Writer's Guidelines
Please read these guidelines before submitting your article
Ministry, International Journal for Pastors, has been published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters (General Conference) since 1928. For many years the majority of the magazine’s readers comprised Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Since the 1970s this journal has been offered to clergy of all denominations. Today’s readers represent many religious faiths as well as various ministries—pastors, professors, administrators, chaplains, pastoral students, and lay leaders.
As a subscription journal, Ministry’s monthly circulation totals more than 16,000. Additionally, Ministry is distributed, on a complimentary basis (each odd-numbered month of the year), to more than 60,000 clergy of other denominations.
Before you write, please remember the following:
- Because Ministry’s readership includes individuals from all over the world, you will want to use words, illustrations, and concepts that will be understood by readers in various parts of the world. Avoid illustrations that are understood in one country but may be confusing in others.
- With the journal translated into a number of languages (Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Russian, and two editions in Spanish), be sure that translators will understand your words and concepts.
- Ministry is a peer-review journal—meaning that manuscripts, besides being reviewed by the editors, are evaluated by several others who are experts on the topic that your article covers.
Topics of interest
We welcome submissions regardless of religious affiliation. Writers may review Seventh-day Adventist beliefs (visit www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental) in order to better understand the concepts and needs of the majority of the readers. Additionally, writers should ask themselves: What do I expect the reader to do with my manuscript?
Many topics are featured in each issue of Ministry magazine. A list that prospective writers may use as a guide to the great variety of what we need in content follows:
General manuscripts (up to 2,500 words):
- Personal needs of the minister
- Pastor-spouse team ministry and relationships
- Pastoral family needs
- Pastoral skills and needs, such as time management, preaching, evangelism, church growth, lay training, counseling, conflict resolution, continuing education, church administration, membership nurture, and related topics
- Biblical studies that focus on biblical themes, books, or passages for either sermon preparation or in-depth studies
- Theological studies that explore themes from a biblical, historical, or systematic perspective
- Church worship and related topics, such as music, worship leadership, and planning
- Current issues that are relevant to the church
For additional guidance as to the type of manuscripts we accept, look at previous issues on www.ministrymagazine.org.
Book reviews and resources (up to 500 words):
- Book and resource (DVDs, CDs, Web sites, etc.) reviews of resources designed to speak to the professional needs of our readers.
Dateline items (up to 250 words):
- Dateline features notable gatherings of ministers, programs conducted by ministers, or events of interest to ministers.
- We welcome quality photos.
Manuscript style and submission
Please follow the guidelines outlined below:
- Be certain that your writing focuses on the topic. Write so that the manuscript can be easily read and understood as it moves toward the conclusion.
- Identify the Bible version you use, and include this information in the text. Please use a version of the Bible that will be understood by English-as-a-second- language readers.
- Whenever you refer to sources (books, articles, etc.), be certain that you include an endnote (not a footnote) with full reference. Use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3), not Roman numerals (i, ii, iii).
- Submit the manuscript in the following manner:
- Include a cover sheet with the following information: name, title of manuscript, your current position, full address, telephone number(s), e-mail address, and other relevant information.
- Include the cover sheet with the manuscript. The manuscript should have only the title of the manuscript (do not include your name) and should be double-spaced with page numbers on each page.
- Send it as an e-mail attachment to gro.tsitnevda.cg@enizagaMyrtsiniM or submit it to us on a CD. We prefer PC format, Microsoft Word. If you use another format, please indicate what you are using.
- If requested, send a copy of all references.
- If you are submitting your manuscript to Ministry along with other publications simultaneously, you need to tell us at the time of submission. We will notify you if we wish to continue with the review process.
- For all submissions, please complete our biographical information form and email it to us.
Our response to your submission
- Upon receipt of your manuscript, we will acknowledge that it has arrived at our offices. At that time the review and evaluation process will begin.
- We will attempt to notify you of our decision within 10 weeks of receipt.
- If you send us anything that you wish returned, please submit a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Terms of acceptance
Ministry purchases all publication rights, including translation. Exceptions to this policy need to be negotiated before the signing of the publication agreement. Occasionally second serial rights are purchased for manuscripts published elsewhere.
Once the writer receives notification that Ministry has decided to purchase the manuscript, the publication agreement will be sent. Please read it carefully, sign, and return. Writers need to realize that the manuscript may not be published immediately after acceptance and in some cases may not be published at all. If we, after payment, choose not to publish a manuscript, we will release all rights back to the writer.
If the manuscript contains copyrighted materials from other sources, the author must obtain permission from the copyright owner and include such permission along with the manuscript.
Payment for manuscript
We pay for general manuscripts and book and resource reviews with the payment determined on the amount of research done and other work needed to prepare the manuscript. If the editors need to spend considerable time editing the manuscript, payment may be reduced. We do not pay for Dateline items.
As a writer, you will receive payment after the return to our office of the signed agreement along with requested biographical information and a quality photo of the writer. Please note: United States citizens and residents must supply their Social Security number for payment.