A brief history of Direction
The intellectual resources of the church can be a powerful stimulus to faithful action. In addition, changing patterns in church and culture call for thoughtful, biblically sound frameworks for practice. With these convictions, Direction journal was begun in 1972 as a partnership among four Mennonite Brethren educational institutions in Canada and the U.S. Eventually two additional schools joined the group, and the U.S. and Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conferences have also provided support. Delbert Wiens, its first editor, offered the inaugural issue of Direction to laypersons and church leaders with an invitation “to listen to each other and to think prayerfully together.” Challenges cited by Wiens for the journal to address included theological issues, the church in theory and practice, sociological problems, and discipleship matters.
Direction replaced two periodicals: The Voice (Canadian, 1952–71) and the Journal of Church and Society (U.S., 1965–71). It began as a quarterly publication but changed to semiannual in 1985. Five General Editors, apart from guest editors, have served during the journal’s life: Delbert Wiens (1972–75), Elmer Martens (1976–81; 1989–95), Allen Guenther (1981–89), Victor Froese (2007–24), and Douglas Miller (1997–2007; 2024 to the present). Book Review Editors have included, among others, David Giesbrecht, Richard Rawls, Richard Kyle, and Paul Doerksen (2009–23).
Kindred Productions began producing the journal with the 1996 issues. An overview of themes addressed by the journal may be obtained on the Issues page of this site.
Direction’s original cover design lasted only one year (1972). The second design ran from 1973 to 1984, and the third from 1985 to 1996. The current design (along with some internal layout modifications) began with the Spring 1997 issue. The compass that appears on each Direction cover speaks of journeying and of the necessity of navigating by a faithful and true standard. It is a fitting emblem for a journal that celebrates forthright dialogue within a circle of common purpose, while pursuing dynamic engagement with a world in search of spiritual orientation.
The idea of a Direction website began in the late 1990s and was developed in the winter of 2000–01. With the journal on the Web as well as in print, its articles have become much more accessible to interested readers.
