A blog or "web log" is essentially an online diary and coversation pit all in one. Blogs have been around for nearly a decade but have grown into widespread popularity in the last 3-5 years. There are an estimated 200 million blogs online as of early 2009, and some are read by millions of people each day. Most, however, are read by just a handfull. Overall, blogs are on the downturn, though properly utilized they still represent a powerful means of communication with a few or many poeple.

If you were an average person living in suburbia and had an audience of a dozen people at a dinner party, you'd consider yourself Mr. or Mrs. Socially Popular, right? Think of a blog, even a small one, as a place where conversation takes place. And even a blog read by a dozen people could be considered quite impating in the context of a conversation.

Blogs can be topical, political, personal, social, religious--just about anything under the sun. The most popular blogs are political and news related. The tools for blogging are all online and for the most part they are free. Wordpress, Blogger and Typepad are a few of the most popular blogging tools. Even someone with no web programming or design experience can get a pretty good looking blog up in an hour or so--and if you have a bit of CSS under your belt you can make a blog look like just about anything you want.

In North America, some churches, pastors and other church leaders have joined the blogging universe. Because blogs are all over the map when it comes to purpose and content, I think its wise to enter into blogging as the church (in an "official" capacity) with a few thoughts in mind.

Blog for a reason. Many blogs are from folks just relating the events of their day or their likes and dislikes. I think that's just a poor reason for a church leader to have a blog. A pastor or minister is likely going to have an audience that is greater than a dozen people, so it makes sense to use the blog to say something that is useful. A few church leader blogs I've seen have been a place for the leader to "let of steam" or frustrations or just talk about why his or her car didn't start this morning or how they got stale popcorn at the movie theater. I ask myself when blogging, is this entry going to stand up for a year, even a few years, when I look back on it? It's a good benchmark that helps me blog for a reason.

Remember you are in public. The beauty of blogs is that they are a public forum that anyone can access. Unfortunately some bloggers forget this when they begin to interact with their limited audience. Comments, opinions and remarks are out there for all the world to see. This is an especially important consideration for a church leader who blogs, because it is really no different than standing in the pulpit in that you are going on record in readers' minds with what you post. I think the biggest mistake most church leaders make when blogging is posting things they really should not be saying in public--personal agendas, total nonsense, and opinions outside the Word of God on issues affecting the church. The question you must ask when blogging is, "Do I want this topic or issue to play out in public?" While blogs are a great forum, sometimes the answer to that question should be no.

Not all blogs are equal--or true. When we realize that blogs are really just a forum for people talking, then we also must remember that not all conversations are God-honoring. Opinions can be valuable, but they can also be destructive. And conversation can be factual, but it can also be filled with rumor and gossip. I have seen several instances where controversy within the church has driven an attender to start a blog on the topic, and those converations have resulted in many rumors and outright lies being taken as fact, clouding the actual issue itself and creating further animosity in the hearts of the blog readers.

Blogs are not forums to discuss or solve church controversies. I simply don't believe a blog is the place to air dirty laundry, or to have a serious discussion of issues affecting specific individuals. A church leader should never use a blog as a forum for this kind of decision-making. More difficult is the tendency to respond to others' blogs on these issues, which again I think is unwise on the part of church leaders. The counter-argument to this reasoning is, "Hey, we live in the internet age. Accept the fact that you have to live this stuff out online and in public now." I just don't believe that because blogs exist we have to bring ourselves to the lowest common denominator when dealing with hard and personal issues. Furthermore, nowhere in Scripture do I find support for handling problems in away that gives anyone and everyone a role in the discussion.

Notwithstanding, a blog can be a place for serious discussion. I have several theology blogs I subscribe to that are excellent for clarifying my understanding of Scripture as I read and post on various topics. And there are more general church leadership blogs that give helpful advice and practical tips. The general rule of thumb for me in the blog universe is, "Tread carefully and lightly until assured you are on solid footing."

> Visit the Communicorps Blog

> Visit Gene and Keri Mason's Adoption Blog

About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications. More...