What is Elder's Digest?

Elder's Digest is a quarterly resource for local church elders published by the General Conference Ministerial Association. It has been developed in response to a worldwide need for church elders to provide necessary information for effective church work.

What types of articles does ED publish?

The best way to find the answer to this question is to read a recent issue. In planning an article, remember to focus it toward church elders in order to be accepted for publication.

The main qualification for any article is that it must be relevant to our audience.They enjoy being challenged by new ideas or methods. They enjoy digging into their Bibles and studying. They enjoy knowing how other elders deal with problems. They like to learn about principles or discover things that will help them minister more effectively.

Are you qualified to write for us? YES! You do not need to be an experienced author to write for us. We would like to think that anyone who has practical experience or knowledge that is valuable to elders is qualified to write for Elder's Digest. If your material is interesting and helpful, we are willing to prepare it for publication.

Types of articles we seek

• Articles dealing with the elder's personal, spiritual, mental, physical, and social needs.
  
• How-to articles about the practice of ministry, coping with problems, nurturing, lay evangelism, and preaching.
  
• Theological articles within the frame-work of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs.
  
• Bible expository articles.
  
• Sermon outlines.
  
• Articles dealing with church administration.
  
• Articles on family and time management.
  
• Devotionals slated to be helpful to elders.
  
• Articles on developing Christ-centered wor-ships and how to plan all aspects of the worship service.
  
• Articles on what makes a good local church leader.
  
• Interviews with lay leaders who are developing good programs in the local churches.
  
• Reprints of articles from other magazines that have been helpful elders.

Article length

An average printed page in Elder's Digest contains approximately 750 words. Articles with fewer than 1,500 words are preferred. Seldom are articles with more than 3,000 words accepted. We do not accept articles which are simultaneously submitted to other periodicals. Sermons should have approx. 1,500 words. Remember that a good article for a training magazine should be short, practical, and objective.

Style and Submission

• Keep your writing consistent with biblical principles.
  
• Make your writing readable for a world audience. Avoid obscure words whose meaning calls for a dictionary. Use short sentences. Enliven your writing with illus-trations.
  
• Identify the Bible version you are using.
  
• Limit your use of references. If you do use them, cite them as endnotes. Do not give lengthy explanations in endnotes. Include the author's name, book title, publication location, date, and page(s) cited.
• For all quotations, please include the publication details (book, author, title, publisher, location, date of publication, etc.) for all references, including the Spirit of Prophecy books.
• Avoid sexist terminology. Not all elders are male.
• Send your manuscript via email, or on CD as a Word document.
• Above all, we are looking for articles that will encourage elders and help them in their ministry.

Payment

While we encourage voluntary submission of material, we do offer an honorarium, which is dependent upon size for unpublished articles, up to US$75. US$25 for a 1-page article.

Payment is sent upon receipt of author's signed publication agreement.

Complimentary Copies

Upon publication, you will receive two complimentary copies of the Elder's Digest issue in which your contribution appears.