Submit an Article to EMQ

EMQ Writer Guidelines

EMQ receives articles from anyone who has a fresh idea relating to world missions. We are not a scholarly journal written for academics, but publish material that is academically sound, reflecting careful thought and practical application to mission professionals, mission pastors, and, especially, working missionaries. 

We are looking for articles that:

• reflect on personal experience in intercultural ministry
• share stories about what God is doing as he extends his kingdom across cultural boundaries
• explore issues related to cross-cultural ministry practice.

Research-based articles are definitely welcome. Theoretical articles are also possible but must consider the practical implications of theory for cross-cultural mission practice.

If you have an idea for an article but are unsure whether to write it, feel free to write to the Editor about your idea first.

Special Interest Group Articles

If you would like to publish a series of articles related to a group’s special interest, you are welcome to write to the Editor to explore the possibility of creating a special issue.

Themed articles

In 2025 we are specially inviting submissions on the following themes. If you miss the deadline, still go ahead and submit your article as we will continue to explore these themes into the future.

New ways of doing mission – deadline January 31^st

As the church declines in the West, many mission agencies are struggling to understand the implications of these trends and how they should change. This theme seeks to explore these trends and engage with practical recommendations for missionary sending. We are also interested to learn how sending organizations, including churches, are changing and how the success of these changes is being evaluated.

Evangelism – deadline April 30^th

Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples. Sharing the Good News in culturally relevant ways has always been the foundation of mission. Articles sharing stories of evangelism, exploring challenges, learning about fruitful practices, innovation, and creative approaches are all welcome.

Spiritual resilience – deadline July 31^st

Venturing across cultural boundaries for Jesus’ sake very frequently comes with a cost. As Jesus commanded, we embrace that cost and, through our experiences, grow in maturity. But this is often not a simple road. How can we best foster, support and develop spiritual resilience in cross-cultural ministry, individually and collectively?

Mission among diaspora communities – October 31^st

This theme explores issues when crossing cultural boundaries for ministry among diaspora communities. For example, this could be a North American working with refugee communities in Europe. Another example is a church worker in Korea who facilitates contextualized immigrants’ micro churches parallel to majority culture churches. How can returning missionaries use their language, culture and ministry experience among diaspora groups in the missionaries’ home countries? What can we learn from the experience of those doing these types of ministry to help others start and succeed in similar ministry contexts?

About the EMQ Audience

• Missionaries, mission agency executives, mission professors, missionary candidates, students, school/church libraries, mission pastors, mission-minded church leaders, mission supporters, and agency board members.
• Over half of our readers live and work overseas serving with over a hundred different denominations and sending agencies.
• They are well educated; two-thirds of them have graduate degrees.
• They work at hundreds of different missionary ministries, most of them as church planters and teachers.
• They are most interested in cultural and biblical values, Christianity and culture, church and culture, discipleship processes, evangelism methods, church planting methods, and leadership training methods.
• They do not see EMQ as a scholarly journal; rather they see it as a very readable, informative, stimulating, and practical professional publication.
• Five times as many readers describe EMQ as extremely practical compared to extremely theoretical.

Criteria by Which Articles Are Evaluated

1. Importance of subject to our readers
2. Freshness and creativity
3. Clarity and readability
4. Development and depth
5. Support and resources
6. Convincing arguments
7. Accuracy and validity
8. Overall treatment of a subject

Article Parameters

1. Length: 2,000–3,000 words. If more than 3,000 words, the article may be returned to you or edited by EMQ staff.
2. When citing sources, use endnotes in Chicago style at the end of the article, not footnotes at the bottom of pages.

How to Submit Your Article

1. Send by email with this subject line: EMQ article submission – (Your last name) (your first initial). Sample: EMQ article submission – Smith J
2. Attach your article as a WORD document (.doc or .docx), including a two to three sentence bio at the end of the article.
3. If your article includes an image(s), chart(s), and/or graphic(s) related/appropriate to the topic, besides being embedded in the article, each must be attached as a separate file (.jpg format).
4. Submit your article (and any images, etc.) to: EMQ-Submissions@missionexus.org

The copyright of all published submissions is owned by EMQ. Reprint guidelines are provided upon submission publication or can be requested at the time of submission.