Have you ever thought about becoming a Christian writer? Are you a person who senses a calling from God to write words that impact others? Christian writing is something that God has used powerfully down through the ages in order to encourage and help draw people to Himself.
It’s our hope that this post will help give you more clarity and direction as you consider becoming a Christian writer who glorifies Jesus through the written word.
Becoming a Christian Writer
Embracing Your Calling as a Christian Writer
When we recognize the significance of our calling to become a Christian writer, it can turn our whole life upside down. The prophet Jeremiah helps us put words to our own longing to write words that impact others on a deep level,
“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” (Jeremiah 20:9 NLT)
Christian writers feel a fire in their bones when they put off writing the words God has placed on their hearts. Holding those words in wears us out. As we embrace the idea of becoming a Christian writer, we find ourselves getting excited when thinking about the possibilities of what our anointed written words can do for our readers.
It was nearly 20 years ago when I (CJ) had the opportunity to attend the Montrose Christian Writers Conference in Montrose, Pennsylvania. While there, I began to dwell more upon the idea of becoming a Christian writer. Little did I know that it would be this conference where I would get my first opportunity to see my writing inside an actual book.
After hearing an announcement someone made about accepting submissions for a series of devotional books she was compiling, I jumped at the opportunity. Within six months, a few of my own devotionals found their way into her next book. See also: How to write devotionals
I’m so grateful the Lord had me in the right place at the right time in order to get my feet wet in the writing world. This opportunity was like a vote of confidence from the Lord Himself and motivated me to eventually write and self-publish my own books in the years to come.
What personal experiences have led you to believe God was leading you to the Christian writing life? You never know how or when doors of opportunity will open up to you.
Nurturing Your Faith and Writing Skills
In this section, we want to offer some practical steps for aspiring Christian writers to nurture their faith and writing abilities. As you can imagine, it does take intentionality for each of us to grow in our faith and ability to write words of impact.
- Study Scripture – The Kingdom writer must be immersed in God’s Word in order to write words that impact others on a deep level. Not only is Scripture our own spiritual sustenance, but also our primary inspiration as we write words that glorify the God of that Scripture. Shelley and I have made it a daily morning habit of reading multiple chapters in the Bible. There’s something about starting each day in God’s Word that helps set us up for offering things of substance in our writing or speaking. As you practice this habit, you’ll also find the Lord bringing things to your mind that eventually find their way on written pages.
- Write Regularly – Developing a consistent writing practice will allow you to grow in your Christian writing. Just as a distance runner gets in a daily run in order to deepen endurance and practice their stride, the Christian writer practices their craft on a regular consistent basis in order to develop muscle memory to improve your writing. I find that the longer I go between writing sessions, the rustier I feel as a writer. It’s like an athlete losing fitness and having to work hard to regain that lost fitness. Consistent writing helps us build writing fitness that pays dividends over the course of weeks, months, and years.
- Seek Feedback – The path to becoming a Christian writer can be aided by writing groups who can offer valuable feedback on our writing. We encourage you to explore your area to see if any Christian writing groups exist. If not, our Christian Book Academy offers a wonderful online community of Christian writers who provide much-needed support. One of the favorite features of our Academy is our accountability groups called “Progress Pods.” Each of these pods meets on Zoom weekly or bi-weekly to help move forward in their call to write. We writers can tend to be a solitary and isolated bunch which can sometimes feel lonely. Connecting with a community of like-minded writers can be a rescue from that sea of loneliness. Like Elijah (1 Kings 19:18), God has to remind us that there are others around the world just like us who endeavor to live and write for His glory.
- Explore Christian Literature – It’s been said that great writers are great readers. I don’t mean fast readers but people who are intentional about reading and filling their minds with edifying and stimulating literature. Reading what others have written through the ages encourages us in our walk with Jesus and inspires our Christian writing. If you need some direction regarding some of the classics, here are some titles to consider…
- Humility by Andrew Murray
- Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- The Autobiography of George Muller by George Muller
- The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
- The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
- The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
- A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller
- Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
- Knowing God by J.I. Packer
This is not an exhaustive list by any means but will provide you with some quality Christian writing that’s sure to inspire and edify you in your personal faith and writing.
Sharing Your Faith Through Christian Writing
One of the absolute highlights of becoming a Christian writer is the opportunity to share our faith through our writing. Imagine readers from halfway around the world getting a copy of your book and being led to Christ. This is a result of God touching their hearts. Can there be any greater joy than this kind of scenario?
What might this look like in our own Christian writing? We would like to suggest three examples of how each of us can share our faith through Christian writing.
- Themes of Hope and Redemption – Whether you enjoy writing fiction or nonfiction, the themes of hope and redemption can be a powerful means of sharing our faith. The best movies include these themes in their plot. The Bible is one grand story of hope and redemption. Our own writing can be another avenue where these themes are shared. All of our readers will be in need of hope and redemption throughout their lives. What a great opportunity we have to weave these into the words we write.
- Personal Testimony – Revelation 12:11a says, “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” Our enemy, the devil, knows he can’t touch the blood of the Lamb. Still, he does try to zero in on our testimony of what Jesus has done for us. There are people all over the world who are waiting to hear your testimony of how Jesus saved you. Many readers will relate more to your personal testimony than mine, and vice versa. By sharing our own faith journey with our readers, they will find common ground. This is a result of our shared human condition. We are encouraging them to explore the Christ of our Christian writing. It feels good to know God uses our testimonies to help wreak havoc on the kingdom of darkness!
- Impactful Messages – Our Christian writing has the opportunity to resonate with the hearts of our readers. Think of all of the examples in your own life where God provides for your needs. Think of stories when you extended or received forgiveness and how it impacted your life and the lives of others. Perhaps you have a story of miraculous healing that would impact your readers in a profound way. Where have the themes of grace and mercy appeared in your life or the lives of your family members? How can our own stories connect with stories we read in the Bible? We help our readers connect their stories to those in Scripture by making these correlations through our Christian writing. Maybe we have our own personal story of being a prodigal son or daughter that we then relate to the story Jesus shares in Luke 15. Spend some time brainstorming the most impactful messages from your own life that could be put into written words.
Conclusion
Becoming a Christian writer is a privilege and a call from God. As we prayerfully seek His direction for our Christian writing, He will lead us step by step, every day. To write words that truly impact others on an eternal level, we must be connected to the Vine – Jesus. He gives us these words of truth,
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NLT)
As we stay attached to our Source, we will be filled with words that flow from our pens. Also, into the lives of those God wants to impact. This is the key to becoming a Christian writer who God uses in the lives of readers we may never meet…at least on this side of eternity.
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