Through an asset transfer agreement, EPA has become owner of the magazinetraining.com website and all its digital training resources. EPA will adopt the Magazine Training International tradename and trademark as a DBA of EPA, operating it as a separate division of EPA.
With a shared vision to encourage, strengthen, and provide training and resources to Christian magazine publishers, EPA and MTI have been ministry partners since 2015. So, it was a natural choice for EPA to carry the ministry into the future.
“Years ago, EPA Director Lamar Keener shared with us his vision for continued education for Christians in magazine publishing,” says MTI President and Founder Sharon Mumper. “Since then, we have worked together to provide professional training for EPA constituents in North America and our international colleagues. I’m thrilled this high-quality instruction will continue to be available to Christians in publishing worldwide.”
MTI was founded in 1989 to provide training and resources to Eastern Europe’s new Christian publishers after the fall of communism. The ministry expanded to the countries of the former Soviet Union in 1996, to Southeast Asia in 2000, and West Asia in 2011. In 2018, MTI began to offer training In both anglophone and francophone Africa.
Since 1989, more than 70 onsite conferences have been offered in some 20 countries worldwide. In 1999, MTI began to offer five magazine publishing courses with course manuals and in 2019 a comprehensive textbook. DVD courses were added in 2008, and in 2013 MTI began to offer online training, including live workshops, four-to-eight-week trainer-led courses, ebooks, and training videos. Since then, thousands of people from more than 100 countries have taken part in the online training program more than 10,000 times.
“I am both humbled and grateful for this opportunity to continue the legacy of MTI as a vital resource for Christian magazine publishers worldwide,” says Keener.
MTI Communications Director Jennifer Howard, who has been largely responsible for MTI’s online program, will continue to direct the program.
EPA will also collaborate with Media Associates International (MAI) to provide magazine training for their triennial LittWorld conferences held around the world.
“The MTI board is grateful that the training ministry of MTI can continue to equip publishers around the world to reach their cultures with the Good News,” says MTI Board Chair Carla Foote.
“This agreement represents a powerful step forward for Christian publishing,” says Dwight Widaman, EPA board president. “By combining the strengths of EPA and MTI, we’re not only preserving a legacy but also expanding EPA’s commitment to support and inspire publishers in a rapidly changing media landscape.”
While EPA and MTI received grant funding for this transition, they encourage those with a heart for equipping Christian communicators around the world to continue donations through magazinetraining.com to support the future of digital training and online resources.
About Magazine Training International
Magazine Training International’s mission is to encourage, strengthen, and provide training and resources to Christian magazine publishers as they seek to build the church and reach their societies for Christ. MTI serves Christians in under-resourced countries who often have little or no experience in publishing, but are strongly motivated to publish, and want to make their magazines stable and effective. Learn more at magazinetraining.com.
About Evangelical Press Association
The Evangelical Press Association is a professional organization of Christian print and online publications: magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and content-driven digital platforms. EPA exists to provide inspiration, instruction, and networking to strengthen evangelical periodicals. Learn more at evangelicalpress.com.
Media Contact:
Sharon Mumper, President, (719) 598-9743, semumper@magazinetraining.com
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