Role of Assistant Reviews Editor for Modern Believing

Modern Church seeks to appoint an assistant reviews editor for its journal Modern Believing.  The assistant reviews editor will work closely with the reviews editor to arrange book reviews for publication in the journal.  The role is voluntary, and is particularly suitable for an emerging scholar who wishes to gain academic editorial experience.  The current reviews editor intends to step down by July 2024, and there is potential for the assistant reviews editor to become reviews editor in due course.

Modern Believing

Modern Believing is the theological journal of Modern Church.  It first appeared in 1911 as the Modern Churchman.  The aims of Modern Believing are:

• to publish fresh, constructive, tradition-informed, responsible, open-minded, challenging, easily readable theology;
• to keep its readers in touch with recent developments in all branches of Christian theology, and with progressive accounts of Christian beliefs and doctrines, in dialogue with other disciplines.

Modern Believing is published by Liverpool University Press in hard copy and online every January, April, July and October, and contains around 30 book reviews in each issue.  It is available through institutional subscription to the database of the American Theological Libraries Association (ATLA).

The journal covers a wide spectrum of interests, relating to biblical, historical, systematic, practical, ethical and pastoral perspectives of Christian theology.  It has a long track-record of contributions from church leaders, established theologians and newly-emerging theological minds.  It is committed to high academic standards and high accessibility, and values each equally.

The current editor of the journal is Adrian Thatcher, honorary professor at the University of Exeter, and the current reviews editor is Michael Brierley, director of formation at Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford.  The journal has an editorial board (for reference) and (for management) an editorial team consisting of the editor, the reviews editor, the chair of trustees of Modern Church, the general secretary of Modern Church, and one other trustee of Modern Church.  The assistant reviews editor will not be expected to attend editorial team meetings.

Responsibilities of the assistant reviews editor

The assistant reviews editor will be responsible to the reviews editor for:

• liaising with publishers who send e-books for review
• arranging reviewers for books received (both hard copies and e-books) in accordance with editorial team policy, having particular regard to diversity of reviewers, and liaising with guest editors as necessary
• monitoring receipt of reviews, and following up reviewers as necessary
• editing reviews in accordance with the journal’s house style, and liaising with reviewers over queries as necessary
• submitting reviews to the reviews editor according to strict deadlines for copy.

Additional responsibilities may be arranged where the assistant reviews editor is willing to undertake them.

Person specification

The person appointed will:

• be sympathetic to the aims of the journal
• have a background in, and demonstrable commitment to, academic theology and Christian thinking
• possess relevant IT skills
• be willing to invest time in researching the most suitable reviewers for individual books
• be organised and efficient in maintaining records of books and reviewers
• have an ability to implement editorial policy
• have a meticulous eye for detail
• be fastidious in keeping to deadlines
• be an instinctive team-worker.

Remuneration and accountability

The assistant reviews editor is immediately accountable to the reviews editor and ultimately accountable to the editorial team.

Legitimate expenses (such as postage of books to reviewers) will be reimbursed by Modern Church.

The role is subject to a probationary period of six months.

How to apply

Please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter indicating how your skills and experience fit you for the role, to The Very Rev Dr Jonathan Draper, General Secretary of Modern Church: gensec@modernchurch.org.uk by the 9th of May 2022.

Interviews will be held (by zoom) on the 18th of May 2022.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Michael Brierley at: michael.brierley@rcc.ac.uk