Journal profile
Ecclesial Futures
ISSN 2770-6656 · eISSN 2770-6664 · Radboud University Press · Netherlands
Ecclesial Futures: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 20 weeks (community reports); 25 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ecclesial Futures is published by Radboud University Press. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Christian Theology and Mission, Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education and Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies, together about 68.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Religious studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims, Focus and Scope Ecclesial Futures is an international, ecumenical and double-blind peer-reviewed open access journal. It publishes high-quality, original research and theological reflection on the development and transformation of local Christian communities and the systems that support them as they join in the mission of God in the world. We understand local Christian communities broadly to include traditional ‘parish’ churches and independent local churches, religious communities and congregations, new church plants, so-called ‘fresh expressions’ of church, ‘emergent’ churches and ‘new monastic’ communities. We hold to an inter-disciplinary approach to theological research and reflection; the core disciplines being theology, missiology and ecclesiology. Other social science and theological disciplines may be helpful in supporting the holistic nature of any research e.g. anthropology and ethnography, sociology, statistical research, biblical studies, leadership studies and adult learning. The journal fills an important reflective space between the academy and on-the-ground practice within the field of mission studies, ecclesiology and the so-called ‘missional church’. The audience for the journal is truly global wherever the local church and the systems that support them exist. We accept the following types of article: original research papers, narrative or literature reviews on a relevant subject, theological and missiological reflections, case study reports, conference papers and book reviews. From 2026 the journal is published three times per year in April, August and December. Sometimes articles are published online on a "rolling" basis in advance of being placed in an Issue. Indexing Services The journal’s publisher focuses on making content discoverable and accessible through indexing services. We are recognised and indexed on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the EBSCO Database. If the journal is not indexed by your preferred service, please contact us or alternatively by making an indexing request directly with the service. Journal History and Ownership Ecclesial Futures began life as a new journal in 2020 and brings together at least two groups of international scholar-practitioners. These organisations are affiliates of the owners of the journal, who for contract purposes are the Co-Editors. The first affiliate is a self-organizing and invitation only annual conference of around 20-30 people who meet together under the banne
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Netherlands 3, Germany 2, Australia 2, United States 1, South Korea 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Christian Theology and MissionArts and Humanities29.7%
- Contemporary Christian Leadership and EducationArts and Humanities23.3%
- Pentecostalism and Christianity StudiesArts and Humanities15.4%
- Religious and Theological StudiesSocial Sciences9%
- Catholicism and Religious StudiesArts and Humanities4.9%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences4.5%
- Media, Religion, Digital CommunicationArts and Humanities2.4%
- Theological Perspectives and PracticesSocial Sciences1.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EBSCOPublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- h-index
- 4OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.25OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 161 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 26 | 19 |
| 2025 | 25 | 25 | 11 |
| 2024 | 25 | 25 | 36 |
| 2023 | 24 | 24 | 8 |
| 2022 | 21 | 21 | 7 |
| 2021 | 21 | 21 | 2 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 20 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors of the article should have made a significant contribution to the work. Others who have assisted in preparing the paper should be acknowledged in the article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Model summary
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Radboud University Press
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2770-6656
- Electronic ISSN
- 2770-6664
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 7, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ecclesial Futures
How long does peer review take at Ecclesial Futures?
Authors report an average review time of about 20 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Ecclesial Futures based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Netherlands (3), Germany (2) and Australia (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ecclesial Futures?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ecclesial Futures is indexed in DOAJ.
Is Ecclesial Futures open access, and what is the APC?
Ecclesial Futures is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .