3 Reasons I’m Starting a Blog
Before I answer this question, I might first point out why I’ve not started a blog before now. As a church communications professional, I’ve struggled with the fact that it’s taken me this long to start. I attribute that to several causes, not the least of which is simply self-discipline. But I’ve also questioned whether I have enough to say that others would be interested in reading.
Sure, the conferences I’ve attended, the seminars I’ve led, and the multitude of emails and phone calls I’ve responded to over the years always come with the questions: “how do you do this or that?” This has reinforced to some degree the idea that I have something worth sharing. But being reactive in this regard and proactively sharing my thoughts in a blog are two different things.
I’ve also been hesitant to jump on the bandwagon when it seems there’s so much opinion already being shared out there, even among church bloggers. Does the world really need one more voice on church culture? I can’t judge the motives of others, but to the extent that many people enter the blogosphere simply to build a platform or make a name for themselves, I’m not interested in joining the ranks.
Now, let me say that these following thoughts are in the context of professional life, specifically for me, as a communications minister and church culture enthusiast. It might be different for a personal blog.
So, why am I blogging?
1. To organize my thoughts.
Whether anyone reads my blogs or not, I’m doing it largely for my own benefit. Like most leaders should, I spend a lot of time thinking. Those thoughts often come and go without any action behind them because I don’t write them down. Blogging, I hope, will be one way of putting these thought into a form that can be more effectively actuated.
Early blogger Jim Moulton perhaps said it best when he wrote, “The real power of blogging, the greatest benefit in writing for a blog, goes not to the audience but rather to the writer. It is in the very act of writing, the preparation of the content you are going to share, that the benefit is found. Writing is a reflective process, and the creation of content you’re going to share causes you to work hard to make your thinking clear.”
2. As a matter of self-development.
When I commit to blogging, I’m committing to conveying quality and accurate information. It will require me to be more intentional about staying up on the topics I’ve chosen to focus on as my areas of expertise and passion. I’ve rarely known a blogger not to quote something they read or experienced from someone else.
I’m not a natural reader; I’d rather spend my free time with my family or doing some activity that doesn’t feel so much like work. So this will encourage me to carve out more time for some important research and study that must be part of anyone’s growth plan.
3. As a way of documenting my professional experience.
I think there’s something to be said for documenting our lives. Maybe blogging could be defined as the journaling of our professional careers. I like the idea of having a record of the things that were most poignant to me over the course of my work in the church. Now that I’m about halfway through my “career lifespan,” I wish I had started at least ten years ago!
If I have not turned you off too much with my motivations, I look forward to your taking this journey with me. Whether it’s just you and me, or a nice little crowd.
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