How can you write with integrity?
Credibility is such a foundational element in writing that we often neglect to think about it
Have you thought about whether your prayer letters project credibility? Credibility means the quality or power of inspiring belief.1 If your prayer letters aren’t credible, then people might stop reading them and won’t be so interested in being part of your support team.
Credibility is easy to lose. Have you ever read a book or an article that seems a bit off? I once read a book where the main characters relocate to Tokyo from the US with young children. It’s something I could relate to, but the author clearly had never done an international move with children or talked to anyone who had. Additionally, the author didn’t describe Tokyo as I know it to be. The writing was unrealistic, almost fantasy, except that wasn’t the genre! I didn’t finish the book.
If people have a personal relationship with you, they are more likely to trust your prayer letter. However, if you are overseas and they’ve never met you, your prayer letter is the only way people have to judge if you have credibility.
Some ways to foster credibility in your prayer letters:
- Research your facts
- Follow through with anything you promise
- Share answers to prayer requests
- Share personal stories
- Use solid writing skills
- Use an active voice
A writer who clearly exaggerates facts, shares things that aren’t correct, or doesn’t follow up on things that they say they are going to do will struggle to build credibility with their readers. Share how God has answered people’s prayers. Be real about struggles and even perceived failures by sharing personal stories.
A prayer letter that is badly put together (for example, with poor grammar or excessive rambling) is not going to encourage people to trust you. Try to take the time to edit and hone your writing. Use an active voice, not a passive one. Active voice: I could write a whole article on this topic. Passive voice: A whole article could be written on this topic. An active voice tells us what someone or something does. When you write using active voice, you engage your readers and often write more succinctly.
If you work on these six points, you’ll build credibility with your readers and hopefully get them more engaged in what God’s called you to do.
“credibility,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credibility (accessed Oct. 13, 2022).