Washington, D.C. — Sojourners has promoted Betsy Shirley to the position of editor in chief of Sojourners to lead the print magazine, sojo.net, and multimedia content. This move follows Betsy’s service as editor of sojo.net since summer 2022.

Sojourners President Adam Taylor made the following statement regarding this move:

“I’m thrilled to welcome Betsy Shirley into this new role. Given her excellence serving as editor for our online publication, her leadership of her staff team, and her longstanding passion and dedication to Sojourners’ mission and vision, we could not ask for better choice to lead our publications in this kairos moment for our democracy and our faith. I look forward to the continued award-winning excellence of our publications under Betsy Shirley’s leadership as we bring the latest reporting, commentary, and perspectives at the intersection of faith, politics, and culture to an ever-widening audience.”

In a recent commentary for sojo.net about the mission of the publication, Betsy wrote:

“I’ve always liked how the name Sojourners evokes ongoing movement: travelers, dusty sandals, a twisting road toward something we haven’t quite reached. There’s a sense of humility in that name, something I keep in mind even as we continue to offer sharp critiques of the church and other powers that be, boldly imagining a different future. At the end of the day, we are not a smug coalition of Christians who always get it right; we are people following Jesus, earnestly committed to ever-deepening conversion in ourselves, our churches, and our communities. We walk on together.” 

Betsy Shirley began working at Sojourners in 2015. Before being named editor in chief, she served most recently as editor of sojo.net and has held editorial positions for both Sojourners’ print and online teams. She also served as an editorial assistant from 2010-2011 as part of the Sojourners Fellowship Program.

Betsy earned a B.A. in English and creative writing from Butler University and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. She is a past president and current board member of the Religion News Association; she also serves on the board of the Religion News Foundation. Her writing and multimedia work has been recognized by RNA, the Associated Church Press, and the Evangelical Press Association. She lives in Washington, D.C.