Blogging gaining popularity as ministry tool in state

Blogging.” It is one of the newest words in the American vernacular, and it has become a surprisingly effective way to reach out to others with the gospel message.
   
Among Alabama Baptists, blogging continues to grow in popularity and is becoming a technologically friendly way for pastors to communicate with their church members, ministry groups to spread information and laypeople to witness to others about their own personal and faith experiences.
   
According to Alan Cross, senior pastor of Gateway Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association, blogging is actually a simple concept. The word “blog” comes from a combination of two words — “Web” and “log.”
   
“You can write your observations on any topic , and it basically becomes your online journal,” Cross said, noting that most blogs have a theme like politics, sports or theology to keep them fairly organized.
   
People can create blogs by using one of the many blog services available online. Perhaps the most popular free service is Blogger.com; all a person must do is sign in, select a blog template and then start writing and posting messages. “I recommend Blogger for beginners because it is free and fairly easy to use,” Cross said. “The great thing about blogging is that you don’t need to know a whole lot about computers. If you can use e-mail, you can blog.”
   
Other services such as TypePad and WordPress offer more benefits and flexibility. Some of the services charge a monthly fee. “If you are a fairly prolific blogger, posting every day for example, you might find that the minimal cost is worth it,” Cross said.
   
Blogging offers Christians a unique way to share their faith with others, Cross noted. He calls it “one of the best tools available in ministry today.” He has a blog — www.downshoredrift.com — in which he writes about personal, theological, denominational and global issues.
   
Cross said that by writing fairly regularly and participating with other blogs, he averages between 1,000 and 1,500 hits, or visits to his page, per week. “That is far more than I preach to on Sunday, and I get hits from every state and around 30 countries worldwide,” he said.
   
The Internet has become the watercooler of days gone by, Cross said, and blogging provides an excellent way for laypeople, as well as ministers, to get into meaningful discussions with others all around the world. “You can write a post, people can comment and then the thread (conversation that follows) can go in many different directions. It gives people a chance to interact with ideas and share their opinions. It can be a good tool to touch people’s hearts and engage their lives.”
   
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, uses a blog to communicate with his statewide audience about important happenings, as well as share personal insights. 
   
Lance first wrote in his blog, www.ricklance.com, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, feeling that it would be an effective outlet for keeping concerned Alabama Baptists informed. It also proved helpful with the church fires that stunned Bibb and Pickens counties this past February. 
   
“I was able to communicate what the State Board of Missions was doing for the churches devastated by the fire,” Lance said. “Pastors and directors of missions indicated to me that the blog features devoted to the church fires helped to inform their church leaders during this rather confusing time of need.”
   
Other topics on his blog have included “The Da Vinci Code” as an opportunity for evangelism and the June meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. “I try to speak to my audience about matters which have significance and relevance,” he said.
   
Lance’s blog is a modified one, and because he is limited in the time he can respond to posts, responses are routed through the communications office and its Web Minister Keith Hinson.
   
At Madison Baptist Association’s Wall Highway Baptist Church, Madison, Pastor Lee Singley uses his blog, www.wallhighway.com/pastor.html, to communicate with his congregation. With an average Sunday attendance of about 500, he has found that it’s often hard to stay in touch as he’d like to. His blog has become one way of improving that.
   
At times, Singley said he wants to address certain issues about which he knows his congregation “would love to know how their pastor feels.” 
   
He also wants to speak to those searching for a church home or provide answers to their questions from a Christian perspective.
   
Singley said his blog also has helped him connect with strangers whom otherwise he would have never met. “I write about things that are pertinent to Christians out there, but I write in such a way to appeal to the searching and sometimes hurting person,” he said.
   
Lance agreed that blogs provide a wonderful witnessing opportunity for Baptists and all Christians. 
   
“I hope that blogging can be used for the purpose of witnessing to those who do not know Christ and encouraging believers who do know Him,” he said. “In this sense, blogging can be a tool of communication in the kingdom of God.”
   
Singley added that it’s important for Christians to be on the forefront of technological opportunities such as blogging. By taking advantage of such services, Christians can make a real difference in reaching almost limitless audiences.
   
“As more and more opportunities are made available to use to present the gospel and the message of hope, I think we should be the first to take advantage of it,” he said.