How to Use Gospel Centered Copywriting

The Heart of Christian Copywriting: A Higher Calling

I remember the first time I realized words had weight. Not just the weight of persuasion or profit but eternal weight. It was a fundraising appeal for a Christian non-profit. The writer had poured their heart into it—telling the story of a young boy in a third-world country who needed clean water. And yet, something was missing.

It was polished. It was professional. But it felt … hollow, as if it had been written with skill but without soul.

That’s when it hit me—Christian copywriting is different.

Sure, the mechanics are the same. We still craft compelling headlines. We still understand the psychology of persuasion. We still optimize for SEO and conversions. But at the core, Christian copywriting carries a responsibility far beyond clicks and conversions.

It is not merely about making a sale. It is about stewarding a message. It is about serving a Savior.

The Foundation of Christian Copywriting

If you’re a Christian writer, you don’t just write to get attention. You write to magnify Christ.

Secular copywriting asks, “How can I make people want this?” Christian copywriting asks, “How can I serve people in a way that pleases God?”

The difference is profound.

In Proverbs 16:2, we read, "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit." That verse should shake us to our core as writers. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about whether we think our copy is clever, compelling, or even successful—it’s about whether God is pleased with what we have written.

That means we have to ask ourselves some tough questions:

• Am I writing to serve my audience truly, or am I subtly manipulating them?

• Is my copy built on truth, or am I stretching reality to make a point?

• Do my words reflect the character of Christ, or am I just using Christianity as a marketing angle?

If our words do not honor God, they are wasted ink.

A Higher Standard: Writing with Love and Integrity

Christian copywriters answer to a higher authority. Not the client. Not the audience. Not the almighty algorithm. We answer to the Almighty Himself.

That means we don’t use fear tactics to drive donations. That means we don’t guilt-trip people into buying. That means we don’t make promises we can’t keep.

Instead, we write with integrity. With love. With faith in the God who moves hearts—not just marketing strategies.

Paul said it best: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). If we write persuasively but without love, we are just another voice adding to the online noise. And the world has enough noise. What it needs is the sound of truth spoken in love.

The Two Greatest Commandments of Copywriting

When Jesus was asked to summarize the law, He boiled it down to two things: Love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-39).

Christian copywriting is no different.

1. Love God – Honor Him in your work. Write as if you are crafting words that will be read in eternity. Be faithful. Be truthful. Be excellent.

2. Love People – Respect your audience. Speak to their needs, not just their wallets. Offer them something of value, even if they never buy from you.

When you write with these two commandments in mind, your copy will have an impact that lasts far beyond a campaign cycle.

Trusting God with the Results

Here’s the radical, counterintuitive, mind-blowing truth of Christian copywriting: You are not in control of the outcome.

Yes, you should write well. Yes, you should use the best marketing strategies. Yes, you should seek to persuade and inspire.

But at the end of the day, God is the One who moves hearts.

James 4:13-16 reminds us of this sobering reality: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

The same principle applies to our work as Christian copywriters. We don’t control conversions. We don’t control sales. We don’t control donations.

We simply do our best, and we trust God with the rest.

A Calling, Not Just a Career

Christian copywriting is more than a profession—it is a calling.

It means wielding words with wisdom. It means writing with reverence. It means pointing people not just to a product but to a Person.

If God has called you to this work, take it seriously. Let every email, every ad, and every blog post be written as an act of worship. Because, in the end, your greatest audience isn’t the client. It isn’t the customer. It isn’t Google’s algorithm.

Your greatest audience is God Himself.

And that changes everything.