Good News is a voice of evangelical Christianity within the United Methodist Church. Our purposes are to present an effective witness for Christ and historic Wesleyanism within our denomination, to uphold Scripture, to deal with vital issues facing the church and society, and to inspire and encourage readers in the Christian life. Though we are United Methodists, we have no official connection with the denomination.
Good News magazine reaches 30,000 - 100,000 households. They are 75% lay people, 25% clergy; they are roughly 45% female, 55% male. About 95% of our readers are members of the United Methodist Church, and many of our lay readers hold leadership positions in their local churches. We have readers in all 50 states and 35 foreign countries.
Material should be of interest to evangelical/orthodox United Methodists. We prefer some tie-in to United Methodism on the part of the author and/or the article—such as church membership or involvement in a local UM church—or material otherwise catering to the distinctive interests of our readers. We look for a writing style that is straightforward and non-technical, easy to read but not shallow in content (40% of our readers have done studies beyond a four-year college degree). We encourage the generous use of anecdotes and illustrations.
We are interested in the following kinds of articles:
1. Insightful treatment of current issues facing people in today's church and society. These articles should challenge the reader's stance as well as help him/her develop a Christian perspective on the issues.
2. Teaching articles that help readers understand Biblical truth and its implications for living today. No sermonizing, please.
3. Personal experience articles that are creative and relevant to these times. We prefer stories of United Methodists.
4. Fresh treatment of how-to's of Christian living, for example: prayer, worship, discipleship, family life, etc.
5. Interviews or profiles of significant evangelical Christians in United Methodism.
6. Case histories of noteworthy UM churches and other evangelical Christian groups, how they do it, how you church can do it, too.
7. We also have occasional need for guest editorials on issues facing United Methodists for our Speaking Out column. Please note that some editorial submissions may be edited for length and used as letters to the editor. We will ask permission before making these changes.
The best way to know how to write for Good News is to read us! Back issues of the magazine are available here on-line, or a sample hard copy is available on request. Please send $2.75 with your request to the address below.
Our current rate for first-rights material is $100 to $150 per article. We may pay less for reprints & short pieces, or more for special projects or cover stories.
Before submitting an article for Good News you must send a query letter. A good query letter might include a brief summary and outline of your proposed article. Also tell us what length you have in mind and give suggestions for photographs or illustrations.
We do not accept queries or manuscripts submitted by e-mail.
Direct questions to the webmaster, Bob@goodnewsmag.org