Editing

Work with a staff editor to edit your piece

What to expect

Your staff editor will be in touch via email or phone. Together, you can have honest dialogue about editing suggestions and work to clarify metaphysical ideas. The editing process is a prayerful partnership that requires humility from both you and your staff editor. It includes many opportunities for spiritual discernment and listening.

Editing process for Journal, Sentinel, and Herald

1. Get started:
   Typically, 1–3 months after your piece has been accepted for editing, you’ll receive an introductory email and initial edit from a staff editor. This waiting period is because editors are working on multiple issues at once.

2. Work with your staff editor:
   Participate in a collaborative process which may include editing main ideas, metaphysical concepts, writing structure, word choice, etc.

3. Agree on edited piece:
   You and your staff editor will work together to agree on an edited version of your piece.

4. Wait for additional reviews:
   As your piece makes its way toward publication, it will be further reviewed by other editors and copy editors.

5. Finalize your piece:
   In the final stages before your piece heads to print, there may be last-minute changes and edits for you to review and sign off on.

Check out our writing guidelines

You may find it helpful to review our complete writing guidelines to better understand how our Editorial Team approaches editing different submissions. 

View the full writing guidelines

Inspiration to consider

From the Manual of The Mother Church

• Article VIII, Section 14 (p. 44:19 it) ▾Article VIII, Section 14 (p. 44:19 it) ▾

  … it shall be the duty of the Directors to see that these periodicals are ably edited and kept abreast of the times.

• Article VIII, Section 24 (p. 47:11–10) ▾Article VIII, Section 24 (p. 47:11–10) ▾

  Testimonials. Sect. 24. "Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (St. Paul). Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, "who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalm 103:3). This testimony, however, shall not include a description of symptoms or of suffering, though the generic name of the disease may be indicated. This By-Law applies to testimonials which appear in the periodicals and to those which are given at the Wednesday evening meeting.

  Charity to All. Sect. 25. While members of this Church do not believe in the doctrines of theosophy, hypnotism, or spiritualism, they cherish no enmity toward those who do believe in such doctrines, and will not harm them. But whenever God calls a member to bear testimony to Truth and to defend the Cause of Christ, he shall do it with love and without fear.

  Uncharitable Publications. Sect. 26. A member of this Church shall not publish, nor cause to be published, an article that is uncharitable or impertinent towards religion, medicine, the courts, or the laws of our land.

From the periodicals

• “Writing and editing—letting the Christ lead” by Barbara Vining
• “When I write, why do I need to be edited?” by Kim Crooks Korinek

Insights from contributors

Questions about the process?

Email us and hear back from our Editorial Team within 3–5 days.

jshwrite@csps.com

FAQs

Next steps

After editing, you can prayerfully support the publishing process while waiting for your submission to run in an issue.