There are inherent difficulties in the idea of a pastor blogging.
Some of these might be...
Transparency. How much? About what?
Making statements of belief- for whom is the pastor speaking? Does he/she speak for the community as a whole?
Growth- what I said last year (which you can see in my archives) may or may not reflect what I think/feel today. Having a public, written record is an interesting thing.
But on balance, I think this is a helpful and good discipline for someone in ministry...
On these issues-
Transparency. Yes. Be transparent. Share your struggles. Let people see that as a pastor you are not immune to doubts, fears, changes of heart and mind and all the rest. You are human. Display it.
That having been said, pick and choose. If you are having a conflict with someone at church (or at home) your blog is probably not the best way to process that. I think you can describe it in general terms, but it's a tricky thing. I choose not to talk too much about my relationship with my wife here, even though we have the same ups and downs that everyone has. It;s not that it;s too personal (my walk with God is certainly personal and I'm not afraid to talk about that)... it's more that it's personal for her as well, and unless I have her express, written permission... :)
The balance of transparency is one you'll have to find for yourself- but just a hint- the days of pastor as hero are over. Yes, be a person of integrity and character. But don't try to hide your foibles and struggles as though they don't exist. If you think you preached a crappy one and you are having a crappy day because of it, say so.
Statements of belief- Perhaps a disclaimer is in order? What I write here does not necessarily reflect the opinions of evergreen as a whole or constitue a statement of policy for our community. These are my thoughts. As we as elders and we as a community make decisions and move in certain directions, I know that my thoughts and beliefs come into play, but they are a part of a larger whole. Yes, an influential part... but it's not "my way or the highway." So my blog should be read with a grain of salt. I try hard to distinguish between "i" and "we" statements... Maybe I don't always get that right, though...
Growth- Having said what I have said about statements of belief, I do think it's important to let people know where you are at, to lay it out there on the table. It's important for people to be able to see their pastor as "in process" just as everyone is. Yeah- some things I'm no longer really processing, but many things I am. I want our community to come on the journey with me, but if I never tell them about it, never describe it to them, ask for their contributuion to it, etc.... how can they?
just some thoughts on a rainy friday morning...
Some of these might be...
Transparency. How much? About what?
Making statements of belief- for whom is the pastor speaking? Does he/she speak for the community as a whole?
Growth- what I said last year (which you can see in my archives) may or may not reflect what I think/feel today. Having a public, written record is an interesting thing.
But on balance, I think this is a helpful and good discipline for someone in ministry...
On these issues-
Transparency. Yes. Be transparent. Share your struggles. Let people see that as a pastor you are not immune to doubts, fears, changes of heart and mind and all the rest. You are human. Display it.
That having been said, pick and choose. If you are having a conflict with someone at church (or at home) your blog is probably not the best way to process that. I think you can describe it in general terms, but it's a tricky thing. I choose not to talk too much about my relationship with my wife here, even though we have the same ups and downs that everyone has. It;s not that it;s too personal (my walk with God is certainly personal and I'm not afraid to talk about that)... it's more that it's personal for her as well, and unless I have her express, written permission... :)
The balance of transparency is one you'll have to find for yourself- but just a hint- the days of pastor as hero are over. Yes, be a person of integrity and character. But don't try to hide your foibles and struggles as though they don't exist. If you think you preached a crappy one and you are having a crappy day because of it, say so.
Statements of belief- Perhaps a disclaimer is in order? What I write here does not necessarily reflect the opinions of evergreen as a whole or constitue a statement of policy for our community. These are my thoughts. As we as elders and we as a community make decisions and move in certain directions, I know that my thoughts and beliefs come into play, but they are a part of a larger whole. Yes, an influential part... but it's not "my way or the highway." So my blog should be read with a grain of salt. I try hard to distinguish between "i" and "we" statements... Maybe I don't always get that right, though...
Growth- Having said what I have said about statements of belief, I do think it's important to let people know where you are at, to lay it out there on the table. It's important for people to be able to see their pastor as "in process" just as everyone is. Yeah- some things I'm no longer really processing, but many things I am. I want our community to come on the journey with me, but if I never tell them about it, never describe it to them, ask for their contributuion to it, etc.... how can they?
just some thoughts on a rainy friday morning...
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