The title of this article may seem both presumptuous and audacious. Do I really believe every pastor should have a blog? Yes, I do.

I speak to pastors in numerous settings, and I am able to share with them the benefits of such a discipline in writing.

Understand that writing a blog can begin simple, with little time pressure. The pastor can commit to writing 400 words a week in one post. I do recommend that the number of posts increases to at least twice a week later, but you need to start somewhere.

I think you will be amazed how much the blog benefits the church and your ministry. Here are seven reasons why it is so important:

1. Heavy doses of communication are vital in any relationship. This reality is powerfully true in the pastor/congregation relationship. Healthy churches have healthy pastor/member relationships. Healthy relationships are enhanced through ongoing communication. And a blog is an incredible way to communicate regularly. For this reason, I am very grateful for the Internet age.

2. The pastor is able to present those most important emphases or visionary matters. The sermon just does not allow sufficient time to do all the communication a pastor needs to do. If done well, the blog can serve as an ongoing forum for communicating the most important matters in the church and to the church.

3. No pastor can communicate with every member one on one. Church members can feel neglected if they do not get some type of communication from their pastor. Admittedly, a blog does not replace in-person communication, but it certainly is better than no communication at all. I have heard from numerous church members who tell me they really feel like they know their pastor through their pastor's blog.

4. A pastor can do pastoral care via the blog. One of the most powerful blog posts I ever read was by a pastor who ministered to the entire church after the death of three teenagers in a car accident. While he spent hours of in-person pastoral care with the family of the teenagers, many others in the church were hurting. He reached out to them magnificently through his blog.

5. A blog can be an outreach ministry. The first place a prospective guest visits is the church website. That is why it’s mandatory for churches to have a quality site. If the church’s home page has a link to the pastor’s blog, many will read that as well. Guests, both Christians and non-Christians, are more likely to visit your church if they feel like they know something about the pastor.

6. The blog can allow for expansion on the sermon. Most pastors preach around 35 minutes a week. That is an incredibly short time to communicate God’s Word. The blog allows for an expansion and more detailed communication of the sermon.

7. A blog is highly affordable. In fact, it can be free. There are no longer any financial barriers for any pastor who is serious about entering the blogosphere. It’s time for all of you to take that plunge!

Do you have a blog? How often is it published? What is the nature of the content? What reasons would you add for pastors to write a blog?

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