Should Your Ministry Have a Blog?

Last week I had the chance to present some thoughts on ‘Why Blogging is Important for College Ministers’ at the UMCMA 2011 Gathering.

As you might assume, the time spent intentionally preparing to lead others in a conversation around this topic served to further inform, form and solidify some of my own thinking in this area.

I had to confess to the group that in my 18 months of blogging (seriously) I have learned a lot, but still feel like I have so much more to learn.

I also shared that my writing for this blog (Faith ON Campus) was primarily for professional development — and it was only in the preparation for our time together at this event that I actually conceived of some ways to more intentionally integrate blogging into my ministry with students at Belmont…

OK, enough front-loading…

So here are 4 reasons why I’m going to add a blog to our current ministry efforts here at BU (and why you should consider doing it too):

1. It’s a way to have a pastoral e-presence — Blogging is a way for those of us who have been called to serve as pastors, ministers, leaders, et al to have a more intentional presence in the social media world. It can be easy to drift around Facebook, Twitter, etc., without much intention — participating in the sharing of random thoughts, dinner plans, pictures of cool (or gross) things we’ve just seen, etc. Blogging can provide a way for us to go online and create some more meaningful content to engage others in. A blog tends to communicate a different level of seriousness and thoughtfulness around topics of conversation that we’d like to engage others in compared to simply tweeting or posting a Facebook status (not that there’s anything wrong with either).
2. It’s a way for people to get to know us, and our ministry, from a distance (which is often preferred by the unknown) — As we blog (and share it on different social networking sites) we provide students (and others) the chance to get to know what we’re all about. They get a chance to “hear” our hearts, gain insight into our passions and purpose. They get to read about the things that we (and any other contributors to the blog) see God doing within the ministry, around campus and around the world. This can help readers to feel more comfortable and/or confident in choosing to engage us and/or participate in the ministries we’re a part of.
3. It’s a way to continue conversations that were started in other settings — Ever wish you could follow-up with a thought that was shared in a worship experience or small group, before coming back together a week later? Or maybe help students who had a meaningful service experience further unpack and process what God was really up to in that place, without bringing them back together? Blogging can provide a space for us to continue conversations — in a medium that makes it convenient for most everyone — and through posts and comments can generate an ongoing dialog that helps to further the learning and shaping process.
4. It can serve as an entry way into other ministry activities — Finally, blogging has the potential to serve as an entry way into other areas of ministry. Aside from giving readers the chance to “hear what we think,” we have the potential to point them towards other opportunities. Whether it’s through links in our posts, or strategically utilizing the sidebar of our blog, we can point readers towards upcoming events, different ways to get involved, or contact information that can put them in touch with us or other leaders within our ministry.

Given the ever-changing and technologically mesmerized nature of our culture, blogging seems like a  medium well-worth our consideration for further reaching the people that God has called us to serve.

This list is by no means exhaustive… So,

• What would you add to this list? What benefits do you see (or have you experienced) from adding a blog to your current ministry efforts?
• If you don’t currently blog, or have a blog associated with you ministry, what questions do you have? What do you find holding you back?

Take a moment to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks!