The Christian writer’s market is wide open to those interested in writing faith-based articles from a Christian perspective. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, I’ll show you how you can land Christian freelance writing jobs.
What kinds of opportunities are out there for Christian writers?
Whether you’re a beginner or professional writer, freelance opportunities await you in a wide spectrum of publications geared for the Christian reader.
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There are many avenues to be explored, mostly in the form of online publications and blogs, and readers want writers willing to be the Christian voice they desire to hear. And the great thing is that many of them pay quite well.
Writing assignments could include a wide range of opportunities ranging from articles, blog posts, brochures, devotionals, email campaigns, Sunday school lessons, newsletters, social media posts, web content, and much more.
You don’t even have to be a professional writer, though once you earn your first $1, consider yourself a professional. What you really need as a Christian writer is a solid base of knowledge about Christian theology, good writing skills, excellent grammar, and an understanding of Biblical principles and how they apply to our lives.
If you produce relevant work that is high quality and are reliable and meet deadlines or specifications, you’ll get noticed.
Talented Christian writers are a rarity. If you become one, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding work. So it seems you can write in a genre you’re passionate about while bringing money in to help pay the bills.
Advice for getting into the Christian writer’s market
There are some things that are key for any writer wanting to make it as a freelancer. Some are common for all niches and some are more specific for the Christian writer’s market. Let’s look at a few that apply to the Christian market.
1. Know your audience. This is really true for any writer, but you have to be especially careful in the Christian market. Some publications will target a specific denomination while others will be more broad in their appeal.
In any case, you don’t want your article to have anything that might be offensive to a particular religious sect, especially if it targets that affiliation. Do your research if your writing is geared to a certain denomination and include content that is appropriate.
2. Know your publication. Just as you need to know who your target readers are, you also need to know and understand the publication where you’re trying to get your work accepted.
After all, you don’t get paid until you’re published and you’re not going to get published if your work isn’t appropriate or beneficial to the blog or magazine you’re pitching. You may want to look through a copy of their latest issues to get an idea or a feel for what they look for. This way you’ll have a better idea of the types of writing you can submit.
You don’t want to be a carbon copy. You just want to be relevant. In choosing where to submit your work, choose those that publish on a weekly basis first, then a monthly one if need be.
The great thing about weekly publications is they will be looking for a lot of content, so you enhance your chances of getting your work accepted. And if they really like your work, they’ll want you to write more, which raises your pay scale.
3. Do even more research on the publication you’re targeting. You really want to find out as much as you can about them. Some only publish 3 or 4 times a year. Some don’t hire outside writers. Some hire more freelance writers than anything.
You don’t want to waste your time and you want to enhance your chances of getting accepted. So, stick with those who hire mostly freelancers. You can also save a lot of your own research by getting a copy of the Christian Writer’s Market. They will have a lot of this information already figured out for you.
4. Think about your own experiences. As a Christian writer, you want the reader to be able to relate to you. We all know what it’s like to come across someone “holier than thou.” If you can instead use your life experience to show your humanity instead, you will have an easier time of being impactful to readers. Think about how successful Chicken Soup for the Soul became.
It’s probably because they used real life stories that were more approachable to readers. Use elements of real life circumstance in your articles. The other great thing about this approach is you should have enough to give you decent material for a while.
5. Recycle. One of the nifty things about the Christian writer’s market is that they’re not over controlling about seller’s rights. Some publications actually pay for reprints or will buy an article for one-time use.
This gives you an opportunity to sell your articles more than once. You might change just a few key words to make it more appealing to different denominations but the main thoughts are often universal.
Where can you find work as a Christian writer?
The opportunities are endless. Freelancer and Upwork almost always have job postings for Christian writers. I’ve seen advertisements for everything from short story Christian fiction writers to social media management.
To be successful on Upwork and Freelancer, it’s best to look at the new postings each day and apply to everything that is a fit for your skills. You may have to apply for ten jobs before getting accepted at one.
