Submit Articles to Michigan In Touch

Submit an Article | Submission Guidelines | Deadlines | Copyright & Reprint | MIT Online

Kinds of Articles Sought

Michigan In Touch is a compilation of articles that point to Christ, share God's Word, and celebrate the journey, joys, and challenges of the ministry that He has entrusted to His people in the Michigan District, LCMS. It's authors mainly consist of members of Michigan District, LCMS congregations and other LCMS entities. Finished articles and stories are preferred. Your passion for the subject of your writing is critical. The staff can assist you with writing and copyediting, but we cannot be a substitute for your insight and enthusiasm towards the subject. The Michigan District Stylebook and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook serve as basic guides for grammar, punctuation,and specific LCMS terminology.

Here is what we are looking for:

Mission Outreach (400-800 words)

• Articles that highlight and inspire foreign missions and community outreach
• Articles that provide resources for kingdom growth
• Articles that highlight innovative and diverse ministry within congregations and schools

Encouragement (400-800 words)

• Articles that inspire and encourage the Christian's life
• Testimonial articles of changed lives through faith-related experiences

Apologetics (400-800 words)

• Articles that defend the faith
• Answers to the tough questions of life (350-400 words)

Lutheran Heritage (250-300 words)

• Articles that relate to the church year
• Articles that celebrate church anniversaries
• Articles on church history

Devotional (250-300 words)

• Devotions pertaining to the seasonal/church calendar
• Devotions encouraging others along the Christian journey
• Devotions providing a meditation on a particular portion of God's Word

Congregations (175-200 words)

• Articles that publicize news and events
• Articles that celebrate congregational life and community outreach

Schools (175-200 words)

• Articles that publicize news and events
• Articles that celebrate life in the school setting
• Articles that highlight children and youth participation in outreach efforts
• Articles involving schools utilizing innovative ideas in and out of the classroom

Special Recognition (Please submit a headshot photo and short caption, 20-30 words*)

• Ordinations
• Installations
• Anniversaries
• Retirements
• Special Honors

• Jane Smith celebrated her 40th anniversary in the teaching ministry. Her years of service were to St. Paul, Ann Arbor and St. Matthew, Walled Lake.
• In June, Rev. John Doe was ordained into the ministry at Holy Cross, Saginaw. His first Call is to St. John Lutheran Church, Ellisville, Mo.

Article and Image Submission

Uploading articles is preferred and can be done by clicking here. Articles may also be submitted via email and postal mail (Michigan In Touch; 3773 Geddes Rd; Ann Arbor MI 48105). Files accepted include Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe PDF. The editorial staff will edit manuscripts for clarity, style, and length. When possible and appropriate, edited drafts of stories will be shared with the author. Articles with doctrinal content go through a doctrinal review process.

At times, article submissions are declined. There are a variety of reasons, but the most common include:

• The story is not relevant to the purpose of Michigan In Touch or its audience
• It includes doctrinal discrepancy with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
• It is similar to recently published articles

Images/Photographs/Artwork submissions should be no less than 300 dpi. Headshots should be at least 500KB, but photos for full page, 2-page spread articles, and back section should be a minimum of 2MB, but preferably higher. To achieve these high resolution photos, set your digital camera to its highest setting. Accepted formats include .jpeg, .tif, .eps, .psd, and .ai. Images copied from a website are not acceptable. Please contact Jenna Szpara for questions and specifications for front cover submissions.

Front Cover Photo Release:

Permission to Publish Adult
Permission to Publish Child

Deadlines for Submissions

Copyright & Permission to Reprint Policy

The Michigan District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod holds first rights and electronic rights for usage on its website. The rights revert to the author once the story has been published. When work is submitted, it is understood that the work is free of copyright protection and that the author is the owner of any copyrights related to the work.

The Michigan District, LCMS also reserves the right to grant permission to reprint to congregations and other LCMS entities. Please request permission by contacting Debby Fall by email or phone 734.213.3240.

MIT Online

Articles in the front section of the magazine will be published online in blog format. Artwork may also be included. Please be sure that any individual names or those included in photographs have this knowledge and have given their permission.

Authors will be notified when a comment is posted and are encouraged to be part of the conversation. If a post is of doctrinal nature, District staff will respond.

Please Note

We certainly do not want to limit the article possibilities, realizing that the Holy Spirit is actively involved in ministry through us. If you do not see a department that fits the description of an article you would like to submit, please consider contacting us with your ideas and leads by sending an email to intouch@michigandistrict.org. You may also contact Debby Fall, production manager, at debby.fall@michigandistrict.org or 734.213.3240.