This cohort page is a functional directory for writers focused on faith, theology, discipleship, spiritual formation, and everyday life with God. Learn more about the vision for these here.
Use it to identify overlap, initiate collaboration, and reduce guesswork.
In the comments, add a one-sentence description of what you’re currently working on. If you see a real challenge we should name, add it. If you have collaboration ideas, suggest them. The goal is not for this to stay static, but to grow with the people in it.
Everything here will be continually updated. Every couple months I will review the comment thread and move people up into the lists. If everyone introduces themselves in the comments, it makes that much easier for me. Feel free to tag others you know who would fit here as well.
This will likely be the largest cohort since many people in my circle write somewhere in this lane. There are also a lot of niche areas within it, so feel free to plug into any that apply to your work. Comment on all that fit.
Faith-based spaces are saturated with strong biblical content — the challenge is not quality, but differentiation.
Building your own biblical voice while also supporting others writing on similar themes.
Serious biblical study takes time to read and digest in a fast-scrolling environment.
Structuring posts that are both deep and discoverable.
Resisting the pressure to oversimplify theology just to fit digital habits.
Writing with conviction while maintaining charity in public theological spaces.
Avoiding comparison when others appear to grow faster in similar lanes.
Scripture study roundtables
Theological deep dives from multiple perspectives
Series on everyday discipleship
Shared reflections on one passage
Faith + culture conversations
One helpful approach when you discover a new publication is to spend some time in their archives. Reading a few older posts will give you a better sense of their voice and what they write about before deciding whether you want to stay connected.
Follow and Subscribe as much as you can. Sub for sub gets a bad rap, and it is not sustainable as your publication grows. But when you are starting out without a community, following and subscribing to other writers is simply how you begin to enter the room. There is nothing wrong with unfollowing or unsubscribing later as you become more familiar with someone’s work. Alignment is the goal. Over time your focus fine-tunes, and many authors also discover their voice as they go, so there is a natural learning curve on both sides.
To avoid email overwhelm: adjust your inbox settings so Substack emails automatically go into a separate folder. That way you can subscribe freely and treat it more like a library you browse when you want, rather than a stream of messages demanding attention. (see how here).
Tagging can be a simple way to help people actually see a conversation. Used thoughtfully, tagging creates an easy on-ramp into conversation and collaboration. We often assume people in our circles will come across our Notes, but many things get missed because someone was offline or the platform never showed it to them. So while posts are emailed to subscribers, it’s much more unpredictable whose feeds your Notes land in. So, when appropriate, tag.
Daniela
Olivia Leeming
Aaron Hann
Tom Duffy
I will slowly be updating the details next to people’s name. But until then if you would like more context about someone’s work, scroll through the comments where many have shared a bit about what they write.
And I know I’ve connected with far more people in this lane than are currently listed here, so if I’ve missed you or someone else should be included, please leave a comment. This is very much a growing, imperfect working directory.
Instead of trying to maintain giant tag lists directly on this page, I created a separate Faith + Formation tag bank here.
The reason I like tagbanks is that they help us work around the algorithm. When someone shares a Note or restacks a post, we often assume the people following us will see it. But in reality, many people in your community will miss it. They may not be online at that moment, or the platform may simply not surface it to them.
The first few times you see your name tagged it can feel a little jarring, but it is actually very helpful. It creates an easy on-ramp into a conversation, which many people need before they jump in. Of course, not everyone will have the time or desire to participate in every discussion, but if you are hoping for engagement, it is usually better to tag.
That said, tagging assumes connection. If you are tagging someone, make sure you are following them, subscribed to their publication, and engaging with their work. When that foundation is there, tagging becomes a natural extension of an existing relationship rather than a cold call into the void.
One of my favorite benefits of tagging is practical. Instead of worrying that I might miss something in the feed, a tag shows up in my notifications like a gentle alert. It allows me to come back to the conversation when I have time without feeling like I might have missed it entirely.
I write about prayer, becoming more whole in Christ, everyday discipleship, and family life. Alongside essays, you’ll also find free kid’s Bible studies, and a living conversation about Substack and Community. Outside of Substack, I also create speech-sound story quests, whimsical allegories, and early-reader adventure stories for families. And because reading shapes so much of how I think and write, here are my Favorite Spiritual Reading Books.
At the heart of it all is a story of God bringing me from darkness to light, so I can’t help but write about hope, transformation, grace, and the reality that no person is too far gone for God to reach. More than anything, my passion is sharing Jesus with my whole heart.
You can generally expect to hear from me every other Tuesday at 7:07am, with occasional bonus posts and resources sprinkled in when time and life allow.
I also occasionally host Virtual Substack meetups for thoughtful conversation, and encouragement. Sign up here if you’d like to hear about future gatherings as dates open up.
For those wanting to dive deeper into Substack and community, here’s the full series:
Part 1 — Notes
Part 2 — Restacks
Part 3 — Subscribers, Recommendations, Bios, Posting Rhythm, Paid Subscriptions
Part 4 — Collaborations, Subscriber Chat, Direct Messages
Part 5 — Attention, Boundaries, Inner Life
Part 6 — Encouragement, Collaboration, Community Directories
Part 7 — Metrics, Platforms
Part 8 — Creativity in the Age of AI
Part 9 — Marketing, Visual Media
Part 10 — Comparison, Mental Health, Sleep
Part 11 — Coaching, Editing, Peer Review
Bonus: Practical Substack How To’s
Bonus: Community Directories — Find Your People
Fill out this anonymous survey to share your questions, frustrations, and all the “wait… nobody told me that” parts of Substack.
Glad you’re here,
— AJ
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