Are you interested to write for Faith Today? Find out what we're looking for.
Introduction
Faith Today uses freelance writers for most articles, news reports and essays. The following information outlines Faith Today’s goals and the type of material we publish. You can also browse an archive of recent Faith Today issues from cover to cover at faithtoday.ca/digital.
Unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. Instead, start by sending a query letter to editor@faithtoday.ca outlining the idea you have for an article (see below for details).
Purpose
Founded in 1983 by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), Faith Today is a bi-monthly national magazine that connects, equips and informs evangelical Christians across Canada. Faith Today is one facet of the EFC’s communications ministry, which seeks to build community and effectiveness in ministry among Evangelicals in Canada. In addition to publishing six print issues per year, Faith Today has a blog, channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and a sister online magazine for young adults called Love Is Moving.
The EFC is the association of Evangelicals in Canada, “uniting Evangelicals to bless Canada in the name of Jesus.” Its affiliates include denominations, ministry organizations, higher education institutions and congregations that collaborate in shared ministry through partnerships and who speak into public forums to influence Canadians on the values and vision of evangelical perspectives. The EFC's webinars and selected podcasts are mirrored here at FaithToday.ca, but there’s lots more exclusive content such as videos and articles over at TheEFC.ca.
What’s New
Faith Today is a general interest magazine of feature articles, short essays and news aimed at Canadian Evangelicals, including "how to" features, analysis features, news and profiles of Canadian individuals and ministries. Complete contents for all issues published since 2008 are available free online at FaithToday.ca/digital, with users invited to make a charitable donation each year instead of subscription fees to help us cover our costs.
We now regularly have a couple of the main articles from each issue translated into French. They are not available in print but are on our website at faithtoday.ca/francais.
Links to our apps for mobile devices are available at our homepage. Starting in January 2022 we expanded our reviews section (see below under Books & Culture). Starting in July 2022 we have increased the rates we pay to writers (see below). Starting in April 2023 we launched a video channel called Faith Today TV.
Faith Today is most interested in freelance proposals for short (350-word) articles in two sections, News.Notes.Ideas and Books+Culture (see below for details).
We also welcome proposals for feature articles (800 to 1,800 words) that draw on interviews to provide analysis and interpretation, rather than straight newsmagazine-style reports.
When a proposal comes to Faith Today but seems better suited to our youth magazine or blog, we may forward it there for consideration. (At present, those other channels pay for some but not all of the articles they publish.)
Readership Profile
Our readers include a wide spectrum of evangelical Christian men and women, many of them in their 40s, 50s and 60s, most often from Protestant churches traditionally known as evangelical (see below). About half of the evangelical Church in Canada is formally affiliated with the EFC but there are also many evangelical individuals and institutions not formally affiliated with the EFC, including a large number in mainline denominations.
Our readers want to:
- understand current trends and issues of interest to Evangelicals in Canadian society and in Christian communities
- learn how God is working among other Canadians, especially among believers and ministries they don’t regularly communicate with
- understand the diversity of thought and practice among Christians in Canada, especially Evangelicals
- connect with others to gain spiritual insights and other perspectives
- gain analysis and resources to equip them in their personal and professional ministries.
Reader surveys suggest that:
- About half the readers of Faith Today are male, half female. Age range: 30-85 (average 50). Average household income is above that of the average Canadian (a 2007 survey suggested $145,000 or individual income around $67,000). Average education: Bachelors or college degree. Most give more than 10 per cent of their income to charities and churches.
- About one third live in cities/suburbs of 500,000 or more residents. Another third live in smaller urban/suburban municipalities. The final third live in rural areas or municipalities of less than 25,000 residents.
- About half live in the province of Ontario. A third live in British Columbia and Alberta (combined). About one eighth live in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (combined). The rest are distributed pretty evenly throughout Canada’s other provinces and territories.
- Most attend church services more than once per week. Faith Today has readers among virtually all of Canada’s Christian groups, the largest numbers in Baptist, Pentecostal, Alliance, non-denominational, Christian Reformed, Mennonite Brethren and Anglican congregations.
