Christian Writing Groups
For Christian writers, teamwork is a major key to the successful discovery, confirmation, and development of our gifts!
“Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.'” – 1 Corinthians 12:20-12 (NLT)
If you’ve purchased the Calling All Writers! small group curriculum and are looking for other writers to form a group, here are a few thoughts that we hope you find helpful.
First, there are lots of writers out there longing to do something like this! You’ll be surprised how many you find once you start asking around. We had tons of people express interest in our writing small group, even though they had no professional writing experience. One lady even said she had never written anything, but felt God calling her to write. By taking the lead in this area, you’ll be helping others discover their gifts and callings.
Here are some specific ideas for finding group members.
1) Ask your church leaders if they would consider helping you put together a Christian writing small group. We will not be upset if you also tell them about the great curriculum you found. 😀
Starting a group at your church is probably the best way to find those writers who aren’t doing anything right now except journaling. They often know deep down they are supposed to do something more, but they need a catalyst. They need something to awaken the gift that God’s been nourishing and cultivating behind the scenes.
Be a leader. Commit to helping others discover and develop their gifts. When you do this, God will increase your gift all the more.
Starting a group at your existing church is the best option for several other reasons. You already have a personal connection and bond. You are more likely to have general agreement on what you deem to be fundamentals of the faith. Down the road, you may also be able to get other people at your church interested in what God is doing through your group.
2) If you go to a small church that does not have a small group system, you might be able to tap into the thriving small group system of a larger church in your area.
3) Go to your local library and see if they have a way of connecting you with other Christian writers in your area. They may have bulletin boards or other forms of communication you could utilize. They may hold events which would allow you to recruit other writers. There may even be Christian writing groups already meeting at your local library!
4) Google “your city + Christian writing group” (e.g. “Boston Christian writing group”). Even small towns have active writing groups!
5) Go to a Christian writing conference and connect with other writers there.
6) Ask Christian bloggers and writers that you already know. Going through the curriculum together would be especially helpful for bloggers who are currently going it alone. God does amazing work through teams!
7) You can also check around using these awesome resources:
Facebook Christian Writing Groups: These are great places to connect with other Christian writers who might be interested in taking the journey with you!
ChristianWriters.com: A website with active forums for Christian writers.
ChristianCreativeWriters.com: Another great website with active forums for Christian writers.
ChristianForums.com: A website with active Christian forums of all types. They just happen to have a writer’s area.
FaithWriters.com: Yet another online forum active with Christian writers.
One important caveat: We highly recommend finding writers who are close enough that you can meet face-to-face once per week. Online groups are nice and can sometimes fill a need when there is no other option. But there is no substitute for a face-to-face small group. Also, working on group projects together with people that you can’t sit down and talk to in person creates a lot of unnecessary challenges. It is best to form a local group, if at all possible.