The Habit

Andrew Roycroft's Calling Hasn't Changed.

Feb 9, 2026
Andrew Roycroft, a former pastor turned freelance editor and writer, talks about shifting from ministry into full-time writing and editing. He explains launching the New Grub Street Substack. Conversations cover how editing can feel like pastoral care, Seamus Heaney’s humane poetry, Ireland’s bardic love of language, and his Project 66 poems for every Bible book.
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INSIGHT

Calling Expressed Through Words

  • Andrew Roycroft sees his pastoral calling expressed through writing and editing rather than ended by leaving church ministry.
  • He describes the transition as a seamless shift of shepherding people via words rather than face-to-face parish care.
INSIGHT

Editing Is Pastoral Work

  • Editorial work naturally overlaps with pastoral care because releasing a book is an emotionally exposed experience.
  • Andrew notes editors can provide personal support similar to pastoral ministry during publication.
ADVICE

Put Up A Billboard For Your New Work

  • Use Substack (or a visible platform) as a public signal when you switch into freelance writing.
  • Andrew says it acts as a billboard that helps people reconnect and treat you as vocationally available.
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