Submission Guidelines
Risen Motherhood equips, encourages, and challenges moms to apply the gospel to their everyday lives. We’re for the imperfect mother—the one still learning, still growing, and still recognizing she doesn’t have it all together—who longs to behold the God who does.
Each article on our site equips a mom to apply truth by exploring a clear topic relating to motherhood and the gospel. Our articles are primarily “think pieces” that help women consider gospel application in their own lives. Through welcoming and clear language, they remind moms of their freedom in Christ, striking a balance between challenging theological content and relatability for seasoned and new believers alike.
All articles must be written in accordance with our Statement of Faith, mission statement, and our Content Philosophy.
We’re grateful for your interest in submitting a piece for consideration. Soli Deo gloria!
R|M Style
Articles must be 800-1,000 words.
Use the ESV or CSB for all biblical references.
Direct quotes from Scripture or other texts require in-text parenthetical citations. General references to biblical ideas require footnote references.
In-text: When Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” he meant it (John 14:6).
Footnote: We’re called to outdo one another with honor, which is a mark of a true Christian.[1]
Capitalize names that refer to God (e.g., King, Savior, Lord). Do not capitalize pronouns that refer to God (e.g., he, him, his).
Capitalize Bible, Word, and Scripture, but not biblical or scriptural.
Gospel is only capitalized when referring to the canonical Gospels (e.g.,. the Gospel of Matthew, Mark).
We use the Oxford comma and the em dash.
Shift+Option+- creates the em dash (—).
There are no spaces on either side of the em dash.
Articles should be clear of spelling and grammar errors.
Please use Arial, size 11 for your text.
[1] 1 Thess. 5:16-18
R|M Tone
Imagine you’re sitting next to your friend on the couch with steaming cups of coffee in hand. You share the struggles of motherhood with each other—your exhaustion from being up three times in the night with a sick baby, her worries about her husband’s parenting skills, and the plaguing late-afternoon loneliness you both experience. The weariness is heavy, but the hopeful promises of Jesus are bright. Now . . . write.
Our ministry’s tone is gentle and encouraging, meeting moms right where they are. We sit on the same side of the table, looking at our sins, circumstances, aspirations, and struggles—resolving to follow Jesus in the midst of it all. With this tone, we pair deep theological truths with relatable, empathetic language.
Just like we don’t try to impress our friends with hard-to-understand jargon, steer away from difficult vocabulary or excessive prose. Seek to explain deep, beautiful concepts in natural ways. Motherhood and life choices are full of complexity, nuance, and gray areas, so unless you’re a seasoned mother or grandmother, humbly acknowledge the limitations of your experiences while gently discipling your fellow mom in the gospel. Hold firmly to the clear truths of Scripture, but be charitable where practical application is less universal.
Writing Tips for R|M Tone and Style
Use active voice, not passive.
Passive voice: God has given us the grace we need, so we start every day with new mercies.
Active voice: We start every day with new mercies because God gives the grace we need.
Use contractions to maintain simplicity.
Original: I am learning to apply the gospel to every part of my life.
Contraction: I’m learning to apply the gospel to every part of my life.
Use “we” language where possible.
Personal blog tone: When I mother from a place of peace, I cultivate . . .
R|M article tone: When we mother from a place of peace, we cultivate . . .
Frame sentences in the positive, not the negative.
Negative: A devotional is not a Bible study.
Positive: Bible studies are different than devotionals.
Clear language will help the reader understand your point.
If it’s possible to cut a word, do it.
Shy away from colloquialisms and difficult vocabulary. If possible, use a common English equivalent.
Refrain from lists of how-tos and overly practical advice.
Make room for nuance and complexity.
Definitive statement: Moms who use a lot of their “free time” for exercise idolize their body image.
Nuance and complexity: Exercise can be a great way to glorify God, gaining energy to serve him and be good stewards of our bodies. It can also become something we worship and value too much. It’s about the heart.
Applying the Gospel
We welcome diverse voices and writing styles, united by the goal of pointing moms to the clear hope of the gospel. We look for content that engages both a reader’s mind and heart with principles that transcend culture, lifestyle, and personal experience.
For theological thought pieces, we often use the creation-fall-redemption-consummation model to guide a mom through a specific application of the gospel.
This gospel application process is not easy. It requires an understanding of doctrine and the ability to articulate hard-to-grasp truths in an easy-to-understand way. Storytelling helps a reader connect to your piece, meeting a mom where she is, but a theological article should strike an approximate 30/70 balance between personal narrative (30%) and gospel application (70%). Write with a specific lesson in mind, helping the reader put biblical truth into practice in her everyday life.
For poems and creative essays, the theological connection may be less developed overall, but there should still be a strong kernel of gospel truth at the core (approximately 30% of the piece, alongside 70% personal narrative). Here we encourage more vulnerable, vivid writing that shares a story in order to build connection. Write more of a reflection than an exhortation, striving to capture your reader’s heart with gospel hope to hold on to.
For strong examples of these types of writing, we recommend reading the articles on our website.
Editing Process
If we want to use your article, we will respond to you in four to six weeks. We choose not to accept pieces for a variety of reasons—sometimes our editorial calendar is full; sometimes we already have a post on that topic in the queue; sometimes we’re aware of timing with other R|M content, holidays, or commemorative months. Sometimes, it’s simply because the piece doesn’t match the R|M Submissions Guidelines. If you don’t hear from us in four to six weeks, you can assume we can’t publish your piece, and you can submit or publish it elsewhere. We understand that writing takes a lot of time, heart, and effort!
If your article is under consideration and on the way to being published, our editorial team will review and return your article with clearly marked changes for your approval.
Once approved, our editorial team may change your title and add a subtitle without seeking your permission. Because we plan ahead, it might be three to four months from final edits to website publish date. Once your article is published on our site, we ask that you wait three months before submitting the same piece elsewhere and include a note that it originally appeared at R|M.
Topic Ideas
We plan our general editorial calendar several months in advance, so please consider topics that may be relevant during future holiday seasons, liturgical calendar periods, seasonal changes (e.g., going back to school, letting out for the summer), commemorative days/months, and so on. We’ll give a higher priority and consideration to topics and perspectives that haven’t been covered on our site, but we’re happy to consider anything related to motherhood and the gospel. Here are some highly-requested, rarely covered topics:
Adoption / Foster care
Infertility
Evangelism
Technology
Divorce
Remarriage / step-parenting
Single motherhood
Work
Mothering as a first-generation Christian
These are always good topics that our readers love:
How Do I Talk to My Kids About . . . ?
Self-care
Body image
Holidays
Friendship / loneliness
The work / responsibilities of the home
Anxiety / overwhelm
Book Promotion
We enjoy working with publishers and authors to submit original articles or book excerpts for our website. This allows an author’s main message to reach our community in a way that is consistent with our mission and the needs of our readers. However, at this time, we do not allow direct promotion of books within an article either through language or links. Sentences or phrases that directly point readers to an author’s book or book series will be removed. We also don’t include editor’s notes, introductions, or conclusions that directly point readers to the book. Book links and promotion of other ministries or organizations can be included in the writer’s bio. In some cases, the editor or another member of the Risen Motherhood team might request additional promotion of a book within an article because it’s a recommendation or team favorite. At the editor’s discretion and initiation, a link might be added to the article and/or a link to the book might be shared on a corresponding social media story.
Submission
Please email your full article, formatted according to R|M style and tone guidelines, as a Word Doc attachment to submissions@risenmotherhood.com. Your email should include a three to five sentence description of your attached article. Your article document should include a working title, subtitle, and a brief bio. Feel free to link to your personal blog, book, and/or social media accounts in your bio.