Jerry B. Jenkins Suddenly Shuts Down Christian Writers Guild

Christianity Today ^ | 11/12/14 | Jeremy Weber

[Faith Presses On]

Bestselling novelist Jerry B. Jenkins has ended his formal effort to train the next generation of Christian writers.

"Unfortunately, I’m not as happy as I look here, despite that my seven-year-old Thai grandson Max shot this picture of me," wrote Jenkins on his Christian Writers Guild (CWG) homepage, "because you’ve found my [website] just as I’m shutting down the Guild after 14 years of ministry."

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I liked his “Margo Mysteries”. Never read his “Left Behind” books. Not my cup of tea.

[Jan_Sobieski]

book ping

[Alex Murphy]

Earlier this month, CWG president Dave Sheets resigned. "It was an honor to have been a part of CWG which has served authors for 50 years, and I'm blessed to enjoy continued friendship with Jerry," he told CT. "We're both sad that CWG is closing. I am pleased, though, that we have an alternative to help authors."

The recently rebranded TheBelieversGroup will offer educational efforts similar to CWG via its nonprofit arm, BelieversTrust, and publishing services via its for-profit arm, BelieversMedia. Sheets will run the for-profit services from Colorado Springs. Rebeca Seitz will run the nonprofit services from Naples, Florida.

All good things must come to an end. In my house, Jenkins is better known for his counseling book Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough To Protect It than his Left Behind series, which was padded to fill ten additional books than was originally intended for the series because it was selling so well. Jenkins is a far better writer than his Left Behind work shows.