The editorial staff of the Church of God Evangel is currently not soliciting freelance articles. Freelance submissions will be accepted, but we ask that writers who submit to us do so with the understanding that, as a denominational journal, our space for freelance articles is extremely limited. Formal responses will be sent within six weeks of reception to those whose submissions are accepted. Sorry, we are unable to return unsolicited submissions. Any submissions that are accepted will be subject to the following guidelines:

MMany Christians consider too lightly the power of the printed word. Because of this power, however, in many places fundamental Christianity is losing out to its spiritual enemies, which range from heretical cults to secular humanism.

              The Church of God Evangel is trying to do its part to publish and declare the whole Word of God and we are always in search of good writing. Although we receive far more submissions than we can accept, there is still a great demand for articles of a specific kind. These guidelines for writing articles have been prepared to tell you what type of material we need and to help you in the preparation of that material.

What to Write

Evangelistic articles. We are in constant need of good articles with a strong evangelistic appeal, aimed directly at unsaved readers, with the goal of showing them the way to salvation. An interesting illustration or reference to some current event usually makes a good beginning for such an article, but you should not be bound by this. The article needs to claim and hold the attention of the non-Christian reader. The evangelistic message should be about 500 words (one Evangel page).

Doctrinal articles. The Evangel desires articles on all tenets of the Church of God Declaration of Faith, particularly pertaining to salvation, holiness, divine healing, baptism in the Holy Spirit, the second coming of Christ, and church sacraments. Too, writings on heaven, hell or Bible prophecy are welcome. These articles should be simple and easily understood, solidly based on the Scriptures, so they will hold the interest of the average reader. Do not make them too technical. The length should be about 1,000 words (this is two Evangel pages, allowing room for graphics).

Devotional articles. We use material dealing with the deeper spiritual life—on such subjects as prayer, fasting, Bible reading, stewardship and church attendance. Such writings should be 500-1000 words.

Articles about social problems. It is important to have a Christian perspective on the social situations of our world. Well-researched, specific and Biblically sound writing about such problems can help Evangel readers to be better informed and have a discriminating viewpoint.

First-person articles. This means an account of a true experience in your life. Any inspiring or unusual happening in your own or another’s Christian life is worthy of consideration. We are interested in personal experiences in soulwinning, accounts of outstanding conversions, stories of unusual answers to prayer, and interesting experiences in any field of Christian service.

Personality features. Articles about outstanding Christians, particularly Church of God persons, are always needed. Such pieces will highlight a person's outstanding service, overcoming of a difficulty, special talent, answered prayer, or other stories of a similar nature. Such an article should normally be written in the third person. Color photographs of the subject would enhance the story.

Articles about the Christian home. Any material that will help to make a strong Christian home will be given special consideration. Have a certain type of home in mind: the single-parent home, the elderly couple, the traditional family, the single man or woman.

Articles for special days. We like to include seasonal articles for days like New Year's Day, Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, Pentecost Sunday, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and so forth. Seasonal material should reach the Evangel about four months before the special day.

Church news: Because of the frequency of certain church events, such as anniversaries, building dedications and similar happenings, the Evangel is unable to use many such stories. If the event is unusual in some special manner, we may be interested in it. Because the church experiences a large number of deaths of ministers and ministers wives and church leaders each year, we are unable to print eulogies. If you wish to inquire about the newsworthiness of an event, you may call the Evangel at 423-478-7649 and ask for the editor or the managing editor. In no case do we print accounts of events that happened months ago.

How-to Articles: Both pastors and lay readers appreciate articles giving "how-to" directions, e.g., how to develop a satisfying devotional life, how to integrate newcomers into the life of the church, how to develop a local church advertising program, etc. Please observe length recommendations. Make suggestions practicable and remember that most churches in America have 100 or less attenders.

When to Write  
Feel your message. You should write when you feel the importance of the words you have to proclaim. When you are sufficiently concerned, even burdened, about some subject, your concern will help you prepare a better article.

Know the magazine. Before writing for a periodical, you must know it well. You should read the Evangel carefully to learn what type of material we ordinarily employ.

Pray. Every line you write should be saturated with prayer. The Evangel goes into Christian homes, non-Christian homes, schools and libraries, prisons, hospitals, and churches. You need to pray that God will help you to produce material that will bring definite help and blessings to the greatest number of people.

How to Write

Your manuscript. Printed submissions should be typewritten or computer-printed, double-spaced, on one side of the paper. Be sure your name, address and telephone number are clearly printed in the upper left-hand corner of the first page and the number of words in the article indicated. The telephone number will be used by us for requesting a color photograph of you if your article is accepted:  For example:  

Title: Developing a Life of Prayer (995 words)

By Dustin Ashworth

123 Main Street

Outpost AZ 88888

            Telephone: 555-243-7128

The pages that follow should be numbered and clipped together, with the article's title and author's name on each one. If you want unused articles returned, include a self-addressed envelope in the manuscript package with sufficient postage for the return of the manuscript attached to the inner envelope with a paper clip. (This is in case your article is not accepted.)

Submitting articles: Articles should be prepared as described above and mailed to:

            Managing Editor, Evangel

            1080 Montgomery Avenue

            Cleveland TN 37311  

 Internet submissions are accepted. They should be formatted as indicated above and sent as attachments to e-mail and not as part of the e-mail message itself. The submissions address is Wilma_Amison@pathwaypress.org.

Be careful. Poorly prepared manuscripts will rarely ever be accepted. Be certain your facts are facts, your spelling is correct, and your Scripture quotations are accurate. And if you use a translation other than the King James Version, indicate which translation is used. Avoid long, complicated sentences. Don't overuse adjectives and adverbs. Each paragraph should be indented. Begin each new sentence one space (not two) after the preceding one.

Be safe. Always keep a copy of your manuscript. Losses can occur and the Evangel is not responsible for them.

Use nuts and bolts. Many well-written articles are rejected because of a lack of "nuts and bolts"—quotations and their sources, anecdotes, examples, statistics, facts. Without moving from the keyboard, anyone can write, "The sanctity of life is being lost in today's world." But it takes some research to give the rate of increase of abortions in the United States in the past 10 years. Specific writing is a hundred times better than general writing.

Length of articles. Short articles are read far more frequently than are longer ones. About 500 words make one Evangel page. Most articles we accept are one or two pages long. No manuscript should be longer than 1,500 words.

Payment: The Evangel offers a small honorarium for feature articles, usually ranging from $15 to $50. Payment for special assignment articles may be higher.

Keep praying and trying. You should not be discouraged if we return an article. It does not necessarily mean your material is inferior or objectionable. It may mean that your article simply does not meet a present need.