A while ago I asked for input (I Need Blogs) on blogs that are relevent to churches who are considering a blog for their ministry. I have traveled around online putting together sites and information to introduce ministers to blogs and blogging.
A resource like this is best when shared, so I decided to pull it out of the forum post and blog it here.
This is the message sent to the church staff
I have had several people pull me aside over the last few months to ask about blogs, and since I have proposed using blogs for part of the online ministry through the new web site I thought it would be good to provide a general handout with information and examples. I have spent some time searching around for blogs that represent some of what we can do with them. These may not be the greatest examples are not a complete list of what is available, but I believe they can serve to inform and inspire with regard to this medium for ministry.
Blogs often come with RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feeds which allow you to gather content easily and in different formats. I read the blogs I am interested in without ever going to their actual web sites. I can quickly see if there is anything new in their feed and have it load the content without the extra images and in a way that makes it easier to read quickly. I will provide more information in the future on tools for gathering and reading blogs easily.
What is a Blog?
A “Blog” is an online journal, or even a continuously updated electronic newsletter.
“Blog” is shortened from the term “Web Log” and can be either a noun or a verb.
A simple introduction from blogger.com: http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
A more detailed explanation from Wikipedia (an open contribution online encyclopedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
Blogs have become more prominent in recent years as easier software has been built specifically for blogging and many companies are providing free blogging space online.
Political campaigns and political activists have brought them into the news over the last few years as “grassroots media” which bypasses the media establishment and provides a boutique form of news
While many blogs are truly amateurish endeavors; businesses, freelance professionals, and experts from all areas and interests write blogs for profit or enjoyment.
Another common creature is the “Podcast.” Podcasts are audio blogs and although the name is a take on “iPod” and “Broadcast” it is not necessary to have an iPod to listen to them. You can listen to audio blog entries on the web sites or use a program which will download the audio to your computer and allow you to listen later or transfer the audio to a portable music device like an iPod.
Church Blogs
The Orchard Valley Community Church Blog is focused on the activities
http://www.orchardvalleyonline.com/orchardblog.htm
Pathways Church uses theirs to help establish a “Rhythm” ( http://www.findpathways.com/content/?page_id=24 ) which carries a particular theme through the week to prepare people for worship on the weekend.
http://www.findpathways.com/content/
http://www.pathwaysblog.com/wordpress/index.php
Seacoast Church has multiple blogs for their multiple campuses and even for their different ministers.
http://seacoastchurch.typepad.com/seacoast_church_blog/
Ridge Stone church is adapting their web site to make it more community driven. Their blog is new and has not been updated much, but that is common for new blogs.
http://www.ridgestone.typepad.com/
Greenview Christian Church in Greenview, Illinois
http://www.jesusplace.org/
Parkway Temple Church in Chesapeake, VA uses theirs actively to keep people up to date on everything going on. This church looks very active.
http://parkwaytemple.blogspot.com/
Evotional is a ministry of National Community Church in Washington, DC ( http://theaterchurch.com/ )
http://www.evotional.com/
Pastor Tim uses his blog to minister to and teach his congregation at Grace Church in San Luis Obispo (http://www.graceslo.org/)
http://pastortimgraceslo.blogspot.com/
Big Sky Church (http://www.bigskychurch.com/) in Sugar Hill, GA, uses their blog primarily for information about the current sermon series.
http://bigskychurch.blogspot.com/
Focal Point Church (http://www.focalpointchurch.com/) in Chesapeake, VA uses theirs for information that impacts the community.
http://www.focalpointchurch.blogspot.com/
Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas (http://watermarkcommunity.org/) goes beyond a blog with a podcast which contains audio downloadable through iTunes or able to be listened to straight from the site.
http://www.watermarkradio.com/
Blogs for particular Children’s Ministries
Some children’s ministries are using blogs to entertain and teach the children while keeping their parents informed on the lessons. How many kids actually show their lesson pages to their parents when they get home?
A blog written by a children’s ministry. It functions as a place to share, inform, and enjoy life.
http://www.funtobeacbcsparkie.blogspot.com/
There are many blogs that deal with ministry to children. These deal with ideas and activities, and they both serve and encourage others working with children.
Contains good examples of expressing ministry through a blog.
http://brettbelleque.blogspot.com
Written by the children’s pastor at Hillsong Church (http://hillsong.com) in Sydney, Australia
http://childrensministryblog.com/
A children’s minister writing his thoughts on his view of what children’s ministry should be.
While this may not be an example of the heights of ministry it does illustrate the open conversational form possible in blogs.
http://jadedcm.blogspot.com/
Blogs on ministry in general
Blogs typically thrive on general topics where people can comment on trends and events around the world and on the internet.
Multi-Site Revolution is a blog that focuses on the needs and developments of multi-site congregations.
http://www.multisiterevolution.com/
The Urbana organization (http://www.urbana.org) works to encourage missions around the world. They accomplish part of this through their Whirled View blog which focuses on placing world events into a scriptural context.
http://www.urbana.org/blogs/blog.main.whirledview.cfm
Missions Blogs
It used to be that missionaries brought their updates on furlough, now they do it in occasional newsletters, often by email, and regularly by blog.
Many missionaries and mission organizations have found that regular posts from the mission field are cheaper than many of the older methods and preferred by many of their supporters.
Imagine being able to look in on the work of a mission daily or weekly and see what they are accomplishing and what they need.
Toongabbie Anglican Church in Australia has a missions focus in their blog
http://www.toongabbieanglican.org/mission/blog/
The purpose is explained here: http://www.toongabbieanglican.org/mission/…sp?about=showme
A missions group in Nicaragua
http://www.missionnicaragua.org/blog.cgi
A medical missionary in Kenya.
http://missionsafari.typepad.com/
Missionaries among the Fulani of Burkina Faso (West Africa)
http://www.voiceinthedesert.org.uk/weblog/
http://www.voiceinthedesert.org.uk/keith/
Minister Blogs
Many blogs live off of the personalities of their writers and contributors. Rather than a specific theme, the content is carried along by whatever catches the attention of the writer.
Phil Baker and friends keep up a regular stream of Christian themed content and commentary
http://www.philbaker.net/
Perry Noble is the minister at NewSpring Church (http://www.newspring.cc/) in Anderson, SC
http://www.perrynoble.com/
This last blog is what is referred to as a Vlog by some.
The minister is sitting at his desk talking to the camera. It takes a bit more to produce and view, but if you want your office to sound like it is full of people you just need to click on a few of the videos and hear a chorus of Scott.
http://scottwinstead.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Comments
Church Security Director
Purpose Driven Church on TWiT
Church Security Director
Church Security Director
Church Security Director