Christian writing opportunities: Submit your short story testimony
At Faith Storyteller, we share Christian short stories about your personal experience with God.
If you’re looking for Christian writing opportunities, consider submitting a true, first-person testimony that follows our guidelines below.
Please read our submission guidelines about what we are looking for, as well as our FAQs below.
Please note that we do NOT accept full life stories, fiction, or poetry.
What to know before you submit your Christian testimony & faith story
1. What kind of faith stories are we looking for?
Faith Storytellers publish short personal stories about your relationship with God, focusing on how your relationship began, grew, or changed.
We are looking for Christian testimonies that are:
Short stories: Between 900-1,200 words
Using the first person: Use “I,” “me,” “my,” or “mine” — not “you” or “we”
In a narrative format: With a beginning, a middle with change, and an ending that brings resolution
Grounded in a moment in time: Don’t tell your life story. Choose one pivotal moment and write about the before, middle, and after of that specific time.
Written like a movie: Stories should unfold with action and reaction.
Show us what’s happening, don’t explain!
Tim’s story is a great example of a narrative faith story.
2. Submission guidelines for your Christian testimony
Read 3-4 published faith stories. This will help you get a sense of the type of Christian testimony and narrative storytelling we are seeking.
Writers who take this extra step are far more likely to have their story accepted.
Write your story in the format we teach.
Review our free guide on how to write a testimony or grab our book, “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story.”
Your short story should be 900-1,200 words in the three-act structure we teach.
We will ask you to revise and resubmit if it’s longer than this.
If your story is long, you may be a “Story Carver,” if your story tends to run short, you may be a “Story Builder.”
Take our quiz to find out.
3. How to write a short story testimony that inspires
Please follow the following steps when submitting your faith story.
Start with prayer: Many storytellers have said God prompted them to tell a different story than they originally intended.
Starting with prayer is the first step in our Faith Storytellers Framework.
Make it yours: Write in first person (“I thought…”) and let your voice shine. This is your story — own it!
Read through our framework or book for a more detailed explanation of how to write (and revise) your story.
Stay true to who you are: Share the real stuff — what you felt, doubted, or discovered.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable in your story because it allows God’s strength to shine through.
Follow our structure: This is important, as we only publish stories that follow our framework, which we teach in our book, “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story.”
Length: Keep it between 900 and 1,200 words — long enough to tell a whole story but short enough for a reader to enjoy it during the morning quiet time or just before bed.
Keep it clean: Stories should be PG or PG-13. You can review our Faith Story Guardrails or learn more about how to apply these concepts in our book.
Your story can include darkness — just don’t dwell on it.
Fresh Stories: Send us original work that hasn’t been published by a third party, such as a magazine or website.
Stories from your own blog or SubStack may be reworked to match our Faith Storytellers structure (use our book or cheat sheet for how to revise it).
4. How do I submit my Christian story?
Email your story submission:
Use the subject line “Faith Story Submission” to mackenzie@faithstorytellers.com.
Please attach to the email:
A Word or Google document with your story. We do not accept PDFs.
Three (3) photographs of you that you have permission to share. Photos should clearly show your face. Include one with just you (headshot).
You may include photos of other people if it makes sense with your story and if they have given you permission to do so.
Your full name and best email for contacting you regarding your story.
Frequently asked questions
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Answer: No previous writing experience is needed!
Please note that we only publish stories that are written in the format we teach.
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A: We only publish unique stories that have not been published elsewhere.
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A: No. Because we publish true, first-person stories (i.e. Christian testimonials), we want you to share your real name with our readers.
This builds trust and helps our readers know that what you are sharing is true and really happened.
In addition, we ask that you submit three photographs (at least one headshot) of you to be published along with your story.
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A: Pick a specific moment in time that reflects a spiritual pivot point in your life.
For example:
Came to believe in Jesus
Doubted and then trusted God
“God Winks” story of the divine way God orchestrated events in your life
Felt unworthy and then realized God sees you as worthy
Miracle story of God’s healing
An answered or unanswered prayer and how it grew your relationship with God
Etc.
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A: The only writing we publish at this time is true, first-person short stories about your relationship with the Christian God.
Please do not submit poetry, song lyrics, fiction, non-fiction devotionals, Christian living, or other types of writing.
In addition, stories that are life stories or more than 1,200 words will be asked to be revised.
Read a few testimony stories to get a sense of what we are looking for.
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We do not pay for stories, nor do we charge to publish stories.
Faith Storytellers is proud to work with volunteer storytellers!
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No, for the reasons stated above.
You are welcome to submit a personal faith story according to our guidelines.
Please do not submit a story about writing, as we serve a more general audience.
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A: Our work editing stories for publication is free for the writer and part of our ministry-oriented focus at Faith Storyteller.
Before editing occurs, you’ll be asked to sign a waiver giving us permission to publish your story.
If you do not intend to publish with Faith Storytellers, you can book a paid consultation through our contact page.
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A: Yes! Mackenzie wrote a book specifically for Christians who have a faith story to tell but feel overwhelmed or don’t know how to get started.
“Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story” is a step-by-step guide to the writing and storytelling process we teach.
The book includes more than 40 short testimony examples!
You can also check out our various free resources about how to share your testimony.
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A: We try our best to answer submissions emails within a few days, but give us grace!
If your story fits, we’ll let you know that we’d like to move forward with edits.
We typically edit stories three times and ask writers to update and revise their stories based on our feedback.
For questions on capitalization or word choice, review our style guide.
We will ask you to sign a Materials Release Agreement that gives us the right to use your story.
We ask that you not repost or republish the edited version that was created specifically for Faith Storytellers.
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Your story will be published online and be available to read for free.
Some stories are also selected for book publication after they are published online. You’ll be contacted if yours is selected.
Looking for an uplifting source of Christian encouragement? Join our free newsletter and receive testimonies, book and gift guides, journaling prompts, and more!
Mackenzie Ryan Walters is the author of “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” which shares Christian testimonies and stories, as well as curated lists about Christian books, gifts, and more. A national award-winning former journalist who’s covered a presidential campaign, been inside NASA, and reported on education and schools, Mackenzie now edits the Faith Storytellers website and is passionate about lifting up and sharing the story God is writing in the world.