Life of a Christian Writer and Editor

The Equipping Christian Ministry
Christian Writers Workshop
Jerry Akinsola,
jerryakinsola@yahoo.com
+2348033804982
The Life of a Christian Writer and Editor

Now go and write down
these words. Write them in a
book. They will stand until
the end of time as a witness
Isaiah 30:8 (NLT)

Why is writing an
important
medium of
communication?

What are some
factors that can
adversely affect the
quality of a written
work?

Why should writing
be regarded as a
team work?
Who are the team
members?

Introduction
God has ordained writing as
one of the means to transmit
information, inspire others,
change minds and change lives.

Introduction
Christian writing is a way to
communicate facts, divine
revelations, increase faith and
transform lives.

Introduction
Writing helps us to store in a
retrievable format the message
we hear. Thus it could help us
reduce the margin of errors.

Introduction
Christian writers and editors
are co-labourers with Christ in
the business of winning the
lost and equipping the saints.

Who Is a Christian
Writer?
Revelation 1:9-11 (NCV)

A Christian Writer is…an informed and
skillful disciple of Jesus Christ,
who is commissioned and inspired by the
Holy Spirit to
write God’s will, ways and purposes in
comprehensible terms, so as to
win the lost, care for creation and equip
the saints to glorify and enjoy God.

Revelation 1:19 (NIV)
"Write, therefore, what you have
seen, what is now and what will
take place later….”

Who Is a Christian Writer?
Source Writer Reader

A Christian Writer is a…
1. Bridge : A person who
connects two poles (God and
the readers/hearers)
2. Witness: A person who has
been granted access to events
and source(s) of revelation.

3. Decoder (Receiver): A person
who understands the ‘language’
of God
4. Transmitter: A person who
seeks to redistribute in
appropriate format what has
been received.

5. Secretary: A person called to write and
store in a retrievable format the
message of His Master.
6. Researcher: One who has the
responsibility of gathering, evaluating
and documenting relevant information.
7. Student / Learner: A person who
knows the Lord, studies and
understand the Word and the world.

Who Is a Christian
Editor?

A Christian editor is someone
who add holistic values to a
manuscript because he or she
knows the Lord, understand the
Word and the world
and has the mastery of both
language and writing skills.

A Christian Editor is….
1. Midwife –A person who
assist writers to deliver the
message in clear terms.
2. Filter – Weeds out the chaff
(doctrinal, grammatical and
other errors)

A Christian Editor is….
3. Refiner – identifies and
clarifies obvious or subtle
ambiguities.
4. Quality controller – Ensures
compliant to format and
styles.

Why do Christian
Writers and
Editors Sometimes
Fail to Deliver?

Some Writers and Editors
Fail because of…
Physical
• Health Issues
• Time
Management
Material
• Lack of resources
(space, tools)
• State of Finance
• Market for
Product

Fail because of…
Emotional
• Fear of criticism
• Pride – Looking
down
• Bitterness
Spiritual
• “ Voices” – Writing
the popular vs the
proper.
• Poor devotional
life.
• Disobedience

Fail because of…
Social
•Friends and
relatives
•Marriage
•Parenting Issues
•Office Pressures
Mental
•Language Issues
•Outdated skills:
Style

To be an effective writer or
editor you need to pay attention
to:
God: Self Skills Others

How can you hear
God ?

To maintain an intimate
relationship with God you need to
Be Rightly related to God
• You must be a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ
Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16
•Let your life to be driven by His promise and power.
Do not be driven by people, opportunities or circumstances.

Guard Your Time With God
• Study the Bible for Personal Edification
• Engage in Regular Solitude/ Fasting
Learn from your Experiences
•Review your daily interactions from the perspective
of God. Cultivate a thanksgiving lifestyle.

Serve others
•Make time to build up others in the name of
Christ and for His glory.

How can you
manage yourself
productively ?

Personal Care: How to Keep
fit for Service
1. Be Focused – Don’t say yes to
too many “good” things.
2. Do not surrender to despair
3. Learn from the success and
failures of the Past

fit for Service
4. Work while it is day. Fight the
urge to procrastinate.
4. Pay great attention to the
quality of your work – God will
take care of the market.

fit for Service
6. Take care of the Body (Container)
a. Eat Wisely
b. Sleep Responsibly
c. Exercise the body –
d. Observe rules of personal hygiene
7. Perform your conjugal obligations

fit for Service
7. Initiate, create, nurture and
support a ministry that
periodically engages the
energies of your family.
8. Watch your character and
reputation. Your lifestyle must
not contradict the message you
write or share.

How can you
improve your
writing and
editorial skills?

Ways to Improve Your
Writing or Editorial Skills
• Language is dynamic. Stay current.
• Get a good book on grammar
Engage in
Language Studies
• Reading widely will help create a
broad learning bandwidth.
Engage in Broad
Based Study
• This will help you develop relevant
materials.
Study reports
on Trends

• There is no way to write except by
WRITING
Commit Yourself
to Writing on
Daily Basis
• Open the windows of your work
and the work will be refreshed and
illuminated
Share what
you Write
• You need to communicate with
your editor, writer, and designers.
Ask questions. Give suggestions.
Create a
Feedback loop.

• Read between the lines. Cross check
your information. Read for facts and
possible outcomes.
Pay attention
to Details
• Watch out for your readability level. See
things from the perspective of your
readers.
Be Reader-
Sensitive
• Christian writing and publishing is a
vocation. If you want to excel you must
be passionate about honouring God.
Work to
Please God

How can you
productively manage
your relationship with
others in the
publishing chain?

Relationship Management: Connecting
with Others:
Respect
others
Define
objectives
Communicate
Expectations
Assist
others
Maintain
Boundaries

Conclusion
As Christian writers and editors you
have the task of writing the vision
clearly.
You can only write well if you stay
connected to both the source and the
reader.
You must know the subject at hand
and have a thorough understanding
of the target audience to write
relevant resources.

Conclusion
To produce life transforming
Christian literature you must also
pay attention to your character.
Writing in Africa is challenging
but rewarding. God is counting
on you, make your life count.

Life of a Christian Writer and Editor

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