Phil Cooke

Ghostwriters in Religious Publishing

The rapid growth of religious radio and television has created an era of the mega-ministry.  Today, because of the impact on global audiences, large media ministries have become like international corporations, involving radio and television studios, publishing businesses, international conferences, and more.

But the bigger churches and ministries grow, the less time pastors and ministry  leaders have to actually research and write books – the very products which to a great extent help fund the organizations.  Plus, writing well isn’t easy.  It’s a craft and art form just like music, painting, or filmmaking.  Writing well takes years of practice and experience, and the discipline to sit for weeks or months in front of a computer screen.

That’s why many pastors and ministry leaders hire professionals to do the job for them, which is a perfectly acceptable option.  After all, there are many levels of working with professional writers.  In my own experience, I have written for clients who gave me original material like sermon transcripts.  In those cases, I was really “adapting” their own thoughts and ideas into book form.  In other cases, I literally wrote it from scratch, with little more than a few interviews, a sermon tape, or a conversation or two with the pastor.

But in every case, I’ve never received credit.  In fact – in one case, I actually wrote a book for a client and then he stood up on national television and described how he had “labored night after night writing without stopping, until his wife had to beg him to get some sleep.”

In another case, when a major newspaper reported that I wrote a television special for a particular media ministry, the ministry office told me to stay quiet, because they wanted people to believe that everything that came out of that ministry was written by the ministry founder.

Is this a problem?   Yes and no.

No, because often writers are just happy for the work.  They have certain skills, and like a professional mechanic who fixes your car, or a an accountant who keeps your books, some writers are happy to do the work and get a check.  They have no desire to be famous, and actually enjoy writing for someone else – after all, it can pay very well.

However – a better answer is yes, because the fact is, books are far more personal than a car or a checkbook.  When someone reads a book, they believe that the writing is coming from the heart of the author, and the writing style, the content, and the message reflect the name on the cover.  This is true especially in the Christian world, where the message is often a spiritual message conveying eternal truth.

When a pastor or ministry leader publishes a book with only his name on it he is making a unstated promise to the reader than the material is his, it’s coming directly from his heart and mind, and he’s personally presenting it in the form of this book.  That’s why the issue of accurate credit on the book cover is so important.  If we stand for the Truth of God, then we must reflect that Truth in every area of our lives.

So is it wrong to hire a professional to help you write a book?  Absolutely not.  Many Christians would be shocked to see just how poorly some of our Christian leaders write, and real professionals can take an anointed message from a man or woman of God and translate it into an exciting and enjoyable reading experience.  However – as a point of honor and integrity, I believe the professional writer’s name should also be included on the cover along with the leader.  Certainly it can be in smaller letters, or with the phrase “as written by” or “with” before the name.

Do secular authors do it?  Who cares?  Because we answer to a higher calling – a calling of honesty, integrity, and respect for the people God has given us to lead.  Plus, I believe it’s also contributed to the “celebrity” culture of Christian leaders today.  They’ve become so well marketed, most people assume they can do anything, and do it all at the level of a superstar.

So don’t hesitate to seek the help of a professional writer if you need help  because of your schedule, or your difficulty writing well.  On the other hand, don’t fake it.  Give the writer a little credit, and let’s do our part to keep moving the perception of the church to one of reality and authenticity.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 5:57 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.