Former President Peter Bentley gave a short history of the Australasian Religious Press Association at the 50th Jubilee and final gathering of the association.
In 1974, a Christian communication network was established in Australia: The Australian Religious Press Association.
I should note that a Catholic Press Association has existed since 1955, and ARPA has enjoyed collegiate relationships over many years with ACPA, often sharing locations for conferences.
The interest in a broader network of religious publications had arisen from opposition to significant postage increases for registered publications in the 1960s. A forerunner earlier group ‘The Religious Press Association’ had been formed to specifically focus on this area as a lobby group, though its role concluded in 1970.
ARPA’s second President, Tony Nancarrow, who became the founding editor of [the SA Uniting Chgurch newspaper] The Central Times in 1971, mentioned to me that the main problem from the 1960s arose again soon after the TRPA’s conclusion. There was a dramatic increase in postage. And a new issue, a doubling in the cost of newsprint.
By the early 1970s, members of major denominational publications remembered the value of a collegiate, supportive network.
The conditions for a new association crystalised. This time it would not be simply a lobby group based around a single issue, but a non-denominational organisation focussed on mutual issues of concern and desiring to encourage standards of excellence in all areas of publishing. It would be independent of denominational direction and genuinely ecumenical in terms of its wide membership, probably more than any other organisation in Australia. It was also, of course, Christian, with a clear trinitarian basis, though it never did change its name to Christian from religious.
ARPA’s early meetings were held together with the conference of Catholic publications/editors (ACPA), and input from Catholic editors was significant due to their longer and usually more professional experience.
Following contact in the 1980s with NZ editors, a New Zealand Chapter was formed in 1990, and ARPA became the Australasian Religious Press Association.
ARPA provided a professional base for Christian communicators and ‘penned’ a number of documents for guidance and use, including:
- Australasian Religious Press Association Charter of the Rights and Responsibilities of the Religious Press (for press and proprietors) to work together and understand each other’s role and to provide a foundation and model for Christian communication.
- The Church and the Religious Press: A statement about the appropriate relationship between the church [denominations] and the religious press.
- A Statement on Universal media freedoms highlighting human rights and the need for religious news.
- Australasian Religious Press Association Code of Ethics
ARPA also published, until 2021, a Directory of the Religious or Christian Press in Australia. [Pictured above.] This was the most comprehensive guide published in Australia, with a listing of between 140 and 180 publications depending on the year, though only about half were members.
Perhaps, though, the most significant contribution of ARPA was the Annual Conference. It was a key connection time.
The annual conference, or as it was initially known ‘the convention’, provided solitary editors and people who had limited support a wonderful place to network, receive education and mentoring, and find out about what was happening with other Christian publications.
And, there was another major part of the conference, the awards presented in recognition of publishing excellence. There were a variety of awards, from Best Headline to Best Film Review, and, depending on the year, between 18 and 23 categories.
And then there was the Premier Award the Gutenberg, instituted from 1983, initially awarded to the publication receiving the most awards, and then from 1985 as a Presidential award for excellence.
As part of the ARPA 2024 conference, all Gutenberg winners will be recognised, as well as Life Members and Citation awardees and office-bearers.
As we look at our future, it is helpful to consider changes over the years.
Firstly, Production, Design and Printing
ARPA’s focus, particularly at conferences in its early years, was centred on practical training and education, particularly in the practical areas of production, including photography and editing. Many editors and staff did not come from professional journalist backgrounds but were recruited out of interest and writing ability.
To give an example of how different things were in the early days, particularly for production, I would like to quote ARPA’s second President, Tony Nancarrow.
In relation to the Central Times, we were able to take advantage of changes in technology, moving from a dependence on hot-metal type [that the newspaper printer used] to [doing things in-house] with the purchase of the newly released IBM Electric Selectric typewriter which had the ability to produce justified columns of text from the typewriter’s 9000 characters of memory.
Over time, with the introduction and wider use of computers in the 1980s and 1990s, the editing and production standard improved swiftly, and there was a more level playing field among all the publications in terms of publishing content and general design. The conferences began to move to use panels, discussions, and high-profile speakers, often with a focus on contemporary topics or areas of concern in the church and also society.
The challenges for print were still evident, not only with the time involved but also the continuing and significant postage costs. For many denominations, there was also the beginning of the waning general ‘church public’. Publications explored alternative methods to connect with readers and this was enhanced by computer technology. Some publishers supplied floppy discs with material for local churches to print or extract for use in their own publications, and others emailed newsletters. The development of the web-enabled publications to firstly add their whole publication as a PDF and later in a readable ‘page-turning’ based format, and secondly to develop websites as active publications.
Secondly – more publications and more diversity
Over thirty years ago, I wrote an article for the Christian Research Association’s research bulletin Pointers (March 1992) based on the growing number of publications, mainly in the 1980s.
The change in publications throughout the 1970s to 1990s reflected emerging changes in society and within the church, including, I suggested, the identity crisis that denominational publications were going through. Once primarily in-house, many publications began to consider wider issues and concerns.
Some of the burgeoning areas included:
Specialist periodicals concerned with theological and biblical areas and Ministry, including publications from the proliferation of new bible colleges and new journals from established colleges.
Resource publications from specialist organisations and groups aimed at providing Christians and the church with material to engage the rapidly changing society
For example, the Zadok Institute (now Ethos) was formed in 1976, the Christian Research Association in Australia in 1986 and later on in NZ.
Women and family publications and feminist groups, particularly those focussed on the ordination of women.
Other faiths
As Australia’s religious dimension changed publications among other faiths developed and also inter-faith periodicals (mainly Jewish-Christian publications).
Thirdly, change in ARPA membership, and this links to the development of new and specialist publications.
The membership makeup of ARPA changed significantly in the 1990s and 2000s. There were fewer editors who were ministers, and more lay people took on senior roles. Substantially more women and younger people became involved as editors and in staff roles, and this was reflected in the attendance at the conference.
A Final and Perennial Issue
Still, the common factor for publications and ARPA was print. It remained a consistent base in the 1990s and early 2000s, though the future of print was not looking promising in many areas.
In 2010 I wrote an updated article for Pointers:
Is the End Nigh? Print-Based Religious Periodicals in Australia
Again, I highlighted some common issues for the religious press.
- Declining interest in denominational publications.
- Increasing post and distribution costs.
- More publications looking to online arrangements.
The most significant reason for the last factor was the impact of broadband internet and smartphones.
Some of us can remember if we wanted to send an email in the 1990s, let alone update a web page, we would dial up, wait for a connection, press send and go off and make a coffee and return in 5 minutes to see if the email had gone.
Still, up until 2017-18, print remained the focus within the ARPA community, particularly for denominations that could readily distribute their publication more cost-effectively through local church networks, that is, through church gatherings on a Sunday. In an age of increasingly nameless technocratic approaches, the local delivery of a publication provided a personal connection, and this was particularly relevant for many with an older membership.
As we know, this all changed in 2020, and with the consequent reviews and downsizing, many ARPA members or former members ceased to provide a print publication, moving to only online arrangements with varying degrees of success and interaction.
Sadly, some churches and organisations even downgraded or axed their media departments, preferring to invest in public relations-type roles than maintain a professional journalistic connection.
A brave new world indeed.
Peter Bentley
23 September 2024
Presented at the 2024 ARPA Conference at the opening session.
pkbentleyarchive.com