When Elizabeth Young first began telling the stories of God’s work among Arizona Southern Baptists as a news writer and journalistic consultant, she was a new college grad grateful the post allowed her an electric typewriter.
Now, after nearly 46 years and plenty of changes, Young, currently director of communications for the Arizona Mission Network, plans to retire at the end of June.
“In a way, I can’t believe it,” Young said. “In some ways, it seems like time has gone very fast. … I’m just grateful to have had this opportunity.”
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About eight years after starting the job, Young became the editor of the convention’s newspaper, the Baptist Beacon, making her the first female editor of a state Southern Baptist newspaper that published more than monthly.
Since then, she has overseen the transition from the Baptist Beacon to Portraits magazine and finally Connect last January. Along the way, she also launched Network News, the convention’s e-newsletter.
“One of the things that’s so commendable about Elizabeth is how she has adapted,” said David Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network from 2013 to 2025.
Beyond the shift from newspaper to magazine, Young also incorporated digital platforms into the convention’s storytelling, he added.
“Communication has changed dramatically in these years,” he said.
Pivoting with the changes
When Portraits started in 1997, Arizona was one of the first state conventions to pivot from a traditional newspaper format to a feature-style magazine, Young said.
Jennifer Rash, president and editor-in-chief of TAB Media Group, recalled how Young has supported her since they met in the late 1990s when Rash was a news writer for The Alabama Baptist.
Over the years, the women connected through national SBC events and through professional organizations such as the Baptist Communicators Association and the Association of State Baptist Publications, of which Young was the first female president.
“She always reached out to me and fit that older sister role for me,” Rash said. “She’s such a nurturer and cares about her peers and people … but she also isn’t fearful of asking enough questions until she is satisfied with whatever the situation might be.”
From her kindness toward others to her commitment to furthering the gospel in Arizona, Monty Patton, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network, said Young has served well.
“She has been so faithful to the Lord and Arizona Southern Baptists and the tasks before her,” Patton said. “She put her hands to the plow and never looked back. I’m so proud of her 46 years.”
For Young, the work has been fulfilling.
“It has been meaningful to see the stories of God at work close up,” she said. “It has also been meaningful to work with freelance writers and give them the opportunity to use their talents in service to God.”
Looking forward
With retirement, Young looks forward to catching her breath and having more time to spend with her 96-year-old father — a retired minister and seminary professor who also served as editor of The California Southern Baptist during Young’s elementary school years.
“I’m waiting to see where God leads,” she said.
Thankfully, after 46 years of storytelling, she’s seen God lead time and again.
“There are stories where it’s just obvious that God has worked in someone’s life or has pieced things together,” she said. “Those kinds of stories still amaze me. We have such a personal God who cares for us, and it’s nice to be reminded of that and to see how He is working in other people’s lives as well as my own.”
Johanna Moore, a freelance writer living in Tucson, is a member of Mountain View Baptist Church, Tucson. She will serve alongside Young during June and will be the new AZMN director of communications and editor of Connect.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Johanna Moore and originally published by the Arizona Mission Network.
