Does any other blogger out there struggle with consistently creating quality content? I sure do. However, back in May of this year, I stumbled upon an article detailing an exciting group project that invigorated me and filled me with a renewed sense of intentional purpose. In celebration of Digital Outreach Month, Paul Steinbrueck here at ourchurch.com was heading up a group blogging adventure through the book Sticky Jesus: how to live out your faith online. This story, written by the always enjoyable Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong, was a thorough introduction of the how’s and why’s in utilizing social media outlets to share God’s Good News with a much broader base of individuals. You can learn more about this project by clicking here.
The book itself is an amazing read, and the 16-part exercise was incredibly eye-opening for me. It focused and prepared me to be intentional with blogging worthy content. It stirred my desire to write, to create – not just writing for the sake of writing, but writing with purpose. That purpose is to share and connect people in the great hope of our salvation.
Having tasted the sweet joy of connectedness this project brought, I wanted to do something similar within my church body. I invited them to read through Proverbs with me during the month of July, while I blogged daily about that day’s chapter (you can read my introduction to the concept here). My goal was to create a small devotional for each day of the month, and then post it to my church’s Facebook page as well as my own, and to have conversations flow out from each post.
So how has it gone? What has the reaction been like from the readers? Several posts have received more than 2.5 times the number of views my most popular post ever received. I have comments pouring in, and I am having conversations with people both online and offline regarding how this study is helping either them personally, or someone else with whom they are sharing this study. Some folks have even created their own “Proverbs groups” and reading through Proverbs each day and then discussing it as partners or groups. Community within community! This past weekend, I met a lady at church who was visiting with us for the first time. She told me that she had been “creeping” on the church via our website and through the Proverbs study, and she felt it was time to check us out in person. The social media connection resulting in a personal connection!
I would say that if you want to be intentional in reaching and connecting people, you are going to have to create pathways to make the job easier.
Discussion Topics
• So what social media venues do you utilize to reach and connect groups of individuals, and how do you do it?
• What topics or methods have you used via your social media venues to reach others?
I am an Associate Pastor who enjoys finding evidence of Jesus’s love and impact throughout culture and society. I enjoy spending time with my lovely college sweetheart, as well as trying to keep my 2 Jack Russells out of trouble. You can read my thoughts at www.thepastorworeplaid.blogspot.com, and connect with me on Twitter @brucecrews.
2 Comments
Fantastic message! Inspiring and informational. I think it's easy to forget or feel disconnected from the people on the other side of the screen as a blogger. Getting a sense of the connection you have with people can completely change your perspective. How much bigger an impact than to hear in person about the way people have been affected. Thanks.
It's been an enjoyable exercise, with many positively surprising results. The readers aren't just reading, they are connecting, both with me as well as others. Thanks Kurt!