“Blog”, “Blogger”, “Blogging”, and “Blogosphere” are terms that seem to be popping up with increasing frequency in our day. What is a blog? Blog is short for weblog. In other words, a blog is simply a personal web page maintained by an individual or group. There are now millions of blogs on-line. These blogs range from on-line personal journals that only a few friends access to major sites that are viewed by hundreds of thousands daily. A blogger is one who maintains a weblog. Blogging refers to the on-going process of writing and posting one’s work. The power of blogging is its ability to connect with persons all over the world. Anyone with internet access can maintain a blog or access the blogs of others. I am convinced that the blogosphere (as bloggers call the on-line network of blogs) is a medium that Christ-followers must take full advantage of. If the early days of the “Holiness movement” were marked by the publication of pamphlets and small circulation periodicals in the advancement of the Gospel, then our 21st century stands ready to be shaped for Christ through on-line publication. Blogs provide another point of access to our churches and a means of propagating our message of Scriptural holiness. If you have never seen a blog, I invite you to check out my two blogs: www.realmealministries.org and www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Brian_Russell as well as the blogs of two other members of the Atlantic District, Eric Hallett (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=EricHallett) and Eric Currie (http://www.xanga.com/tarheel70).

This new medium offers great promise and, if harnessed creatively, it can increase the reach and effectiveness of our servant leadership. I want to discuss three areas in which blogging can improve and expand your ministry of teaching and preaching. I will advocate that each of us should post our sermons and/or teaching lessons online. I am confining myself to this sphere of pastoral ministry because most of us do not have the luxury of spare hours to write new material for our blogs, but we do regularly compose sermons and teaching lessons. I believe that these can be posted online for the benefit of many.

Blogging our weekly sermons and teaching enhances the effectiveness of our teaching ministry in three related areas:

First, blogging increases the impact that our teaching and preaching can have.

a) Transforms our messages from monologue to dialogue. Use your blog as a place to post the manuscript or notes of your sermon or lesson. This invites persons to reread the message. Moreover, it permits those so inclined to post comments in which they can ask questions, disagree, or give their reactions to your words. Emerging generations enjoy dialogue and conversation. What a better way to open up communication between the pastor and the people than to provide a forum for the discussion of the teaching/preaching that we provide.

b) Reinforces the teaching. Studies have demonstrated that most people forget virtually our entire message by the time that their feet hit the parking lot of our churches. Your blog preserves your message indefinitely and provides a place for our churches to reread the sermon. Every additional time that a person encounters a particular lesson or idea increases the probability of retention and substantive engagement with it.

c) Invites ongoing application and reflection. Your blog can serve as source material for weekly small groups or other in-home gatherings of believers. Think of the possibilities! You can post additional thoughts or follow-up questions that can serve as conversation starters for further study. With a little planning, you can integrate much of the adult education into your regular preaching and teaching. Although it may never replace one-on-one discipleship, you can help others to deepen their walk with God by empowering them to appropriate more profoundly the implications of your weekly teaching.

Second, blogging improves the quality and clarity of our communication.

a) Strengthens actual delivery by forcing the speaker to commit ideas to writing. How many of us settle for second best in terms of language rather than putting in the hard work to emply memorable language. Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” The simple practice of preparing manuscripts that we intend to publish on-line will force us to make better choices and decisions about language. This can only help to improve our ability to communicate memorably and powerfully.

b) Promotes congregational ownership of messages and empowers creativity. Pastors can also use their blogs to post ideas for future sermons and sermon series. We can then invite our congregations to participate in the process of sermon preparation. As we all know, the best messages are born out of extended prayer and reflection upon the Scriptures. Why not sketch out three month’s worth of preaching topics and Scripture passages and post this on-line? Encourage your people to unleash their creativity in terms of movie clips, song selection, artistic expressions, and illustrations. You will be surprised how much stronger and influential your preaching/teaching will become by inviting and employing the input of the many. Your congregation will also be impacted more profoundly by the teaching because it will have a greater sense of ownership of the messages.

Third, blogging extends the reach and impact of our preaching and teaching.

a) Aids congregational outreach. How many times have you heard a powerful sermon and wished that you could share it with a friend? Our blogs can serve as a safe medium through which new persons can be introduced to the ministry of our faith communities. Members can invite friends, neighbors, and co-workers to check out the church through this on-line forum. This is an easy way for our congregations to reach out to the masses who do not follow Jesus.

b) Provides an additional door for seekers. A substantive on-line presence (beyond the traditional Church homepage) permits the church to impact other websurfers. I have been surprised by all of the diverse persons who have happened upon my own blogs. In the five short months that I have been blogging, I have received comments and enotes from all over the United States as well as from the United Kingdom and Canada. Each of these chance encounters can serve as an opportunity to share the good news about Jesus. In particular, blogging provides a door to younger generations. Although bloggers of all ages can be found, the majority tend to be under 35.

I am encouraging my students at Asbury Theological Seminary to blog regularly. I hope that many of you will take up this challenge as well.

If you are interested in starting your own “free” blog, check out sites such as www.xanga.com or www.blogger.com and sign up for your own blog.