Submissions

Policies and Procedures

Spring 2009 Theme — The Church’s Mission in the World: Realities of Contextualization

The search for alternatives to the hegemony of Western theology, the search for what should characterize 21st century missions, and consideration of the skills, attitudes, and knowledge necessary for relating and working in a different culture(s) are examples of contextualization. However, there is still a tendency for western church forms to be carried into other cultures without careful thought to cultural implications. We invite articles from scholar/practitioners who have thought about the implications of theological contextualization for the church. We invite articles offering guidelines from culture workers (regardless of their originating culture) who are concerned about connecting effectively with churches in another culture. We invite stories of churches nationally and internationally who are learning what it means to contextualize organizational structures, church practices, and so on. We invite stories and/or articles about the principles and practices monocultural congregations have learned in the shift from being in a monocultural community to being in an increasingly diverse community.

Guest Editor: Marlene Enns, Universidad Evangelica Del Paraguay, Facultad de Teologia: sede Instituto Biblico Asuncion, Paraguay. Articles are due December 31, 2008. Submit articles electronically to editor@commongroundjournal.org.

Fall 2009 Theme — Perspectives in Spirituality

Spiritual formation has been developing as a distinctive approach to Christian growth in the past couple of decades. While spiritual formation is a goal for most churches, the conscious and strategic use of spiritual practices as means of formation is less common. What examples exist of congregations effectively engaged in spiritual formation. What particular practices are most needed in today's culture(s) and why (e.g., retreats, small groups, spiritual direction, worship services focused on spiritual practices)? What similarities and difference are apparent between contemporary spiritual formation and the concerns and methods related to holiness from an earlier era? Articles are due June 30, 2009. Submit articles electronically to editor@commongroundjournal.org.

Guest Editor: Paul Bramer, Associate Professor, Christian Formation, North Park Theological Seminary. Articles are due June 30, 2009. Submit articles electronically to editor@commongroundjournal.org.

Spring 2010 Theme — Opportunities and Challenges of Technology in Ministry

A decade ago the Internet was a novel way of discovering commercial content via web pages. Today it is the center of a global information network and a growing interest in social networking. As the Internet continues to change the ways by which we conduct business, communicate with others, and educate ourselves, what are the implications and applications of web technology for the church, ministry education, and theological education?

Guest Editors: Meri MacLeod, Director of Distance Learning, MDiv Program, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI; and Mark Simpson, Dean of Innovative Learning, Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN. Articles are due December 31, 2009. Submit articles electronically to editor@commongroundjournal.org.

Submissions to the Journal

The Common Ground Journal welcomes articles from scholars and discerning Christians. Each issue will feature invited articles around a theme, as well as articles received through open submissions. Open submission articles are reviewed by members of the Editorial Review Committee who make recommendations to the editor regarding their publication.

General Guidelines

Common Ground Journal seeks to stimulate Christian Churches to thoughtful action around their calling to be the people of God in the world. All articles should be grounded both in theology and the life of the church. Writers are encouraged to write to and about their own cultures and contexts. CGJ invites submissions in the following categories:

  • Articles that stimulate thinking and reflection on the nature of the Church
  • Articles that link the nature of the Church to its life and work in the world
  • Articles that explore the integration of theology and social sciences in relation to life and work of the Church
  • Essays on truths gleaned from the interplay of theory and practice, theology and experience in the active life of faith
  • Articles that present insights from congregations attempting to live out their identity as the people of God in world
  • Articles based on responsible qualitative research designed to inform a local congregation’s understanding of its life and ministry
  • Articles that raise questions that the Christian community needs to explore in becoming the people of God in the world
  • Reviews of books, journals, programs, web sites and related resources

Submission Guidelines

Common Ground Journal submission guidelines and protocols are based on the need of meeting web design standards that are compatible across multiple versions of both current and legacy web browsers. Please follow the standards carefully when submitting documents for consideration for online publication in the Common Ground Journal. Documents to be considered for publication should be e-mailed to the editor at: editor@commongroundjournal.org.

Article Length

Articles should be approximately 2500 to 3500 words in length. Book reviews and essays should be shorter.

Language and Foreign Languages

Articles should be written in clear narrative prose. Readers can be expected to be familiar with the language of the Bible and theology, but will not necessarily have formal education in these fields. Please avoid academic language and discipline specific terms. Provide clear definitions and examples of important terms not familiar to a general audience. Use explanatory footnotes sparingly; explanations and examples in the text of articles are preferred.

The best articles are clear and focused, developing a single thesis with examples and application. The successful writer translates complex ideas into everyday language without talking down to the readers. All articles should use inclusive language.

Biblical language terms and words in foreign languages should be transliterated into English. If foreign language fonts are used in lieu of transliteration, you must embed the fonts in the document so the text can be reproduced accurately. Instructions for how to embed fonts can usually be found under the Help menu of most word processors (keywords: embed font).

Style and Format

In matters of style and format, the Chicago Manual of Style is preferred. A helpful citation guide to Chicago Style is available online at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. However, we will accept submissions in any style providing that it is used consistently throughout the article. You must include proper citations for all source material and quotations.

A “Bibliography” of works cited should be included at the end of the article. A “Recommended Reading” list or “For Further Study” list may also be included.

Documents to be considered for publication should be submitted according to the following style protocols:

  • Times New Roman font 12 point (important: you must embed any other font used in the document--instructions for how to embed fonts in documents can usually be found under the Help menu in most word processors using keywords such as "embed font")
  • Single-line space throughout
  • Use only one space after any punctuation
  • Indent paragraphs with only one tab—please do not use multiple spaces for any form of indentation
  • Indent block quotations using the indent feature in your word processor instead of tabs or extra spaces to indent text
  • Do not underline text, as underlining is reserved for documenting hyperlinks—use bold or italic for emphasis
  • Do not use auto-hyphenation
  • Charts, graphs, images etc. appearing anywhere in the document should be submitted in BMP, GIF, JPG, or WMF format—images should be as clear as possible
  • Copyrighted displays, images or previously published works must be accompanied by a letter of permission from the copyright owner to reproduce the displays or images in the online Common Ground Journal

The preferred format is Microsoft Word. WordPerfect, Rich Text Format (RTF), or ASCII formatted documents are also acceptable. Articles will be published online in Adobe PDF format.

Author Information

The credibility of an article is enhanced by a brief bio of the writer’s credentials and/or professional experience. Writers must therefore include the following information with their articles:

  • A narrative biography of three or four sentences identifying your name as you wish it to appear, the institution you work for or the relationship you have with the topic, your position, and other relevant information identifying your qualifications for writing the article
  • A color (preferred) or black and white photograph of you (portrait style) in BMP, GIF, JPG, or WMF format
  • The URL of your personal home page (if any), and/or the URL of your organization, academic institution, or business as appropriate

Copyright Ownership

The copyright of works first published in the Common Ground Journal is retained by the author. Authors are free to publish their articles in other journals if they so choose. Authors reprinting their works first published in the CGJ should include a statement that the article first appeared in the CGJ.

Reprinted works appear in the CGJ by permission of the original copyright holder. These articles are subject to the original copyright and may not be reproduced in the CGJ without permission of the original copyright holder.

Articles appearing in the CGJ may be reproduced for ministry use in the local church, higher education classroom, etc., provided that copies are distributed at no charge or media fee. All copies must include the author’s name, the date of publication, and a notice that the article appeared in the Common Ground Journal. Articles may not be published commercially, edited, or otherwise altered without the permission of the author.

The articles in CGJ may be read online, downloaded for personal use, or linked to via URL.