Articles: What Faith Today Uses
A. Introduction
Some of what follows includes tips on good writing. Two good Canadian Christian resources which delve deeper into these issues, plus explain how writers can succeed with the Canadian religious periodicals, are:
- Craft, Cost & Call: How to Build a Life as a Christian Writer by Patricia Paddey and Karen Stiller (Friesens, 2019), and
- Writing With Spirit by Lois Sweet (Augsburg, 2003).
Two other helpful resources (not especially Christian):
B. Feature-length articles
Each issue of Faith Today publishes a mix of 4-6 feature stories, one of which is selected as the cover story. They are assigned at least five weeks – more often five months – in advance. Our features usually aim to connect, equip and/or inform evangelical Christians in Canada. Almost all features quote a variety of Canadian sources – including multiple voices and opinions on a topic is an important part of our mandate.
Feature articles can take various forms:
- reporting on Canadian trends, issues and ministry initiatives of interest to Evangelicals;
- service articles (“how to” pieces, treating topics from prayer to websites);
- analysis articles explaining a trend or phenomenon;
- faith profiles of Canadian people or ministries;
- slices of life that help readers understand their own experiences;
- background articles such as an overview of new Bible translations or books in a particular field;
- and transformation stories that show how a situation was turned around.
Features generally vary from 800 to 1,800 words. Most have subheads. With some features, we may require an outline two weeks before due date.
An essay is a kind of feature written by a writer who draws on a particular area of expertise to provide an intriguing, Christian-based exploration of a group of ideas (e.g. spiritual or social issues). Some essays we have published include examinations of reconciliation, technology, why we weep at the deaths of public figures, and how the Church should respond to terrorism. We are mainly interested in essays by Canadians who are evangelical and who have professional background in the subject they wish to write about.
A news feature is the shortest kind we publish (as short at 750 words, which is about one page). It consists mainly of information, perhaps with a bit of analysis. These are rare because our publication schedule is only six times per year, so our readers get some of their Christian news faster from other sources.
We don't usually assign multiple features all on the same theme like some other periodicals do, and so we also don't publish a theme list. We rely instead on a dynamic flow of topics suggested by editorial staff and freelance writers. Surprising doors can open for people who approach us with a good idea.
A typical feature article for Faith Today is written in the third person and has a point of view that is supported by clear arguments based on sound research and interviews with Canadian sources.
Successful features will:
- begin with a captivating and colourful lead that draws readers into the topic by enabling them to experience the issue. This should be human-focused, anecdotal and interesting;
- include a clear statement that identifies the issue which the feature will address and why evangelical readers should care about it (a.k.a. the indicator paragraph, thesis, or nut graph). This tells the readers where the article is headed so they can decide if they will continue;
- reflect Canadian and evangelical diversity (depending on the type of article, this can be in the theological perspective, denominational background, geography, gender, age, ethnicity or other characteristics);
- include contrary views as appropriate, thus anticipating the reader’s questions. However the feature should have a sense of closure and a point of view. A good feature persuades and “shows” the reader rather than “tells” them the important issues being addressed. Readers should be left with a balanced understanding of the issue at hand;
- contain analysis and opinions from a variety of sources;
- create a lively style using anecdotes, metaphor, vivid descriptions of settings and people to keep the reader in the piece and caring for the issue;
- provide a simple explanation of the research in the writer’s words, illustrated by occasional succinct quotes. Features should not be merely source quotes strung together;
- close with an ending that ties into the lead and theme statement. It should not only sum up the article but possibly point to the future (without suddenly introducing a new idea in the last paragraph).
When a feature idea or draft is chosen as the cover story, its length may often be extended by the addition of sidebars, which may include statistics, a profile or a very brief related story. Such a cover package may total from 2,000 to 2,500 words.
We publish one long-form interview per issue, conducted by staff, but we welcome suggestions of people who should be interviewed. An interview can be a great solution to the problem of having an expert with something important to say but who doesn't have the time to write or the facility to write in a popular style appropriate to a magazine.
C. News.Notes.Ideas section (formerly Kingdom Matters)
This section of Faith Today includes a lively collection of short items that reflects how God is at work in the Church in Canada, both in formal ministry and in daily life. The articles are tightly focused on one aspect of a topic. Writing must be concise and concrete.
