So you want to be a youth work blogger…

I started ministry blogging in my first year at Bible College, which means I’ve been doing it for over sixteen years. It’s an amazing privilege and a joy – and yet it’s hard work and a slog too. There’s been plenty that I’ve gotten wrong, both in front and behind the keyboard. There are many apologies that I’ve had to make over the years. I think that places me well to write this.

I’d love more youth workers to be bloggers because it’s a great way to share experiences, wisdom and resources. Over the last decade I’ve seen many youth ministry blogs pop-up and then disappear almost overnight. This is an immense shame. We need a bit more follow through, and a lot more care.

With that in mind, here are ten ‘rules’ for longevity that I’d like to bring to the blogosphere.

Take it seriously

Set out real time, energy, money, and focus. If you really want to cultivate an audience, then you need to respect that audience by putting in the work. Pray over it and ask God to guide you throughout the process. Don’t just wing it.

Don’t take it seriously

Wing it a little. The best blogs are by their very nature personal and personable. So, don’t try to hide away all your foibles, or iron out all your creases. Don’t work too hard on a professional look, start with good content. As in any kind of writing, a little vulnerability creates great empathy – and great empathy means engaged reading.

Write well

Read lots, proofread, develop your craft, and edit, edit, edit. I shouldn’t have to read a post twice to understand what it’s driving at or why I should care about it. Usually for me this means tell the story, be specific, show your working, and call to action. Then edit, edit, edit! Respect the reader by presenting your content well.

Don’t write well

Remember that it’s still a blog, and so it should be readable on coffee breaks, and understandable on the loo. It’s about consistently adding to the conversation, not trying to have the last polished word.

Actually do ministry

For me, your blog loses credibility if you’re not actually practising what you preach. It’s easy to throw mud into a ring from the outside than it is to actually put the gloves on. A blog should comment on what you know, not speculate on something that you have no experience in.

Don’t do ministry

A blog should go further than just commenting on what we’ve experienced. It should ask big questions about areas we’re not conversant in. It should play devil’s advocate, and graciously engage viewpoints outside our worldview. It should invite other players onto the pitch. A blog is set up to be part of the learning environment, not to dominate it.

Be bold

Be honest and clear about what you believe. Suggest strong changes and push people with genuine challenges. Hold yourself, and those you’re writing to, to high standards of healthy practice and theology.

Don’t be bold

Drop down a few floors from the Ivory Tower. Don’t be pretentious about your aims and objectives, or what you decide to name your blog. Don’t been an absolutist, or subtly side-line others in the arena through back handed passive-aggression. Don’t be anonymous.

Be respectful

Understand that anyone with a public voice should be held to a higher account. Always speak about the others with great care, sacrificial love, and never forget to give the benefit of the doubt – especially if you’re likely to know that person in heaven. If you’re going to call out anybody, make sure you follow the same Bible-driven guidelines you would face-to-face or at a public meeting.

Yup – always be respectful

I know just how much of an ego stroke and vanity cesspool a successful blog can be. This is especially true when you’ve taken a side and rouse an online rabble to join you. Vindication – as good as it might feel – is simply not a holy way to use your voice. Guard your heart, bridle your keyboard-tongue, and pray over every word that leaves your webspace. Treat it as holy ground, surrender it to God, and ask the Holy Spirit to inhabit it. If a post becomes more about you than Jesus or strokes your itches more than worships Him – then delete it. Period.

A Christian blog should never be weaponised, especially against a neighbour.

So, in the end, lead with love. Treat keyboard conversation as you would real conversation. Be aware of the power of your tool. Protect your voice. Honour God with your words and tone. Treat it with respect and again – lead with love. Then go ahead and blog!

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash