My very first ministry job was as a copywriter for a Christian broadcast ministry. I was hired in college at a young age. My job was to listen to sermons, transcribe them, and then turn them into workable drafts of devotionals and articles. I used a transcribing machine that included a tape player and a foot pedal. I’d then type them into a document. I’d start and stop that thing as I typed. Then I’d go through the sermon and pick out chunks that might work. I soon began copywriting for the ministry: fundraising letters, back cover copy, and other miscellaneous needs. Soon I was planning monthly issues of the print devotional magazine, working with the graphic designer, and writing thirty devotionals every month. I was in my early 20’s and, looking back, I didn’t realize what an opportunity this was.
I spent several years doing this kind of writing. I was producing little, if anything, of my own. And for that I’m grateful. There was no social media and few outlets to share my own opinions and ideas which were probably not worth reading anyway. A few years in, I had a boss who not only gave me a chance but pushed me to start my own writing. That is to say, try to get articles published in other Christian periodicals.
I’d done a few things here and there: a letter to the editor of our local newspaper, some book reviews on this new website called Amazon, and some internal articles for our ministry. But I wanted to be published in other places, other outlets.
You have to understand that this was still the days when print magazines were the primary way one read content. Our ministry subscribed to almost all of them: Moody Monthly, Discipleship Journal, Focus on the Family, Youthworker Journal, Christianity Today, and several of their subsidiary publications: Leadership Journal, Marriage Partnership, Today’s Christian Women, Campus Life,
Every month those magazines would arrive at the office and I would read them cover to cover and I’d dream that I could one day see a byline of my own. But I never thought it possible. There was just now way. I’d go home and read National Review, Weekly Standard, and our newspapers. I’d think, could I ever be published in a publication like this? Surely not, right?
My boss pushed me to at least try. There was a conference in our area, held every year at Wheaton College where you could take workshops on how to get published, and that featured book and magazine editors who offered 30-minute blocks to pitch ideas and make connections.
One year, I finally went. I scraped enough money—I barely made anything—and went. It was three days. I had a young wife and baby, our firstborn. I went every day and met and pitched ideas and learned. And really, this was the start of putting feet on my calling. Since junior high, I knew I wanted to write. But I had to get instructions. I had to build relationships. I had to grow in my craft. I needed people to help me along the way.
I’ve been writing for more than two decades now and the world is a bit different. We can express ourselves on social media, start blogs and newsletters, and its probably easier to find and contact editors. But to start and sustain this calling over a lifetime requires some help, some instruction, and some people to assist you along the way.
Now I have the opportunity to do that for others. This is why, when my friend Chad Poe asked me to do a writing cohort for his Thru-Line Cohorts, I said yes. I love the way we’ve set it up, with teaching from both me and some great guests who know what they are talking about. Here are a few:
Trillia Newbell, acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers
Samuel James, acquisitions editor at Crossway Books
Timothy Swarens, opinion editor at USA Today
Patrick Miller, pastor, author, expert at newsletters, social, and marketing
Elisabeth Hyndman, Editorial Project Leader at Lifeway
I’d love to share some basic ideas for getting your ideas into print, whether articles or books. I’d love to help you see you take the next step in your writing. I’d like to connect you with some people in the industry. I’d like to tell you what folks told me when I first got started.
If you are interested, please click here for more information.