Leadership Network

Brian Bailey is the primary author of the recently released book, The Blogging Church, written also with Terry Storch, and leads the web team at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX. An expert on the use of blogs in the church, Brian has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News and the corporate blogging book, Naked Conversations. The following excerpt is part of an interview with Brian that originally appeared in the Spring Arbor publication, Christian Advance.

How did you get into blogging?
I started reading blogs in 2000 and after experimenting for a couple of years, I finally launched my personal blog -- LeaveItBehind.com -- in 2004. Blogs are a wonderful way to connect with people across the globe. Through blogs I've been exposed to so many different perspectives, so much knowledge and so many interesting people that I never would have had the chance to experience otherwise.

Who is the audience for The Blogging Church?
The book is for everyone in the church who has questions about blogging. If you play a role in a local church, whether as a staff member or volunteer, and are curious about blogging, this book is packed with questions, answers, ideas and inspiration.

The book is equally about the why and the how of blogging. If you

are trying to decide whether blogs are a good idea for your church, you'll find a lot of content designed to help answer that question. If you're already a blogging pioneer, hopefully you'll discover further ideas to help you be even more effective while avoiding common pitfalls.

What makes this book unique?
This is the first book on blogging written specifically for the church. Many books have been published on blogging, including Naked Conversations, a book on corporate blogging I highly recommend. The local church is a unique entity, with incredible opportunities and challenges that are unlike any business. The sense of what is at stake in the local church, that perspective, there's simply nothing else like it.

What do you hope readers will take away?
Equal doses of inspiration and caution. I hope people see the incredible potential of blogging and the many different ways a blog can be used to reach the committed and the curious in their church and community. Blogs can help open doors and start conversations and extend the physical community of the local church online.

On the other hand, I think blogging should have a huge warning label. A blog can easily become an ego-feeding, insular home of diatribes and self-congratulation. People naturally turn inward -- the warm, inviting glow of the spotlight can be hard to resist. A few months later, you realize that your blog is no longer about the church you serve or the One you serve, it's about you and you alone.

What questions should church staff ask when considering whether to blog?
One question that is a theme throughout is, What problem are you trying to solve? It's very tempting to start blogging for no other reason than to be able to say you have a blog or because it's the latest thing. In the church, time and money are too . . .