Why would anyone read a church blog?
Social media has been around for four or five years now. It still puzzles the Church. It doesn’t fit the church’s way of thinking. A few churches dabble at it.
Dabbling at social media won’t succeed. We must dive in—the sooner the better!
One pastor recently shared that he didn’t understand social media. What was new about it?
Power is new. In the old days a newspaper might have a readership of 10,000 people. That’s where their influence ended.
Today, readers can pass a message on to all of their friends and those friends can continue sharing with their friends. Social media transforms those 10,000 readers into a million readers with ease.
More than that, the receiver can add to the message. They can correct or object when they disagree in real time. No one needs to wait for an editor to review a response, confined to 150 words, and chosen from among many for publication. We all have a say!
We are all familiar with the modern phenomenon of “going viral.”
A wannabe singer posts a video online and six months later is an international star. Never before in the history of the world was it possible for little guys to get billing on the world’s stage.
We used to guess at reasons some blog posts are so popular that they reach the ends of the earth within a few hours.
We are discovering that the key to popularity is not what most people guess (sex, dogs, cats and babies).
The answers revolve around emotions.
People share what they read on the web when the information is:
- Surprising
- Interesting
- Intense
- Positive
- Actionable
This information was gathered in a study of media websites, but the same characteristics have been found to be applicable to other genres as well.
Church bloggers can adapt these principles to their posts, especially if they are writing about more than their church (which they should be).
True, this calls for a change in our evangelism mindset. We are accustomed to promoting who we are and what we believe with little consideration for the people we hope to reach.
Therein lies the value of blogging. It forces us to see things through the eyes of others.
Here’s an example of how a church blogger might apply these principles:
A congregation might discover an interesting statistic about their neighborhood. Let’s say an old working class urban neighborhood, known to be populated by a certain ethnic group, learns that the latest census shows their neighborhood is now home to a growing number of immigrants from another part of the world.
The church should write about that. It is surprising and interesting. It could have potential to become intense —in a good or a bad way. The church should put itself in a position to influence that!
Most important for ministry, the news has the potential to be presented in a positive way, benefitting both the church and community, which may then lead to action by the congregation or by the neighborhood.
Upon this foundation, a church blog can be the catalyst for a congregation’s mission and growth.
What is going on in your neighborhood that you can influence by writing a post on your church blog?
I liked your key to popularity list. Please define and give examples of “actionable.”
I’ll do that in tomorrow’s post. Thanks for the comment.