Submission guidelines for the Church Times

Thank you for your interest in writing for the Church Times.

Since 1863 we’ve been delivering informed and independent reporting of church and world news in print, and now online and on our app. Each issue includes news, lively opinion, and detailed analysis on current affairs, wide-ranging features and interviews, insightful faith content and theology, Bible commentary, cartoons, books and arts reviews, and more.

Before sending a submission

The paper has several regular sections that accept submissions. Before sending a pitch, please read the notes below to ensure you’re contacting the correct one. Please also check this topic hasn’t recently been covered by the paper before getting in touch.

To send a submission

For all submissions please send an email headed: [Section e.g. Feature, Faith, Comment] pitch: [the subject you’d like to cover], which could look like: ‘Feature pitch: How church youth club provision is changing’ or ‘Comment pitch: Why I should be Archbishop of Canterbury’ and include a one paragraph summary of the piece you’d like to write, including the angle you’d take and any relevant interviewees, hooks, or timescales.

Photos and images

Please also let us know if you’re offering photos or images to accompany the piece. These should be at least 1MB (ideally larger), clear and in focus, with permission to use and a photographer credit. Smartphone photos can work well, as can scans of old images, if they fit these criteria. Any pictures featuring children must have parental permission.

New writers

For writers new to the paper, please also send:

a short bio to help us understand how you are qualified to write on this topic
links to up to five published articles that you’ve written

Timing

Timing is also important. To be considered your pitch needs to arrive in good time to be commissioned. Unless your idea is linked to news events, please aim to send your pitch relating to specific days (Christmas, Easter), anniversaries, or events / important dates at least eight weeks in advance, ideally longer.

Please note:

We are not currently accepting submissions for cartoons, Notebook, or Sunday’s Readings. With the exception of the work of our resident poet, Malcolm Guite, we do not publish poetry.

Following up

We make every effort to respond to pitches. However, if you have not heard from us within six weeks of submitting your suggestion, please assume we won’t be proceeding with it on this occasion. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t submit pitches again in the future. Due to the volume of pitches received, it is not possible to give feedback on unsuccessful submissions. We would appreciate not being chased for responses or feedback.

FEATURES

General features

General features are usually between 1200 words (a single page) and 3000 words (two pages) with exact word counts agreed when an article is commissioned. Generally not as time sensitive as news, features cover a broad range of subjects including interviews with interesting figures in society, culture, arts, literature, the church and beyond and “deep dives” into subjects affecting the Anglican church and Christianity in general. Recent articles include explorations of contemporary concerns — investigating the ‘Quiet Revival’, TikTok evangelism and how Farsi speakers are finding homes in British churches and timeless topics — the enduring appeal of church holidays, historical trees in churchyards, and Evelyn Underhill’s European travels and more. The tone could be serious, light, or somewhere in-between, depending on the topic, but the content should be engaging, relevant, and informative as well as original writing on a specific subject.

Contact features@churchtimes.co.uk

Special features

A programme of special features tied to topics of interest to advertisers runs throughout the year. Themes include travel, holidays and retreats, health and wellbeing, vocations and Bible colleges, retirement years, legacies and will making, ordination, education and financial planning.

Contact christine@churchtimes.co.uk

FAITH

The aim of the Faith pages is to inspire / support / enable / encourage readers in their faith. Please always pitch an idea before submitting a draft. The Faith pages include several sections:

Faith features

are +/-1,000 words and range from observance of liturgical seasons to historical anniversaries (of individuals or events), via pieces related to current events or topical issues, or personal testimony, but always with a faith slant. A glance at the online Faith section here will give some idea of the variety. In Lent or Advent, we often run a series.

In the parish

aims to encourage parishes through the sharing of imaginative ideas and good practice. The focus is essentially practical: normally 800-900 words in the body of the text, plus a brief, bullet-point summary of Points to Consider / What's Needed / Do's-and-Don't's for any other parishes who might be inspired to try something similar, and a photograph. Please always check that the topic hasn’t already been covered.

Theology matters

is a 1,250-word feature that might be an introduction to a significant theologian, or theological work or doctrine/an extract from a new book/a round-up of recent developments in theology/a seasonally appropriate theological reflection.

