Washington D.C., Jun 2, 2016 / 05:15 am
For two years, the ChurchPOP website has sought to craft faithful, fun content for the social media age. It hopes to do even more now that it has been acquired by the EWTN Global Catholic Network.
"ChurchPOP seeks to evangelize by spreading Catholic culture in a way tailored to the online social media world," said Brantly Millegan, the editor-in-chief of ChurchPOP.com. "We've developed a certain flavor that's faithful, accessible, and interesting that seems to have resonated with lots of people."
"Thanks to the backing of EWTN, we have big plans for the future of ChurchPOP," he added. He credited the website's success to "the great writers who contribute to ChurchPOP and to our readers, who help spread the word about the website."
Millegan said he launched ChurchPOP in August 2014, envisioning it as a Christian culture website in the style of BuzzFeed.
He said that while BuzzFeed has created and perfected a popular new genre of online content, it uses it to promote a harmful secular worldview.
"I thought we could use their methods, as well as creatively develop our own, to spread Christian culture," he reflected.
Michael Warsaw, EWTN Chairman and CEO, said the acquisition would expand EWTN's mission and reach.
"The content available on the ChurchPOP platforms provides a terrific vehicle to engage millennials and others who might not be reached by more traditional religious media," Warsaw said in a June 2 announcement.
"Throughout our 35-year history, EWTN has always been at the forefront of the new evangelization, using every possible form of media to carry out our mission. The addition of ChurchPOP to the EWTN family will enable us to continue to expand our audiences around the globe."
The ChurchPOP site has one main goal, Millegan said: "Ultimately, we want to win souls for Christ."
The site hopes to expand the kinds of content it can offer and to grow into more languages.
In addition to English, ChurchPOP currently has a Spanish-language edition, edited by Yhonatan Luque of Lima, Peru, and a Portuguese-language edition, edited by Cleiton Ramos of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
EWTN Global Catholic Network is the largest religious media network in the world. Its television broadcasts reach over 265 million homes in over 145 countries and territories. Its radio broadcasts include SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, over 500 AM and FM radio affiliates and a worldwide shortwave radio service.
It also has a publishing arm and news outlets including the National Catholic Register and Catholic News Agency.
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