Ours is a collective history of multiplied blessings. The very act of developing a faith-based writers' website was probably the best lesson in faith our management team has experienced.

The initial website design seems like a vision too small in retrospect. In 2000, FaithMania.com made its debut on the worldwide web. Christian writers were encouraged to be the driving force of a site designed for and by Christians. The original design was intended for a small cast of writers to showcase their wordsmithing capabilities, while making the site one which visitors wanted to return to time and again.

The downside to the original design was that each article had to be uploaded manually by our staff. As the site began to grow, it was clear there was something bigger at work and if the site grew much larger we wouldn't be able to keep up with submissions. It really was no burden when a few articles needed to be placed on the site, but when dozens of articles began pouring in from the growing stable of writers, it was clear the pressure on the site design had reached critical mass.

As the vision enlarged, so did the plans for a new website that would mirror the growing desire to assist Christian writers in their pursuit of excellence.

Within a year of the launch of FaithMania.com, a new website with a plan for expanded growth was launched. FaithWriters.com provided the architecture to allow automatic author submissions to a comprehensive subject menu. Yet even this advance would not be enough to contain the member-inspired growth of FaithWriters.com.

By the summer of 2002, the writers who had made FaithWriters.com a "home on the web" inspired the launch of a message board that has since seen multiple thousands of posts.

As technology advanced so did the features available to FaithWriters.com members. What began as a site for as many as one hundred members now has tens of thousands of members that are able to gain access to information and encouragement--something many have never experienced before.

Within three years of the launch of what is now known as FaithWriters.com, marketing campaigns were developed and new features added to assist our growing membership. No longer was FaithWriters.com simply a place to have your work read by others. It was becoming a clearinghouse of information and opportunities. Contact information became available for writers seeking to connect with magazine and book publishers. Articles and resources were unveiled that made it possible for writers to grow in their skills and confidence. Private Messaging services were added to allow publishers to target writers with publishing opportunities.

A weekly Writing Challenge was unveiled in 2003, which has resulted in more than a dozen quarterly anthologies filled with roughly 100 original articles in each volume, with many more to come. Many of these authors have gone on to additional publishing success, while some are already established

• July 2002: 129 members.
  
• July 2002: Members' Message Boards added.
  
• January 2003: Writers' Resources added.
  
• February 2003: E-Books added.
  
• April, 2003: Private Messenger and EZ Site Builder added.
  
• June 2003: Author Tracking and My Favorites added.
  
• December 2003: Chat added.
  
• December 2003: The official Writing Challenge added.
  
• May 2004: Interactive Writing Courses added.
  
• June 2004: Local writing groups added.
  
• July 2004: FW 500 implemented.
  
• September 2004: 8,000 members.
  
• September 2004: FaithWriters' Magazine goes live.
  
• September 2004: First book published.
  
• October 2004: Addition of Submission Tracker.
  
• November 2004: The Critique Circle added.
  
• December 2004: Sign up of member number 10,000 -- Scott West.
  
• May 2006: Addition of FaithWriters for Kids.
  
• May 2006: Addition of the FaithWriters' eBook store.
  
• August 2006: First Annual FaithWriters.com conference announced.
  
• September 2006: Free Reprint Article feature unveiled for e-zines and print publications to utilize.
  
• October 2006: Guided Online tours of FaithWriters.com's most popular features.
  
• June 2009: 40,000 members.
  
• January 2010: Complete redesign of the FaithWriters' website. Gold Members' area added.