Writing vs. Preaching
A few years ago I started writing a weekly evotional. I did it for a couple reasons. I wanted to discipline myself to write. Writing takes tremendous time and energy so it doesn't happen by default. I knew God was calling me to write so I decided to turn my weekly messages into an email version called an evotional. My goal was for that evotional to be "a vitamin supplement" in people's spiritual diets. I wanted people to be able to read what I said. I wanted it to be a "double dose" in a sense. I also knew that people could forward them to friends and it'd be a way to share their faith by word of mouse.
I had one subscriber when I started. Me. In the last two years, the evotional family has grown to nearly 2,000 subscribers. I never cease to be amazed at the way the evotionals travel. I'll get emails from people in Australia and South Africa and Germany that seem farther away than six degrees of seperation. But somehow the evotional ends up in their inbox. When something is traveling through cyberspace you never know where it will end up.
So here's the deal. I was thinking the other day and wondering if there isn't a subtle transition happening. A shifting of the tectonic plates. I have always considered preaching my primary means of communication. But the truth is that more people read what I write than hear what I preach even now. I've always felt like my writing will impact more people than my speaking. Don't get me wrong. I love to preach. I can't imagine not being able to say things verbally. It is a unique dynamic. And there is something special about hearing someone speak that is impossible to capture when reading what someone has written. But at some point I think my books and evotionals and blogs will be my primary means of communication and my weekend messages will be the supplement. There is no replacement for face-to-face, person-to-person communincation. But I think blogging is one key to postmodern ministry. I think it's an incredible tool that doesn't replace all the other functions of pastoring. It supplments. Or maybe those other functions supplement blogging :)
As always, blogging is my way of thinking out loud. These aren't beliefs written in stone. They are ideas etched in wet concrete.
So here's my question: will the day come when pastors view blogging as part of their portfolio?
I had one subscriber when I started. Me. In the last two years, the evotional family has grown to nearly 2,000 subscribers. I never cease to be amazed at the way the evotionals travel. I'll get emails from people in Australia and South Africa and Germany that seem farther away than six degrees of seperation. But somehow the evotional ends up in their inbox. When something is traveling through cyberspace you never know where it will end up.
So here's the deal. I was thinking the other day and wondering if there isn't a subtle transition happening. A shifting of the tectonic plates. I have always considered preaching my primary means of communication. But the truth is that more people read what I write than hear what I preach even now. I've always felt like my writing will impact more people than my speaking. Don't get me wrong. I love to preach. I can't imagine not being able to say things verbally. It is a unique dynamic. And there is something special about hearing someone speak that is impossible to capture when reading what someone has written. But at some point I think my books and evotionals and blogs will be my primary means of communication and my weekend messages will be the supplement. There is no replacement for face-to-face, person-to-person communincation. But I think blogging is one key to postmodern ministry. I think it's an incredible tool that doesn't replace all the other functions of pastoring. It supplments. Or maybe those other functions supplement blogging :)
As always, blogging is my way of thinking out loud. These aren't beliefs written in stone. They are ideas etched in wet concrete.
So here's my question: will the day come when pastors view blogging as part of their portfolio?
2 Comments:
Hey, I live far away. I was considering moving to DC just to go to NCC...but then I realized- we need some NCC's right where I'm at. I feel a little left out being so far away because I just want to be apart of it all...but at the same time, I have blogs to read, evotionals to pass along and video clips to watch. All that to say: I'm glad writing is part of your "DNA" (markism...I know that and I don't even know you) It helps me stay where I'm at and visit NCC everyday.
Yes - my first blog. As I understand blogging it creates an accurate record for all to view. God has used the Bible and He knows what He is doing - we are to follow his example. Beware - the material presented must focus on a thought - word -deed that God can bless. Luther had some problems with some of the things he said about the Jews and how it was used by others to validate unspeakable acts he himself would never have performed. I think the goal is edification. If this feature is missing from an item it should be used to line the bird cage.
Best Wishes - Walt
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