Pastor Podcast?
I had an email discussion with a Pastor friend of mine who has started a church that has already grown to 200 regular attenders in just 20 weeks. It's Southern Baptist, but because the area is developing rapidly and young couples are moving in that are mostly unchurched, they are free to create an experience that is more like the First Century church and seeker friendly.
So, on the staff bio page of their website, they have "favorite things", "what I'm reading now" and also "what's on my iPod". Browsing around some more on their site, I see that you can listen to MP3 sermons. Hmmm, I thought. Why not combine the audio sermons with the effort to reach out to the iPod savvy and publish podcasts?. He said that they were watching the podcast phenomenon to see if it was right for themit, but afterward, I wondered if he should offer podcasts?
So the question is now directed to you on the blogosphere and podosphere: would it help an emerging church to publish podcasts that someone could merely subscribe to? As a believer, would it make your connection with that church seem impersonal or would it enhance the relationship? As someone searching for God, would it help you to determine which church you would visit. Or would be adverse to even GO to a church if you could have it RSSed to your computer? I'd like to hear feedback from preachers, Christians and those who don't go to church at all. I'm curious - let's talk.
posted by Stuart Cowen @ 12:52 AM
1 Comments:
Back in the old days.....4 years ago, we felt God leading us from the church we had been active in for years. We felt confident that it was time to go, not because of anything bad or wrong, Mary and I just felt it in our hearts. But we didn't know where He was leading us, so as we identified local churches, we would find their website and evaluate. We were up for the change but we didn't want to church hop, especially with small children. By browsing church websites, we pinpointed the church that seemed to meet our criteria(that God had placed on our hearts). Then I went as far as emailing the pastor and explained our situation and asked a few specific questions about the church. He responded and satisfied my concerns, so we visited the church. It was a good fit for our family and the church that really matured us Spiritually, in preparation for what lay ahead in our Spiritual journey. This approach actually enhanced our relationship with the pastor. I had a feel for him personally, through our emails. It wasn't impersonal at all, in my situation. It probably depends on the church and the leadership, but websites and podcasts can be used in a way that will draw believers and non-believers to the church.
In today's world, I can see that podcasts would help someone looking for a church. I think it's still a minority of people that even know what that is, but as prices come down and the idea becomes more mainstream, it can be a great tool.
By the way, our first Sunday at that church was Sept. 9, 2001. 2 days later, the world was turned upside down and within a month later, my company laid many of us off, which ultimately led to us relocating out of state. We were at that church about a year, but it really laid the groundwork for where I am now, in many ways.
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