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Co-Editor Position

Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : June 23, 2008

Mike Cline has done an excellent job handling some of the editing load at Jesus Manifesto. During an important time of my life (the birth of my son), he helped keep JM afloat as I figured out how to live into fatherhood. He has helped build Jesus Manifesto readership with solid editing skills and quality articles. And while he’ll continue to help out from time to time, an increasing amount of responsibility from school and work (not to mention his commitment to his wife, family, and friends) has brought him to a place where he needs to step back from being a co-editor at JM.

Thank you Mike. You’ve been amazing. We couldn’t have come this far without you.

Mike is leaving behind some big shoes. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be entertaining applications for a new co-editor to help with the load–particularly with doxis and praxis submissions. We are, however, open to other arrangements if you have a creative idea.

Here’s the basic info on what we’re looking for:

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Some familiarity with Wordpress…or at least a solid enough background in other blogging tools to assure that you can learn Wordpress.
  • You need to embrace the sort of neo-Anabaptistic, anti-imperial, kingdom-focused, spirit-driven, least-of-these-loving, broad-focused vibe that readers of JM have come to expect.
  • A co-editor needs to be, at some level, a practitioner. The thrust of Jesus Manifesto is praxis. It is always a struggle to keep things from getting too abstract. The more intelligent-yet-down-to-earth, the better.
  • An editor should be a creative, integrated thinker. We are always trying to move Jesus Manifesto beyond a webmag that talks about the ideas and practices of Christian life into how those ideas and practices interact with the complexities of 21st Century earth. Kinda like a Slate.com with a radical Christian core.
  • It would help if you are a good writer. Crappy writers make poor editors. ;)

JOB DESCRIPTION

  • You’d need to check Jesus Manifesto every day for new submissions.
  • Each submission has to be edited and paired with an image. Looking for appropriate images is harder than you think. The image has to be edited a bit to fit within our standard specs.
  • As an editor, you need to contribute about an article a week yourself.
  • Part of your job would be to look for new writers…especially during times when submissions are less frequent. Our goal is to have two articles for each of the main categories (doxis, praxis, culture, and aesthetics) each week.
  • Especially, we’re looking for writers who aren’t educated white dudes. This isn’t an effort to be politically correct. It is simply a recognition that the sort of thinking and ministry done by educated whites isn’t an accurate picture of what is happening in the world.

BENEFITS

I wish we could pay you for this…perhaps some day soon…but for right now, these are the benefits of being a co-editor:

  • You’ll help the cause. Jesus Manifesto has a growing voice and you could help it speak even more loudly.
  • Hey, it looks good on a resume.
  • It will almost certainly make you a better writer.
  • You’ll experience the joy of pissing some people off. :)
  • You’ll also experience the joy of helping people work through important issues.
  • You’ll earn our respect…and our gratitude.
  • It is a good way to network with radicals around the web.

So, if you’re interested, contact us. Ideally, we’d like to have a new co-editor in place by the end of July.

Mark Van Steenwyk is the editor of JesusManifesto.com. He is a Mennonite pastor (Missio Dei in Minneapolis), writer, speaker, and grassroots educator. He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife (Amy), son (Jonas) and some of their friends.


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Comments

Viewing 5 Comments

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    As an uninvolved reader, I just wanted to congratulate Mike on a great job.
    • ^
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    We will definately miss all of Mike's hard work (and look forward to occasional writings), but I'm glad to see he's not trying to balance too many plates! That's wisdom in practice... praxis... whatever...
    • ^
    • v
    It's just a little hard (and perhaps dishonest) to read Wendell Berry, type out thoughts about Sabbath taking, and continue to pile up responsibilities to the neglect of my own spiritual life or home life. I thought I should be a little more genuine than that.

    With that said, I appreciate the send off. In a very real sense, Jesus Manifesto has become a safe community for me that I wouldn't have anywhere else. I hope to continue writing from time to time and to be active in dialogue with you all. Grace and Peace.
    • ^
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    Michael Cline, You've done fabulous work friend.
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    As I spoke with Mark, on the one hand I would jump at this chance and on the other I cannot accept, both for the same reason: I have come to appreciate, accept and even love this bizarre community and want to see the best for it, and despite certain urgings, this kind of involvement on my part I do not believe would be to the benefit of the community as a whole.

    With that said I hope and pray to see someone rise up willing to tackle things head-on, not as the captain of the ship but more as a bird in seasonal flight; relieving those in the front by tackling the front of the V-shape for a time, and in turn to pass the chore and privilege on to others.

    Peace

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