Christianity Today Taps Nicole Massie Martin as President & CEO – The Roys Report

Nicole Massie Martin, chief operating officer of Christianity Today (CT) became its new president and CEO Wednesday, following a board of directors’ vote.
The decision caps a five-month search assisted by executive search firm CarterBaldwin that reviewed a global pool of about 130 candidates, CT said.
Martin succeeds Timothy Dalrymple, who left in May to head the John Templeton Foundation. Thomas Addington, who has served as interim president since May, will remain as chief operating officer.
A salary for the new leader was not announced. CT’s 2023 IRS Form 990 — the latest publicly available — lists total compensation of $277,722 for Dalrymple that year, and a total of $181,670 for Martin in her initial role as chief impact officer.
Martin steps into the top spot at a moment when the 69-year-old ministry is both expanding its digital footprint and facing intensified scrutiny inside and outside evangelical circles.
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Along with Dalrymple’s departure, the magazine’s editorial team has reportedly been roiled by the appointment of Marvin Olasky as editor-in-chief of the group’s flagship magazine. Former top editor Russell Moore is now an editor-at-large and columnist for the publication.
On Nov. 14, senior news writer Daniel Silliman posted on X, formerly Twitter, “I have significant disagreements with the new leadership, both practical and philosophical. It’s time for me to go.” Although the magazine has said 10 people have been laid off due to restructuring, sources familiar with the publication told The Roys Report (TRR) the number of people let go is closer to 13.
In October, CT rejected a $10 million buyout offer from Canon Press, a publisher affiliated with controversial Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson.
Martin, in a statement released by the nonprofit, expressed optimism about her new appointment.
“Stepping into the position of leading this organization is a responsibility and calling I do not take lightly, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to steward this meaningful ministry,” she said. “It is my desire to carry on Billy Graham’s vision at CT by serving the church through creative and redemptive storytelling, informative journalism from an evangelical Christian worldview, and resources and convenings that foster flourishing.”
Evangelist Billy Graham founded CT as a magazine in 1956 to create a centrist, intellectually serious voice for American evangelicals. Today, the nonprofit media ministry says it “engages over 4.5 million Christian leaders every month” through its websites, podcasts, newsletters and print products.
Recent reporting notes that the magazine’s print circulation is roughly 110,000, while CT’s websites draw about 1.25 million unique visitors and 2.2 million page views each month.
CT’s most recent publicly available IRS filing shows an organization that has grown financially in recent years. According to its Form 990 for the year ending December 2023, CT reported $18.39 million in total revenue, $15.89 million in expenses and $13.17 million in total assets, leaving net assets just under $9.92 million. Contributions accounted for about $9.69 million, with another $8.46 million coming from program service revenue tied to its publishing and media activities.
According to federal tax filings, CT reported receiving $1.84 million in government grants in 2023, the first year in recent filings where outside watchdogs identify government funding as a distinct revenue stream. MinistryWatch, which compiles data from the ministry’s Form 990, states that “according to the organization’s Form 990, it received $1,835,073 in government grants in 2023.”
The 2023 Form 990 shows total contributions of $9.69 million and total revenue of $18.39 million, meaning government grants accounted for about 19 percent of all contributions and 10% of total revenue that year.
CT senior vice president of marketing Marlon Gutierrez told TRR the money “entirely related to the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC), a COVID-19 payroll tax relief program administered by the IRS. Per our auditors’ guidance and Form 990 instructions, our ERC claim is classified on the return under ‘government grants.’”
In addition to her internal experience at CT, Martin brings a long resumé in church and nonprofit leadership. She graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and worked as a business analyst for Deloitte. She later earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she has also served as an adjunct professor of ministry and leadership development.
Outside CT, Martin is the founder and executive director of Soulfire International Ministries, which works to “accelerate thriving for pastors, churches, and younger leaders.” She is also a member of Salvation Army’s national advisory board.
According to the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer website, Soulfire’s IRS Form 990 data is nonexistent, which CT’s Gutierrez said is because that ministry’s revenues are under $50,000 annually. That low amount allows Martin’s nonprofit to file a “postcard” return that normally doesn’t appear on the ProPublica website.
Martin previously held senior roles at American Bible Society — including chief ministry impact officer and senior vice president — and remains active in congregational ministry in Maryland.
She also serves on several evangelical boards, including the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Fuller Theological Seminary, the Center for Christianity and Public Life and PastorServe.
CT’s executive board chair, Bishop Claude Alexander, said in the organization’s announcement that the board was “excited and united” in choosing Martin after prayer and an extensive search process. Alexander called Martin “the clear and compelling choice for this role” and praised her “unquestioned commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Martin lives in Baltimore with her husband, Mark Martin, and their two daughters. As she takes the helm of the 501(c)(3) publisher, she will oversee a staff of just over 100 employees and a growing portfolio of magazines, websites and podcasts that continue to shape debates inside the evangelical world and beyond.
Mark A. Kellner is a reporter based in Mesquite, Nevada. He most recently covered statewide elections for the New York Post and was for three years the Faith & Family Reporter for The Washington Times. Mark is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and also attended Boston University’s College of Communication.
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