Writing tools for everyday Christians

A university professor speaks to how tech can strengthen our shared voice.

Do you occasionally write a church bulletin announcement, draft a newsletter or compose a social media post for a group you’re part of? Have you ever caught yourself wondering, “Is this clear? Is it too long? Does this sound okay?”

Clarity and simplicity are crucial for communication. Let me tell you about two free online tools that can help.

WritingAnalysis.ca is one I know best, because I developed it myself over the last few years. Another one I often recommend is HemingwayApp.com. Both of these help writers clarify their writing.

As a professor, I originally built WritingAnalysis.ca to help my fellow faculty analyze student writing. But I soon realized we all need help writing more clearly, and I want to help Christian churches and charities improve in this way.

All kinds of us can find ourselves tasked with writing as we seek to love our neighbour and serve our Lord. These online, behind-the-scenes writing coaches can help writers of all levels, from seasoned writers to novices.

Clarity is a form of love

As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 14:9, “unless you speak intelligible words . . . how will anyone know what you are saying?” (1 Corinthians 14:9). Though he is commenting on spoken words in a worship setting, the principle applies just as well to a sermon, an email or a social post.

Communication that is unclear misses the mark and risks alienating the very people we hope to reach.

Tools like the Hemingway App analyze your writing and highlight sentences that are too long or hard to follow. It gently encourages shorter words, clearer phrasing and active voice. Think of it like a grammar-savvy friend pointing out that maybe a 35-word sentence could be split in two.

Imagine a church volunteer drafting a mission update. It’s heartfelt, but full of run-on sentences. With the Hemingway Editor, they get quick feedback which can help the volunteer make the message clearer and more accessible to their congregation.

Style without schooling

Each person has their own style of talking and writing. Tools such as WritingAnalysis.ca offer an unbiased analysis to notice how our style relates to principles of clear communication and writing complexity.

Complexity, formality and voice can all be measured by online tools, so that we can judge the effectiveness of our message – and maybe improve it.

To write a donor letter or a devotional blog post, we need to use simple sentences (a low level of complexity) and the active voice (not passive, energy-lacking phrases). Some of us know such writing principles from training and education of various kinds, but others haven’t given them much thought.

The Hemingway and WritingAnalysis.ca tools show how hard it might be to understand a section of text. They can highlight when a well-intentioned church bulletin is written unclearly or a newsletter is too complex, potentially turning away some readers.

For example, in the picture above the complexity level is high school level (9.4). But do you know 49% of Canadian adults have a literacy ability lower than that, according to Statistics Canada in 2022. (Technically, that’s level 2 and below in the rankings of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Level 1 and below are considered “low,” which in Canada is 19.3%.)

I've seen many communications score at a graduate-school level when the author intended to reach their entire audience from kids to seniors. The rule of thumb should always be to adjust for your lower-level readers.

The good news is once a person knows how their writing is structured, adjusting it often takes only a few minutes of editing. This is not dumbing down the message. It is ensuring your message can be received by everyone you are trying to reach.

Communicating well is a form of stewardship

Jesus tells several parables inviting us to be good stewards of our time, money and gifts. We are also called to steward our words especially when those words represent the work of Christ in the world. Whether you are writing for your church, a business or a nonprofit organization, writing clearly is not about sounding impressive, it is about serving your reader.

Of course technology like these two tools is not a replacement for prayer, discernment or inspiration. But it can be a quiet companion helping you refine your message, making it easier to understand and more likely to resonate with your readers.

You don’t need to be a published author to write something that makes a difference, you just need insight to better understand what your writing is requiring of your reader. With good tools, a bit of time and a servant’s heart, you can confidently answer those lingering questions: “Is this clear? Too long? Does it sound okay?”

The next time you are staring at a blinking cursor, consider giving one of these tools a try. You might be surprised at how a little editing help from a quiet writing coach can give your words the clarity they need to bless someone else.

Matthew Schonewille is an assistant professor of business at Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ont. Photo of laptop by NordWood Themes on Unsplash.