I have to confess to having been more than a tad naive here. As an avid reader myself, I have always found reading to be a pleasant and largely harmless pastime. Of course I knew there were some through history – especially in the 18th and 19th century – who considered reading to be unsuitable for women, the poorer classes, and the young, citing various extreme concerns. Likewise there have been many books that have been banned across the years by those who decided that they were too dangerous (the Bible being generally recognised as the most widely censured worldwide). I believed those attitudes to be largely a thing of the past. I was wrong.
Since embarking on writing my own work of fiction, and becoming increasingly aware of the strange weakness of the Christian fiction market, I have discovered there are those within the Christian Church who still mistrust fiction to this day, calling the reading of novels at best a waste of time; at worst, rank deception. I consider my eyes to have been sadly opened! And I have to say, not only do I find that attitude unnecessarily restrictive, but also deeply un-Biblical.
If Jesus Himself could make up stories – He called them parables – in order to help His listeners better relate to a Kingdom principle, why would we, His followers, take offense at works of fiction?
If you recently read my list of top ten fiction books, you will know that many of the books mentioned had a real and lasting impact for the good on my own walk with Jesus. Obviously none of them are as powerful/ life-changing as the Bible itself, but still, I would have been much the poorer without them. Without the likes of C S Lewis, Hannah Hurnard, and Patricia St John faithfully using their writing gifts for the kingdom, the bookworm that I was as a child would have had much less uplifting books as my sole diet. It’s possible that I may never have come to faith in Christ at all. What a tragedy that would have been!
So – obviously – I am of the firm belief that Christian fiction holds great power to impact people for good; to offer them hope and encouragement in an increasingly dark world. And I have written my novel with the specific hope of reaching those who would not pick up a Bible-study, devotional, or even a memoir, and especially not the Bible… because all of those things can carry the taint of unwelcome religion to those who have been wounded by well-meaning but legalistic Christians in the past. But a gentle novel that opens with an ex-vicar having a faith crisis can speak non-judgemental encouragement to all those with questions and issues who never experienced God’s love before.
Is it a stretch to call it a ministry though? I mean, can something that involves lots of sitting down with cups of tea/ coffee, fantasizing about imaginary characters and engaging plotlines, count as kingdom work? It can feel a bit self-indulgent on the days when it’s going well. But God – I believe – spoke to me and said that the time and care I have taken over this book have been a wise investment; that the novel I have written (as with all the good kingdom books out there) carries His Spirit, and therefore has the potential for limitless impact for the kingdom. I might be like the servant only entrusted with a single small ‘talent’, compared to the one entrusted with five in Matthew 25:14-30, but what matters is that I am faithful to do what He given me to do.
And so I have. I have no idea who it will reach – once books are birthed into the world, they develop legs of their own and can travel far beyond our own limitations – much like the Kingdom itself. I didn’t write it for financial gain (it is VERY hard to make money off writing books nowadays); I wrote it for God, and for all the precious people out there who He wants to reach with His love. So yes, it’s a ministry: something I do at personal cost for the sake of advancing the kingdom. And my mission-field is the great multitude of bookworms out there who love curling up with a good book.
Fair warning: opportunity to give financially coming up. Feel free to stop reading here if that is something that triggers you. I don’t want anyone to feel pressured/ taken advantage of, least of all those who already support me with their much-valued encouragement and prayer!
Like all ministries, there is a cost – in terms of time as well as finances. With my new book, I’m very aware that the cost is not just on me this time. Working with a publisher has involved the man-hours of many others in rounds of editing (developmental and line-edits) as well as proof-reading, formatting, cover-design and more.
Broad Place, like the writers they publish, are in this for Jesus, first and foremost. But they are also a business and need to make money in order to keep producing high quality books that people will want to read. Not many people realise the cost of publishing nowadays (typically about £4,000 for a good quality book). It’s a lot – but the potential reach of the message in those books is endless.
Most hybrid publishers charge that amount up front to minimise the risk, which is not unreasonable. But Broad Place run a different model using advance orders and sponsorship, so decent writers without a hefty savings account can still produce quality kingdom books. And so I am shamelessly declaring the ‘support the author’ option on their website where – if you want – you can give a financial gift towards the costs of releasing my book into its mission-field.
Buying a copy will of course help to recoup costs, especially if you pre-order as soon as that option becomes available in the coming months. And I do hope you will buy it and be encouraged by it – maybe even buy multiple copies to give to non-Christian loved ones too, as it will be out in time for Christmas! But it will take the sale of hundreds of books to cover the costs (something that is making me a little nervous – I need more faith!) That is why Broad Place offer a further option of sponsorship, for anyone out there who believes in the ministry and has the financial ability & desire to contribute even a little.
So if you would like to support this ministry, and be part of a great team of people getting my gospel-centred book into the hands of people who may not ever get to hear about it any other way, this is a really effective way to do it. Simply CLICK THIS LINK to my author page on Broad Place’s website and follow the instructions to give as much or little as you like. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Rachel Yarworth, Writer 