Martin retires from Baptist Record
By Megan Young/Baptist Record
JACKSON, Miss. – Tony Martin, editor of The Baptist Record, journal of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, retired 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.”
Sanctity of Life Sunday materials available
NASHVILLE – Jan. 18, 2026, is the annual Sanctity of Life Sunday in Southern Baptist churches. Download a free bulletin insert and prayer guide to help create a culture of life within families in your church.
The following excerpt is from our life guide, “Created in the Image of God: A Practical Guide to Building a Culture of Life.”
Scenario: A college student who is a pre-med major has a class assignment to take a position on whether abortion is “an essential part of reproductive healthcare.” Her classmates, none of whom agree with her pro-life convictions, all believe that it is, so she knows that she will be in the minority when she disagrees. She doesn’t believe that simply quoting Scripture will be enough to convince anyone of her position. What advice would you give her for her presentation?
While she should not shy away from her religious convictions in this presentation, the context of an academic pre-med setting should encourage her to lean into the plentiful scientific truths that support the pro-life position.
First, she should emphasize that abortion is not an essential part of reproductive healthcare because it does not seek to restore or heal, but rather to harm. From the moment of fertilization, a preborn child has completely unique genetic information which designates them as a separate human being with intrinsic worth, dignity, and a right to life. The milestones of fetal development demonstrate that preborn children are living, growing persons.
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