Interested in writing an article for The Baptist Bulletin? See our info and guidelines below.

Want to send your church’s news for the “Soundbytes” column? Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Want to send a book review? We welcome reviews of Christian nonfiction books that you would recommend. Email submissions@BaptistBulletin.org to send your review (200 words or less).

About the magazine

The Baptist Bulletin is the magazine of Regular Baptist Ministries, including the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. The magazine is your gateway to articles addressing current issues from a Baptist perspective, inspiring stories about people who serve in unique ways, and exciting coverage of what’s happening in Regular Baptist Ministries.

The Baptist Bulletin is published for the congregation—a general public audience of believing church members. The magazine provides a “kitchen table” where church members gather to discuss important topics.

We accept articles within the range of our own editorial position, which is broadly outlined in the GARBC’s articles of faith, Baptist distinctives, and constitution. Our doctrinal statement, though precise on fundamental aspects of the faith, allows for a range of positions on many matters. Potential writers should also be familiar with current issues of the magazine.

The Baptist Bulletin considers articles on the following topics:

  • Significant issues of the Baptist faith
  • Aspects of church ministry
  • Unique ministries of churches
  • Human interests, sometimes in a Q&A format
  • Issues pertaining to home life, including families, parenting, and marriage
  • Spiritual growth and discipleship
  • Church or individual ministries involving Regular Baptist Chaplaincy, Generate, or our international partnerships

Don’t know what to write about? See some ideas.

Writing your article

We are looking for creative insight, sound judgment, critical analysis, and in-depth interpretation.

Thorough research. Baptist Bulletin articles show strong reporting and research, generous inclusion of relevant quotes, and interesting anecdotes. Use a variety of media (books, journals, web) and a variety of current sources (churches, organizations, individuals). For certain topics, include pertinent citations of primary historical sources.

Intentional structure. Baptist Bulletin articles are written with multiple entry points for the reader. Include the following:

  • Subheads
  • Photos with engaging captions
  • Complementary sidebars
  • Suggested resources for further reading

Aim for your article to be 800–2,000 words long.

Craft a compelling introductory paragraph that holds the reader’s attention. Include a clear statement of the main topic or purpose for writing, add transitional sentences between major points, and create an ending that summarizes the article and provokes thought. Include up to three levels of headings, block quotations, callout quotes, and endnotes (follow Chicago Manual of Style)—but do not use dry, academic headings. Give your article a captivating title and, if desired, a subtitle.

Engaging tone. Write with a warm, conversational style, using contractions and other informal devices. But do not affect an artificially breezy or casual tone. Strive for simplicity, clarity, and readability using vivid language. Use the first-person “I” instead of “the writer.” Avoid addressing the reader as “you.”

Do not use Greek, Hebrew, or other non-English characters. If necessary, use transliterated Greek and Hebrew with clear English definitions—but reserve this for places where the thesis depends heavily on understanding Biblical languages.

Use the New King James Version as the primary Bible text. If you find it necessary to quote from another Bible version, please add the Bible version’s abbreviation in parentheses after the verse.

Formatting and sending your article

Write your article in Microsoft Word and email it to submissions@BaptistBulletin.org.

  • Include your name, mailing address, and email address in the upper left corner of the first page.
  • Include the title of your article centered on page 1.
  • Write a one- or two-sentence bio about yourself at the end of your article.
  • Use 12 point font for all text, with left justification for the body of your article and all headings.
  • Use a single space after a period or colon.
  • Start new paragraphs with a paragraph return; do not use tabs to make paragraph indents.
  • Do not put text boxes around any text. In general, don’t make your manuscript look like a final layout.

If you quote any published material, include a photocopy or URL of the original quote and identify the source of the quote by full title, publication, and publisher. The Baptist Bulletin generally treats these citations as fair use.

If you quote a poem or song lyrics or if you submit any artwork, images, or photos, it is your responsibility to obtain permission to print these. Include the permission letter with your submitted manuscript.

We do not accept submissions by postal mail.

Submitting photos

We encourage writers to submit photos, suggest sources for existing photos, or discuss custom photography to support the story. We welcome clear, sharp photographic prints or high-resolution digital files at 300 dpi. For imagery that already exists but you do not own, please inform us of its location, owner, and copyright when submitting your manuscript.

Purchasing rights and editing

Regular Baptist Press is the publisher of The Baptist Bulletin and church education materials. Articles written for The Baptist Bulletin are “works created for hire” in which Regular Baptist Press retains the copyright and all rights, including

  • the right to edit the material to meet the needs of our audience,
  • the right to publish it at a time that fits our needs,
  • the right to reprint it at some future time in The Baptist Bulletin or other RBP resources, and
  • the right to release it online.

Articles are edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, length, cohesiveness, clarity, conciseness, logic, tone, and factual accuracy while preserving the author’s voice.

Authors are usually granted permission to reproduce their own articles on websites, blogs, and other printed anthologies. Consideration will be given to a writer’s written request to sell published material to another publisher as a reprint.

The Baptist Bulletin does not generally purchase articles that are previously published in print or online. On occasion we consider first rights or onetime rights for articles that are particularly well suited to our audience in terms of theology, focus, writing quality, and takeaway value. We are not interested in simultaneous submissions.


Send Your Church’s News

Want to send news about your church’s event or ministry for the “Soundbytes” column of The Baptist Bulletin?

We are always excited to hear how God is working, so please consider writing a report about an event or a unique ministry at your church and submitting your report and photos to soundbytes@BaptistBulletin.org. We also welcome news from Regular Baptist camps.

  • Tell us what happened. Include the basic Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
  • Be a reporter. Interview people involved in the event or ministry. Write down the interesting parts of what they say. Ask people “why,” not just “what.”
  • Focus on people. How did your event or ministry change the people who attended? Why was it important? What were your leaders trying to accomplish?
  • Get the names right. Who was important to the event or ministry? Did you forget anyone? Did you spell their names correctly and state their job or ministry titles?
  • Keep it short. 300 words is good, or shorter.
  • Send quality photos. Send your photos along with your report to soundbytes@BaptistBulletin.org. Make sure your photos are at least 2 MB.

We edit every article for grammar, spelling, punctuation, length, cohesiveness, clarity, conciseness, logic, tone, and factual accuracy.

Questions? Email soundbytes@BaptistBulletin.org.