Topics include achievements, effective initiatives, short profiles and coverage of news events. Common news "beats" include education, media, social issues, courts, Indigenous concerns, missions, churches, politics/government and youth. For controversies, interviews with representatives of multiple sides of a story are essential. Local news is acceptable as long as there is an element with national appeal.
Length: 250 to 450 words. Faith Today looks for strong photos to illustrate and accompany the items. The availability of photos makes it more likely for Faith Today to be interested in a story query.
D. Books & Culture section (Updated Nov. 2021)
Reviews of books, music, theatre and art are now 700 words. Full reviews will be published on our website, with digests of 275 words in the print magazine.
Preference is given to items with a Canadian Christian connection. Reports on special events and awards contests are also used.
Each issue also includes:
- Reading the Bestsellers, a section for reviews of popular non-Christian/non-Canadian books that for some reason Evangelicals should be aware of or engage with (including reader discretion warnings as needed).
- Music review of a recent full-length Canadian Christian recording
- A reproduction (under the heading "Canadian Creatives") of a visual artwork by a Canadian artist
- A short Q+A with an author
- A new media roundup listing titles of recent small press books, academic books and others from categories that don't meet our usual criteria but may be of interest to our audience (these listsings are not reviews, just titles presented for awareness purposes).
Keep in mind the 50-50 split in our readership between leaders and laity: write so that both audience segments can read the review. Reviews should summarize content, describe the intended audience for the product, and include opinion as to quality, usefulness and entertainment value as appropriate. Some mention of where the product fits in relation to existing products is also welcome (e.g. is the influence of other artists/thinkers/producers evident in the work? does it fit squarely in an accepted genre or not?)
Please make explicit the Canadian connection, e.g. "The author is a professor at XYZ school in Ponoka, Alta." We print the following details under an image of the book cover alongside the review: Publisher name, year, number of pages, price for Canadian customers in Canadian dollars.
We welcome suggestions of artists to feature in Canadian Creatives.
E. Talking Points section (formerly Letters and Milestones):
Reader comments on previously published articles are subject to editing for clarity and length; maximum length is 300 words. To be published, a writer must include their name and location (as well as a phone number, although it will not be published). In rare cases a long letter may be upgraded into a guest column of 750 words.
In each issue Faith Today includes milestones such as announcements of top-level appointments, resignations, organizational name changes, awards and other items of interest to the wider Christian community. These can be submitted by email anytime.
F. Online-only materials (blog posts)
Faith Today welcomes proposals for blog posts. These are texts of roughly 600 words that serve Canadian Christians by providing information, wisdom, insight, analysis, etc., that is particularly relevant to them. If the proposed idea is approved as newsworthy, Faith Today staff may do some editing of the submitted text and then post it on our website with a picture and then share it on our social media.
(If the editors don’t judge the idea to be newsworthy by current Faith Today standards, the writer might want to instead consider approaching the Faith Today advertising manager about the possibility of a paid version of the post that, if purchased, would appear labelled clearly as sponsored content.)
Blogs should aim as their first priority to benefit the reader (not the writer or the writer’s institution), but they can also be mutually beneficial by giving visibility to a person, idea, initiative or institution. Faith Today also allows live hyperlinks as part of a blog post, most commonly in the writer bio section at the end. Videos and graphics can also be considered for inclusion in blog posts. Each post on our website includes a horizontal “hero image” sized 972x510 pixels.
Writing Style
Faith Today follows The Canadian Press Stylebook for spelling, grammar, capitalization, etc. The CP stylebook is available at www.cp.org and elsewhere. A free, shorter introduction to our style, the Faith Today Style Guide, is available free online.
What Faith Today Doesn't Use
Bible studies, serialized articles and most seasonal material. The only poetry we consider is short Easter-themed poems.
Queries: Getting an Assignment
To propose an article of any kind, query Faith Today by email. This address is shared by both editors.
Describe in your email the topic and the angle you wish to address; why it would be of interest to a Christian audience in Canada; the research you intend to conduct; the people you intend to interview; your writing background and any qualifications that you have to write about the topic. Show that you have already done a few minutes of Canadian research. This may involve using an Internet search engine that includes only Canadian sites. Consider using our publisher’s custom Google search, which restricts itself to the websites of EFC affiliates.
