People & Steeples: Writing Church Histories

Freelance writers are constantly looking for new projects that can renew creative impulses, and writing church histories might be just the project. Although this isn't a particularly lucrative market, it can be rewarding. Church histories are usually written after a major event at the church, such as a centennial or bicentennial. The writer is asked to go through the church history piece by piece and create a manuscript that can be sold to the congregation.

In some cases, pastors and ministers and priests don't even think about having a church history written until they are presented with the idea, which puts the ball in the freelance writer's court. If you think that you would enjoy writing church histories, you should present the idea to several parishes in your area and ask if they would be interested. The key here, however, is that you should not offer to do it for free (unless your budget can withstand it) because you do have to make a living.

In most cases, church histories are between 50 and 100 pages long, and contain informative texts as well as pictures. Churches usually choose to self-publish their church histories as they aren't necessarily of interest to the majority of the population, and it is usually more cost-effective to sell them using Print-On-Demand (POD) technology.

If you are interested in writing church histories, you should first familiarize yourself with some of the histories written by other writers. Contact churches in your area and find out if they have had histories written, then ask to purchase a copy. If you can't find any in your geographical location, go on the Internet and run a search for church histories, particularly in a specific denomination.

How Do You Write a Church History?

Writing a church history isn't much different from writing a biography, except that you'll be chronicling the history of a place rather than a person. You'll want to write the manuscript in chronological format, starting with the erection of the church and the participating parties. From there, you'll want to touch on every major (or even minor) event in the church's past, including people who have been married there and children who were baptized.

One of the best ways to conduct research before writing a church history is to interview the presiding clergy, the long-term congregational members and the church historian if one exists. Take detailed notes as you pick up tidbits and try to align dates as well as possible. You can refer to old newspapers in the city or town and dig up old bulletins and flyers in the church's records.

How Much Should You Charge?

It may seem difficult to ask a church to pay you for your services, but you do have to eat. Most churches pay what they call an honorarium for services like writing church histories, and should typically reflect the affluence of the congregation. If you're writing a church history for a small congregation with very few wealthy citizens, you might not be able to charge much. However, if it is a large congregation, you could charge as much as $25 per page.

Discuss payment terms by asking what the pastor or minister feels is appropriate. This is the best way to gauge the church's interest in the project.