Blogging is a free opportunity available to anyone to communicate the gospel. We take a tongue-in-cheek look at why pastors should avoid starting a blog and then offer practical reasons why they should.
To get started, you need your own website. I mentioned our affiliate link Bluehost, but there are others like godaddy.com and hostgator.com to name a few.
Once you have your own web address, this is the free download I offered: Step By Step Process For Starting Your Own Blog.
If you need some basic information about social media, here is my free eBook.
Transcript of Today's Podcast
Welcome to ministers toolbox. Specifically there are 7 reasons pastors should never even think about starting a blog. (Sarcasm included)
#1 - It is too difficult. I mean, you have to turn the computer on, open up your WordPress site and push the new post button. If that isn’t bad enough, then you actually have to write something. That is not easy for a pastor. I mean, in your line of work, when do you ever write?
Yeah, there are your sermons, but those are for Sunday mornings. Yeah, sermons are constructed like a blog, but it’s not like you could just take former sermons and turn them into blogs. That would take too much time. Besides, a lot of pastors are not comfortable pushing the submit button when they’re finished.
#2 - There are too many blogs already. Most don’t even know what the word blog means. It kind of sounds like someone dumped a mixture of mashed potatoes and pea soup on your plate right on top of your salad. blog! Who reads them anyway? You have better things to with your time, like visiting with Mrs. Smith who wants you to walk her cat when she goes on vacation.
#3 - People outside your church might read something you’ve read and decide to come Sunday morning. I mean, at your church you say you want new people, but truthfully, you really don’t.
Every time a new person comes to your church you have to learn their name and spend time trying to find out what they need and how you can help. It is much easier to have the same people come to church each week. They come; they tithe; they have coffee and then they leave. What could be better than that? No muss, no fuss.
Blogging could mess up your church big time. Before you know it, new people might start sharing new ideas and that can be just annoying. You already know who you are and how you like the church to operate, thank you very much.
#4 - You’re not very techy. Yeah, you understand that everyone under thirty has never lived in a world without the Inter web, but technology is not your thing. You’d much rather read a book about Spurgeon than learn about Tweeter or Facebook anyway. Besides, you got an email account a couple of years ago. If anyone wants to get ahold of you, you check it once a week.
#5 - Privacy. Blogging means that people might start coming up to you and talking to you about what you wrote. That can be very awkward, especially if you’ve never met them before. One reason you like pastoring is that other than Sunday, people pretty much leave you alone. Blogging might change all that.
#6 - Cost. Blogging is expensive. I mean getting a domain name and website has got to cost a fortune. The church budget is tight and wasting money on the Interweb is just foolish.
#7 - It could lead to other things. You start blogging and before you know it, you’re writing books.
