This MTI blog series aims to help you and your readers sharpen your skills in communicating faith matters to secular readers – skeptics, seekers, and the spiritually disinterested.

The series has presented many practical communication principles for reaching secular readers.  Now let’s consider a timely example of such an outreach article and think about how and why it might – or might not – work.

First, read this short, fun, recently published outreach article below and then ask yourself the series of analytical questions that follow it to evaluate the construction of the article.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever film – directed by Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen) – opened across the USA on November 8.  On November 3, the Washington Examiner,  a secular news website, published RWC’s outreach article.

The Washington Examiner website has significant reach, 35 million monthly page views and 15 million monthly unique visitors.  The prospect of distribution among such a wide audience motivates me to work very hard to ensure my articles will connect with the intended secular readers.

So, now, have fun reading the short article, then put on your thinking cap to get ideas for your own writing.

Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie: Humor with meaning. “The Herdmans were the worst kids in the history of the world,” declares Barbara Robinson’s classic seasonal novel, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Now, a new movie brings the Herdman children’s mischievous shenanigans to the big screen … and along the way, glimpses of touching warmth. (Short op-ed published by Washington Examiner

Now think back to what you just read as you ponder the following questions.  Of course, feel free to shift back to the BCPE article as you consider the questions.

Feasibility and topic selection

• Why do you think I chose this topic as an opportunity to convey faith material to a secular audience?
• Was the topic a good choice? Why or why not?
• Was the timing wise? Why or why not?
• Would this topic and timing work in your own culture and situation? Why or why not?
• Perhaps a Christmas theme would not be appropriate in your culture. Would any other local or national holiday provide a theme and timing that you could use in encouraging non-believing readers to consider Christian faith?
• What other cultural events, issues, films, entertainment, news, etc., might you use to connect with readers and point them to faith in God?

Tapping audience felt needs: gaining and holding interest

• What are the main audience felt needs that the BCPE article appeals to?
• What do you think of the article title? What might work better?
• What is the hook that aims to get readers’ attention? Does it work well?  What approach might work better?
• What techniques aim to hold readers’ interest as they read?

Content strategies

• Should the article reveal more or less of the film’s plot and story line? Why or why not?
• What is the value – if any – of including the Dick Van Dyke material?
• Should the article be longer or shorter? Why or why not?
• Would a nonbeliever be interested in reading this article? Why or why not?
• Would a nonbeliever who reads the article be interested in seeing the movie? Why or why not?
• As you write, you must consider not only the reading audience but also the gatekeeper / editor at your intended / hoped-for publisher, whom you must convince that your ideas are worth publishing. The publisher could be you or another gatekeeper.  How might considering the intended publisher alter details of your communication approach?

Gospel/faith content

• Should the article include more or less of the Gospel and faith material? Why or why not?
• Why do you imagine the article does not include a fully developed plan of salvation and invitation to pray to receive Christ?

Applications for you

• What are some practical lessons from this exercise that you can apply to your next article for secular readers?
• When will you start that article?
• What will the topic be?
• Will you seek to publish it yourself or get a secular publisher to run it?

You are welcome to republish RWC outreach articles like one about the BCPE movie.  The simple permissions info is here.

Want to know more?

Gratis online resource:

• The Audience Map is a Cru interactive online tool to help Christian communicators analyze their audience and develop ideas for reaching them for Christ.  Easy to use, global in scope, and research based.  It includes videos and many questions to help you think through skeptics, seekers, the spiritually disinterested, nominal Christians and more.  Offered as “Your missional guide to seeing and loving people in the digital age.”

Copyright © 2024 Rusty Wright

by Rusty Wright. Rusty is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.

Photo credit: Allen Fraser for Lionsgate