Just Got the Word!

The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived!  The first public beta of YouVersion.com is LIVE and is waiting for you!

Simply go to YouVersion.com and register.  After confirming your account, you’ll be able to:

• Search for scripture or scroll through our Bible Reader
• Star verses and content
• Tag verses and content
• Contribute images, videos, links, and text to passages
• Start journaling with the Journal tool
• See what others are sharing
• Email items to your friends and family
• Rate content
• And so much more…

Head on over there and check it out.

In the next few days I am going to share some of my ideas, some ideas gleaned from others, and some overall just plain good ideas for church blogging, and how to do it successfully, creatively, and effectively.

Idea 4

Get the readers to do it. If you want your church blog to be successful you have to get the reader involved. Post entries that ask readers questions and encourage them to respond, In doing so you will encourage a dialog on your blog. Other ideas are to have your readers tell you what topics they want you to write on, you could do a survey via a polling add-on. Regardless of how you do it, you need to try to encourage visitor participation. In doing this you offer the reader something more then just words to read but you give them a chance to be heard. You will make them want to come back so they can be heard again and again.

So remember just do it, do it regularly, have guests do it, and get your readers to do it.

Is God innovative?

This is a question I see and hear asked a  lot. For some reason or another we as humans can’t seem to get past our own experiences and what we are used to to see that God has always been innovative. He does things today that that 1000 years ago He didn’t do. He is having His message spread in new ways almost every day it seems. I want to share a few verses with you that I think show that our God is an innovative God.

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. ” Isa 43:18,19

“You have heard My predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to admit it. Now I will tell you new things, secrets you have not yet heard.
They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’
Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new, things you never heard of before. ” Isa 48:6-8

God says in his own words here that he is constantly doing new things. He even says look I did these great new things and you refused to admit it, so now I am going to tell you some more new things I am going to do so you can’t deny it.

Our God is innovative and creative. He is the God that created all that we see from nothing, if that isn’t innovative and creative I don’t know what is.

He was innovative and creative at the beginning of time, and since He is never changing I must believe that He is innovative and creative now. the only question is how I am i to going to use that His creativity and innovation to reach a world in need.

In the next few days I am going to share some of my ideas, some ideas gleaned from others, and some overall just plain good ideas for church blogging, and how to do it successfully, creatively, and effectively.

Idea 3

Have a guest do it. One of the best ways you can garner interest and lighten your own blogging load is to invite guest bloggers to write posts.  One of the best examples I have seen of this is over at The Swerve Blog. The Guys there at Life Church know a thing or two about successful technology ministry, so why not take a cue from them. Who could you invite to guest blog you ask? How bout another ministry leader, or a church member, or gasp a non member who might have some insight. You could even make guest blogging a part of your regular blog schedule.  To lighten the load even more have a guest blogger do a series  of related posts.

The key to this idea is just getting out there and asking some folks to get involved and share their thoughts.  I am sure that for most any church there are at least a few people other then the pastor whohave something insightful and helpful to share. For example one of LifeChurch.tv guests bloggers was the pastors secretary(administrative assistant), who did a very good 5 part series on how her ministry in helping the lead pastor is so important.(it is!)

So remember, just do it, do it regularly, and have guests do it.

In the next few days I am going to share some of my ideas, some ideas gleaned from others, and some overall just plain good ideas for church blogging, and how to do it successfully, creatively, and effectively.

Idea 1

Just Do It!. if you are reading this and you have not yet started a blog for your church, well there is no excuse. Go start one. There are too many free places to blog to name, so go out and set up a blog. If you are not sure what a blog is all about well, first off what are doing reading one? Secondly, a blog is all about YOU and what YOU want to tell people. Are you a Senior Pastor, then start blogging about your visions for the church. A youth pastor, blog about cool stuff going on. A children’s pastor, blog about stuff happening to keep parents in the loop.

Regardless of your place in the church, your church needs a blog so to get you started here are a few things you can use a blog for when it comes to a church environment.

• Announcements
• Daily devotionals
• Events and post event pictures
• spreading church vision
• and even your personal life stuff

See there are a multitude of things you can blog about, but the key is this JUST DO IT!