Sometimes it takes a while to be accepted, but once you get your first feedback, you’ll generally find jobs faster.
There are also countless publications and websites out there. You might find it best to succeed by deciding on a niche and make a list of clients that work in your specialized area of expertise. Comb through online avenues such as websites and blogs to find the ministries and niches that appeal to you.
Let’s look at some of the more popular websites and publications out there:
Guideposts
We’ve all seen the Guideposts publications passed around town. Now, the publication is an online website full of inspirational stories of how people have overcome obstacles, risen above adversity, and more. Guideposts is a nonprofit organization started by Norman Vincent Peale and provide encouragement, hope, and inspiration to millions of people.
My research shows that to up your chances as a regular writer on Guideposts, attend their Writers Workshop. The only problem is they only have them every two years. They encourage stories, nonetheless, outside of the workshop.
The monthly magazine, in addition to its inspiration articles, has lifestyle articles which include everything from parenting articles to recipe posts. They pay $100 to $500 an article.
iBelieve.com
This magazine was created to help women use their faith to relate to the world around them. They emphasize personal experience as it relates to the readers and faith. They desire a team of writers and bloggers share how they see the struggles and triumphs of life through the lens of the Christian faith.
The magazine contains devotions for women, female Christian blog articles, articles on faith, relationships, health and beauty, food and home, and motherhood.
Share your experience with their readers from a Christian viewpoint. Submit your work here. Pay is unspecified.
Christian Century
Christian Century seeks to bring the meaning of faith to issues such as human rights, economic justice, international relations, poverty, and culture. They also explore and critique the theology of individual religious sects.
They want articles that offer a fresh perspective on old traditions. Many of their readers are ministers and teachers of religion, so bear this in mind when compiling your work.
They are a bi-monthly print magazine that covers topics that appeal to progressive Protestants. They accept both poetry and articles. Pay is $50 for poems and $100 to $300 for unsolicited articles.
Relevant Magazine
Relevant Magazine covers faith, intentional living, and culture, according to their website specs. They look for culturally savvy articles that will appeal to 20 and 30 somethings. Material needs to be purpose-filled, deep, and contain a spiritual truth.
They encourage writers to write material that will aid people in their spiritual journey, inspire them to live selflessly, and care about the world around them, whether it involves life, music, or culture.
They have more than 5,000,000 unique visitors a month to their website. They ask you you send a query or pitch your story or feature to them at submissions@relevantmediagroup.com
Pay is unspecified.
Christian Courier
Christian Courier is an independent bi-weekly publication that publishes Christian journalism while creating a network for Christians to inspire others.
They pay in Canadian dollars. Editorials are paid $45, columnists are paid $45, reviews are paid $45, features and news stories $70, and art and poetry $45. They encourage writers to accept a subscription to the magazine in lieu of payment for an article but aren’t strict by it and will pay the rates listed.
Catholic Digest
Catholic Digest seeks personal stories of triumphs and struggles, joys and challenges, and the lighter side of Catholic living. They seek to support and encourage those who love their faith, those who struggle with their faith, and those who want to know more and enrich their faith.
See their writer’s guidelines on the website for more information.
Christianity Today
This is an evangelical magazine that is published ten times a year. It’s probably the most widely read evangelical publication today.
There’s a form to fill out online for queries about submitting your work. Other sources say they pay up to 17 cents a word.
There you have it! I’ve given you some good options to start with in finding online opportunities as Christian writers. There are even more to be explored with some simple research on the web. There are many Christian freelance writing jobs just waiting for you.
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Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
Martin Angila
Wonderful article here, very informative. Thanks for the insight.
SOLOMON
what then should i wait for? this is an amazing information filled article. i am going to start my freelance writing right away!
Johnson Ovie
Am not ungrateful. This info is what I have being looking for, involve me.
Catherine Kabuuka
This is very helpful information. I can’t wait to start my journey as a Christian freelance writer. God bless You
Jacqueline
Thank you for this article! I have been considering becoming a Christian freelance writer. Now I know where to start. God bless you.