Resources and Comments in Response to “Why Blog?”
Lynne Baab, author of Reaching Out in a Networked World (from which “Why Blog” was excerpted for the June 28, 2010 Alban Weekly), argues that blogs can be wonderful communication vehicles for congregations. They can function as newsletters, as stories and testimonies, and as building blocks for communicating “a piece of what the congregation considers to be valuable and essential for faith.”
In addition to pastoral blogs, there can be congregational blogs which are produced by a team. However they are produced, and whoever produces them, they should be conversational and personal in tone.
What resources would help congregations considering blogging? In addition to the items listed at the end of the article, we suggest you take a look at “The Networked Congregation,” a web resource developed by Andrea Useem for the Congregational Resource Guide.
What are your thoughts and stories about blogging? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!
What a clear and concise article on blogging. This makes it seem like a doable project. Thank you for this. I have read a few blogs that I found to be quite delightful. One was more of a diary form and the other a weekly “message along the way.” Both were quite good. I am encouraged to move into this form of communication.
Lynne Baab does an excellent job in laying out her case for blogging. I offer one cautionary note. Clergy need to be absolutely aware that they are not “friends” with parisioners (or the public) and use healthy boundaries about what to put onto the internet. The diary format has led some clergy to over-disclose information about themselves and set up situations of misconduct. Clergy need safe places to divulge their inner thoughts, doubts and experiences. A blog is not such a place. This is best done with therapists and consultants.
Nice, accessible overview of the way blogs can be used as a tool in ministry. Great work, Lynne!
I am quite interested in adding blogging to our repertoire of communication tools. Do you have any suggestions for how to not leave the half of our congregation that is not on-line out of the loop? This is an on-going concern here in our mostly older congregation.
Another question to ask concerns effectiveness. In smaller congregations — and let’s remember, the great majority of congregations have only one paid professional staffperson — the time of staff AND volunteers for blogging needs to be weighed against other ways of serving that congregation’s vision and calling. How many members or others are likely to read the blogs? It may be that blogging would be best suited on a regular basis for the youth or for families, with fewer posts dealing with overall church matters intended for reading by the entire congregation or specific sub-groups. A little congregational research in advance could help ascertain if this is an experiment to try.
I want to thank Karen for her wise words about ministers not over-disclosing on blogs. I totally agree. A minister’s blog, or the blog of a congregation, is a place for personal reflections that have the purpose of shepherding the people of God, to stimulate faith and encourage community. They’re not for self-indulgent, cathartic outbursts. Blogs are public documents, so ministers also need to be careful not to address controversial topics in ways that are divisive or hurtful. Blogs are often read much more widely than we imagine. I also appreciated Jennifer’s comments about being wise in use of resources, not investing time and energy in means of communication that will only benefit a few people. Thanks for engaging with the article.
Excellent article on blogging. As someone who started out as a blogging skeptic, I’ve become a devotee. I’d like to emphasize the point of blogging and story telling. So much work that congregations do can be communicated through a blog. One example: let’s say that I don’t have teens, so I’m unaware that the youth group is involved in a mentoring program for younger children with reading difficulties. That is something that I would want to know about as a member of the congregation because it would make me feel proud to be a part of that congregation. So blog away and communicate the great work that you are doing to make the world a better, holier place.
Rabbi Hayim Herring
I’m the pastor’s spouse at the Village Church in Toledo Ohio. We’re a joint UCC/UMC church plant that launched worship in October. We are using a blog and it’s been quite effective. We don’t have the technological wherewithal to post our Pastor’s messages on line yet as audio or video file, but we do blog her message each week + key leaders will blog when something interesting happens or is going to happen. Easy to get weekly material if you use the pastor’s message as your template. When she does a manuscript, she emails to me and we clean up a little and post. If an outline, I blog off of notes from it. I can tell you we have two new families who attend our church due to reading the blog first and deciding we had the values they were looking for, one family made that decision moving from Connecticut to Ohio. Also, our members who can not attend services due to being out of town will check in that way. Check out our blog sometime http://villageohio.blogspot.com/