Free: Blogging For Churches
Blogging is one of those communication mediums that has seen it’s day in the sun … and isn’t quite as popular anymore.
While videos and social platforms have risen in popularity, and accomplish the same purposes as blogging, occasionally it can still be utilized effectively, especially for the church space.
One of the biggest advantages that a blog has over social or Youtube, is that it is closer to your own real estate (and if it’s self-hosted, it is your own real estate!). Facebook, Instagram and Youtube are amazingly powerful platforms – but at any moment, they can hide or close your account, especially if they disagree with something you’ve posted.
A blog, much like your website, is more so under your own control. Yes, anything posted online in any way can be removed at anytime, but it’s usually much less likely.
How To Use a Blog for Church & Ministry
– share a daily devotional & create discussion in the comments
– post a daily Bible Reading or Verse
– share letters or updates from the Board or Leadership of your church
– post fundraising updates or building project progress
– publish the transcript of each sermon
– embed the audio of each sermon as a post, and send the link to your email list
– post sermon discussion questions, and encourage people to share their thoughts in the comment section
What Platform To Use for A Church Blog
There are a number of blogging platforms out there, from WordPress to Wix, and I’ve used several of them.
For this time and space, when many ministries are streamlining and refocusing their efforts to make due with viewer staff, volunteers, and resources, I’m really enjoying the simplicity of Blogger.com (Blogspot.com).
Here’s why:
-The themes are minimalistic and have fewer options to choose from, but you can customize the colours, fonts, and widgets, and add your own header image and favicon (tab icon).
-Buying and connecting your own domain is relatively straightforward through Google Domains, or you can redirect a top level domain from your own provider.
-Blogger allows you to embed your blog into another website using an iframe.
–Drafts save automatically as you’re typing, reducing the chances of losing your content when you’re interrupted.
-You can monetize by displaying ads if you like.
-Images, links and html can be added to sidebar widgets.
–Youtube videos and images can be added to posts easily.
The settings can be changed to allow anyone to comment with a name or anonymously, or you can require people to register to comment. This allows you to engage your congregation with whatever degree of privacy will make them most comfortable.
And … drum roll please … it’s free, with no additional ads displayed with your content.
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