For cover stories, Faith Today works with experienced writers who can do diverse research and provide analysis as well as write a lively article.
If your idea is very time-sensitive, you may call 905-479-5885 x. 241.
Unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. They will not be returned.
Rate Schedule
Rates include both first North American serial print rights as well as perpetual web rights. In rare cases they also apply to articles written exclusively for our website.
Original personal essays and guest columns: Cdn$ 0.3/word
Most other interview-based/researched original writing: Cdn$ 0.4/word
Honorarium for those otherwise employed (writing on paid work time): Cdn$ 0.15/word
Reprints and rewrites consisting of previously published material: Cdn$ 0.15/word
Books & Culture reviews: Cdn$ 125 each flat rate.
Honorarium for online-only writing (blog posts): Cdn$ 50 flat rate.
Regular writers can provide a void cheque to receive direct deposit payments (a faster method). Writers in the USA, we find the best payment method is PayPal (it's free to open an account if you don't already have one). We can make cheques in American funds, but US banks generally charge fees to cash them.
Expenses: Must be negotiated in advance.
Web Rights: All material published in print issues of Faith Today may be selected for posting on several websites owned by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, on our mobile phone application, and on websites that promote Faith Today, unless permission is refused by the writer at acceptance of the assignment. (EFC websites currently include www.evangelicalfellowship.ca a.k.a. www.theEFC.ca and www.faithtoday.ca and www.loveismoving.ca. We are not currently posting articles on any promotional websites.)
Kill Fee: Faith Today reserves the right not to publish an assigned article if it is not of publishable quality or does not meet the terms of the assignment. The payment is 30-50 per cent of the assigned fee, plus any pre-arranged expenses.
Publishing Practices
Payment is made within six weeks of the acceptance of a publishable story and the submission of contact information for all major research sources. Two copies of the issue in which the author's article appears will be provided for the author. HST/GST (Harmonized/Goods and Services Tax), where charged, are paid in addition to rates. Writers who charge these taxes should invoice us.
We often require writers to submit more than one draft of an article, and payment will only be requisitioned after production of a final draft by the writer and approval by an FT editor.
Copyright: Faith Today purchases first North American periodical rights only, with these exceptions: we grant reproduction permission without consultation with the author for: an anthology of collected works of Faith Today material; audio services for handicapped people; photocopies for use in a local church or classroom.
Reprinting: Freelance writers, columnists and other non-staff contributors own their work. We will direct any requests for reprint permission to them. (Articles by Faith Today staff are owned by the magazine, which generally forbids reprints for commercial uses, e.g. for advertising, advertorial or fundraising copy.) Reprints must include a credit line indicating Faith Today as the source and date of first publication. Please also add a line saying, "For a free sample copy of Faith Today, please call toll-free 1-866-302-3362." Please email to us a scan or link to the reprinted article for our files.
Publication of an opinion, event or advertisement does not indicate endorsement by Faith Today staff or its publisher, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Simultaneous publication: Writers may re-sell an assigned article after Faith Today has published it. For breaking stories, Faith Today may accept an article from a person who writes for several publications using the same research or interviews and whose work will appear elsewhere before Faith Today has published its story. However in that case the situation must first be discussed with an FT editor and the FT story must be significantly different from the other articles. In the event that there is a conflict, Faith Today may choose not to publish the story.
Photos: Writers are asked to help us obtain colour photos of their main interviewee, due five days after the article. A mug shot is acceptable, but we prefer a casual photo or an action shot (perhaps taken by the writer). The format can be jpg or pretty much anything. If your photo file is less than 150 kilobytes, it’s probably not high enough resolution, but you can check with us.
Pseudonyms: Faith Today generally does not publish material under pseudonyms.
Filing method: Articles should be submitted by email to the assigning editor. We can handle text in most major software formats (please don't send in the Mac .pages format). All articles must be accompanied by a list of research sources, with MAILING ADDRESSES and phone numbers and preferably also email addresses. We may need to contact them to finalize photo arrangements, to check facts with them, or to send them the article once the magazine is printed.
[Guidelines version: 17 Sept 2024]