Maybe you have thought about adding a blog to your church website, but you aren’t sure if it’s the right move. Many will tell you it’s a must-have for your website. You may have heard it’s a great resource or maybe you heard blogging is dead. While it definitely can be a real asset, it depends on your situation, resources, and your goals.
What is a Blog?
A blog is a collection of content or articles or stories that you publish on your website. Sounds simple, right? If we look at it from a marketing perspective, a blog contains information that is helpful to your target audience and encourages them to take action. In the case of a business, that action could be making a purchase or educating a potential customer about the benefits of a product.
Education about the benefits of what we offer is exactly what we want to do as Christians. It is our job to let as many people know about Jesus and the amazing gift of salvation as possible. So you may be thinking that a blog is a great way to do that.
It is!
A blog can also give you content to post to your social media accounts. It can help with your Google search rankings if you are posting quality content that has keywords your audience is using and searching regularly. Google rewards those with new and fresh content. And of course, there is the obvious benefit of educating your readers about the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Through a blog, you can reach a much wider audience than through in-person sermons each weekend. Even if you post your sermons to YouTube, some people learn and internalize better through the written word. Plus it can be another touchpoint for your existing members.
A blog can also give you content to post to your social media accounts. It can help with your Google search rankings if you are posting quality content that has keywords your audience is using and searching regularly. Google rewards those with new and fresh content. And of course, there is the obvious benefit of educating your readers about the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Through a blog, you can reach a much wider audience than through in-person sermons each weekend. Even if you post your sermons to YouTube, some people learn and internalize better through the written word. Plus it can be another touchpoint for your existing members.
The best part about a blog is that it can build relationships with people who may be seeking a spiritual solution. By reading your blog, they are getting answers, and you are building credibility and trust with them. Most people who are seeking a new church check out the church’s website first. If you have a blog, they can easily get a taste of who you are and what you offer with little risk on their part. You have made it that much easier for them to take that first step in getting to know you.
What a Blog Isn’t
A blog has a lot of benefits, but it does have limitations, too. A blog is not a magic bullet that will suddenly get former members to start attending again, your community to start breaking down your door each weekend for services, or lukewarm members to become on fire for the Lord. A blog will not automatically put you in the top spot for search results either, although, as mentioned above, done correctly it can certainly move you in that direction.
The Other Shoe
Blogs are great, but all that being said, blogs are a lot of work. A. Lot. Writing content on a regular basis takes time and effort. Before you start a blog you should take a realistic look at your resources.
Questions you need to answer
Here are a few things you need to know before you start. As I said, be realistic.
- Who will write for the blog?
- How much extra time does this person(s) have?
- How many times per month/week do you want to publish new content?
- What will you write about?
- How does this fit in with our mission and vision?
Answering the Questions
Who will write for the blog?
In a smaller church, the main contributor to the blog will likely be the pastor. If you are blessed enough to have a church with more than one pastor, then the writing can either be split or assigned to a junior pastor. Some churches also have ministry leaders and other volunteers who write articles. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a Communications Director who can write for the blog.
In a smaller church, the main contributor to the blog will likely be the pastor. If you are blessed enough to have a church with more than one pastor, then the writing can either be split or assigned to a junior pastor. Some churches also have ministry leaders and other volunteers who write articles. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a Communications Director who can write for the blog.
It is actually a good idea to have more than one person contribute articles if possible. This gives a variety of perspectives and keeps any one person from getting burned out.
How much extra time does this person(s) have?
Writing a blog post can take anywhere from 2-8 hours. This includes brainstorming, researching, writing, editing (an extremely important step in the writing process), finding images (yes those are critical and should not be skipped), formatting, and finally posting. This is something you need to be aware of when answering the next question.
How often will you publish new content?
If you only have one person writing for your blog who already has a pretty full plate, like say a senior pastor, then you will not have the ability to post three times a week, at least not long term.
Consistency is the key here.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with posting once a month if you are consistent about it. If on the other hand, you have a slew of volunteers who are willing to contribute, then you could post once a week. But someone has to review those, perhaps edit, and then put them on the website. Again, be realistic about how much time you have.
What will you write about?
Blogs can be about anything. In the early days, thousands of people, including yours truly, wrote blogs about their lives and experiences. And your church can write about the life of the church, its ministries, and events. While that is good content, it does not make a good blog alone.
This is your chance to address topics that may be too short for an entire sermon. Or perhaps you can elaborate on a past sermon topic, offering charts or graphics that you showed in church, but now can be easily referenced.
What you write about will be directly impacted by your chosen audience. Are you addressing your existing members or are you reaching out to the community? What are their pain points? What solution are you offering to address those points? All of this is fodder for your blog content.
How does this fit in with our mission and vision?
I saved the most important question for last. Everything you do as a church should in some way ladder back up to your bigger mission and vision. If you need a refresher on why mission and vision are crucial to your church you can read about that here.
A blog is another ministry you are providing. And like all your other ministries it should feed into and support your church’s unique mission and vision.
Next Steps
If you have decided that you have the time and resources to start a blog on your church website check out this post to learn more about how to develop content for your blog.
Or contact me to get help with your blog and your complete marketing plan for your church. Not sure if you need a plan? Read this article.