I just wanted to point out a pair of excellent posts that were posted by Tim Wall over at ChurchCommunicationsPro which are definitely a worthwhile read:

• The Only Two Things Your Church Website Needs
• Why Church Leaders Must Blog On Their Church Websites

Tim does an excellent job of breaking the ideas of blogging on church websites to its simplest forms, and describing the benefits of taking your church website down the blogging road. A must read for anyone remotely involved in church websites!

You've probably been down the road before, trying to get your pastor to contribute to the church website. However, you've probably gotten the typical response that they're either not comfortable with computers/technology, they don't have the time, or they'd rather "leave it to those who know what they're doing". Most of these variations mean about the same thing: they just really don't see the benefit that could come from it. The irony is that we're working to make more community-based websites that get people involved and talking, and we can't get the church leaders to be a part of it.

However, there are a few pastors that are bucking the trent, like Gary Lamb and Scott Aughtmon, and they're doing it in different ways. Gary's writing has all the energy you'd find in a 6-year-old who just ate a one-pound bag of sugar, and his passion and excitement for the Lord just leap from the pages of his blog. Scott shares random thoughts on things both in the church and in the world that give you a view of his personal interests, but then scatters in "heavy" entries where he really digs deeper into how we live our lives or persue Christ. Both are on my regular reading list, and, even though I live nowhere near their churches, I like keeping up with their writings.

Hypothetically, let's say I just moved down to the Canton, Georgia area, and was looking for a church. And let's say that I did not read or come across Gary's blog because he didn't have one. Then, I might come across the website for Ridge Stone Church, and see their contemporary style and make a visit eventually...at least put it on my list. Or I might not, if I wanted a church with a permanent home, and not one that met in a movie theatre.

Now, let's say I moved down there and again was looking for a church. While looking through church websites, I come across Ridge Stone, leading to Gary's blog. If I liked Gary's high-energy approach, I'd probably put Ridge Stone as one of the first, if not the first, church to check out in the area. However, if I found Gary's exuberance overwhelming, I might cross it off my list.

I want to be clear that there is nothing wrong if some people cross your church off their list. If you're a contemplative and somber individual, you probably wounldn't appreciate Gary's approach very much. That's not saying anything bad about Gary, but as people, we're typically searching for a place where we're most comfortable. And that's comfortable as in "I like it here, where I can make friends with people similar to me, and I want to get involved", not comfortable as in "well, this church won't make me deal with my sins, so that makes things easier". And finding that good fit benefits the church, the congregation and the individuals.

While our church websites can give a lot of basic information about our church and it's approaches (traditional or contemporary, youth or adult focused, key values, etc.), it typically doesn't give you a good impression of the people that make up the church. However, the addition of a pastor's blog (either as a part of the site, or on another service, like Gary and Scott use) can provide insight about the people who make up the church, from the pastor himself directly, to the members of the congregation in the way he referrs to them. It's a personal glimpse into a place that you've never set foot in, and for many people that may be enough to make them comfortable to walk into a building full of strangers.

So, take the time to sit down with your pastor and show them the examples above (or any other pastor blogs that my be more in line with your church's approaches...they're out there if you look for them), and explain the benefits that such a blog can provide. Chances are, once they see the benefit and figure out what they're doing, you're going to have to pry them away from their keyboards.