Contact editor@churchtimes.co.uk

COMMENT

Comment

articles (on the leader page and its opposite) are between 750 and 800 words. Any topic, religious, theological, or not, of interest to our readers — preferably something in the news on which the writer has particular points to make. We value articles that are tightly written and have a strong line of thought throughout the piece, referring to plenty of examples and statistics where appropriate.

We set great store by clarity and a well-structured argument, rather than something that drifts along. Comment pieces that work well identify a clear problem and suggest solutions, rather than asking lots of questions.

Analysis

articles are 1000-1100 words. The emphasis is on thought leadership and to delve into a topic or issue in some more detail. They tend to be less provocative and direct than regular comment articles: more about taking a step back and considering the theological, ethical, or philosophical aspects of an issue, or questioning received wisdom by analysing an issue through a different lens.

Contact ed.thornton@churchtimes.co.uk

BOOKS AND ARTS

We do not accept unsolicited book reviews. Suggestions of books and arts events as suitable for review will be considered without any commitment to commissioning a review.

Reviewers are expected to disclose any connection with an author, publisher, creator, performer, or curator, which will be taken into consideration in the decision whether to commission. They should not contact authors or publishers directly unless asked by a Church Times editor to do so.

Those offering to review are requested to provide examples of their published work, if possible.

Contact books@churchtimes.co.uk or arts@churchtimes.co.uk

NEWS

Any press releases or news items should always be sent to the general news email address below, not to individual writers and editors at the Church Times, to ensure that these are seen.

A news press release concerning a specific event or launch should always give the date close to the top of the release; please do not make the recipient have to search for the date. Other vital information to include are the location of the event and the relevant media contact. Please also consider what pictures or photo opportunities are available.

Contact news@churchtimes.co.uk

Obituaries

Contact gazette@churchtimes.co.uk

FAQs

Would I be paid for writing for the Church Times?

Payment and rates for articles varies. If your pitch is of interest, this will be discussed by the section editor responsible.

I’m not sure which section my pitch would sit in – should I send it to everyone?

No. If you send a pitch that would be better suited to a different section, it will be passed on internally. You should be able to identify where your pitch would sit by looking at examples of published articles on the website and tailoring your submission to fit. If it’s still not clear, it’s probably not a workable idea for the Church Times.

I have an idea for an article but I don’t want to write it myself – who should I contact?

Please check the contact details for the relevant section of the paper above, and send an email to the address shown, explaining clearly that you’re offering an idea only.

Can I suggest my book / project / event / self as an article subject?

Please check the contact details for the relevant section of the paper above, and send an email to the address shown, explaining clearly that you’re offering an idea only.

Can I send a whole article I’ve written?

We would prefer to see a pitch and outline initially. Please see above for how to pitch these.

Can I pitch myself as a columnist?

We are not accepting pitches for regular columnists.

Do you publish poetry?

At present, we only publish our resident poet Malcolm Guite. Poetry collections for review can be sent to books@churchtimes.co.uk.

I haven’t been published before – is it still worth me sending a pitch?

Yes, but please ensure you’re following our submission guidelines. Please ensure you include relevant samples of your unpublished writing with your pitch where possible.

Will you publicise our parish fair / fete / concert?

We do not publicise fairs, fetes, concerts or other performances ahead of time. If your event has a unique angle — such as a significant anniversary — that might be of interest to the paper’s wider audience as a feature, please follow the submission guidelines.

Will you publish my sermon / church newsletter essay?

We do not publish sermons or church newsletter essays. If you have an idea that would work as a piece for the faith pages, please see above on how to format your pitch and get in touch.

Will you publish my blog post?

We do not generally reproduce blog posts. However, it may be that a blog post could be the starting point for a pitch.

Can I use AI / LLMs to write my pitch or piece?

Please only send your own original writing. We do not accept work produced by LLM chatbots.

If you publish an article written by or about me, can I also publish it on my blog / another website / newspaper?

The Church Times retains copyright of articles commissioned by and written for the paper. If you would like to share it on your own blog or site, please use only the opening paragraph and link to the full article on the Church Times website. It should not be published elsewhere.