The Blogging Church [Paperback]

Brian Bailey (Author), Terry Storch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2007

The Blogging Church offers church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. Inside you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church. Filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, the authors answer key questions learned on the frontlines of ministry: Is blogging a tool or a toy? What problems will blogging solve? How does it benefit ministry? How do I build a great blog? and Who am I blogging for?

The Blogging Church is a handbook that will inspire and equip you to join the conversation.

The book includes contributions from five of the most popular bloggers in the world—Robert Scoble, Dave Winer, Kathy Sierra, Guy Kawasaki, and Merlin Mann, as well as interviews with blogging pastors such as Mark Driscoll, Craig Groeschel, Tony Morgan, Perry Noble, Greg Surratt, Mark Batterson, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brian Bailey makes two things crystal clear in this book: if you've got a church, then you need to spread your story. And if you need to spread your story, blogs are now an essential tool. Time to pay attention!"
—Seth Godin, author, Small Is the New Big

"I had a lot of questions about blogs and their value for my church. I'm thankful that Brian and Terry are sharing their experiences to answer those questions. Their insights are for everyone in ministry. Whether you are reading blogs, writing blogs, or just trying to figure out how to use the word in a sentence, this book is for you."
—Mark Beeson, senior pastor, Granger Community Church

"My talking head is limited to the pulpit proper. I thank God that there's a tool to reach outside the church, to those that are, sadly, outside the church. Thank you Brian and Terry for The Blogging Church."
—Bob Coy, senior pastor, Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale

From the Back Cover

The Blogging Church offers church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. Inside you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church. Filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, the authors answer key questions learned on the frontlines of ministry: Is blogging a tool or a toy? What problems will blogging solve? How does it benefit ministry? How do I build a great blog? and Who am I blogging for?

The Blogging Church is a handbook that will inspire and equip you to join the conversation.

The book includes contributions from five of the most popular bloggers in the world—Robert Scoble, Dave Winer, Kathy Sierra, Guy Kawasaki, and Merlin Mann, as well as interviews with blogging pastors such as Mark Driscoll, Craig Groeschel, Tony Morgan, Perry Noble, Greg Surratt, Mark Batterson, and many more.

Praise for The Blogging Church

"Brian Bailey makes two things crystal clear in this book: if you've got a church, then you need to spread your story. And if you need to spread your story, blogs are now an essential tool. Time to pay attention!"
—Seth Godin, author, Small Is the New Big

"I had a lot of questions about blogs and their value for my church. I'm thankful that Brian and Terry are sharing their experiences to answer those questions. Their insights are for everyone in ministry. Whether you are reading blogs, writing blogs, or just trying to figure out how to use the word in a sentence, this book is for you."
—Mark Beeson, senior pastor, Granger Community Church

"My talking head is limited to the pulpit proper. I thank God that there's a tool to reach outside the church, to those that are, sadly, outside the church. Thank you Brian and Terry for The Blogging Church."
—Bob Coy, senior pastor, Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (January 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787984876
• ISBN-13: 978-0787984878
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for both beginner and pro! January 18, 2007

By Tally Wilgis

Format:Paperback

I've really enjoyed reading this new book by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch. "The Blogging Church" is not only a great primer for those who are interested in making their church a 'Blogging Church' but it is also a terrific read for the experienced blogger.

Brian and Terry run the gammot on tools and tricks as well as providing great insight in how not to use a blog. One of the benefits to this book is that it takes into consideration the end users and their varied levels of experience. I can't say enough about how effective they combine basic information with stories of application, inspiration and any other 'tion' you can think of.

The novice will be given enough information to drown themselves if they try to absorb it at one sitting. At the same time the experienced blogger will gain a new perspective on just how influential their slice of the internet experience could be when used properly.

Brian and Terry hit the ball out of the park with this first-of-its-kind book for the Christian world. I highly recommend this book for anyone even remotely interested in understanding blogs and their potential impact for the Kingdom. If you're a current blogger who wants to gain a positive reputation for your blog this book is a must! If you've been around for a few years like myself, I believe you'll walk away with a deeper appreciation for what you do on a daily basis after reading what Brian and Terry share in this timely work.

I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of the "The Blogging Church" today.

Tally Wilgis

TallyWilgis.com

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blogging away February 1, 2007

By Todd McKeever

Format:Paperback

I could write so many positive things about this book, so i will try to limit it to a few.

I have to say that I loved this book. I even blogged about on my own blog at [...]and wrote that this book was able to help anyone come to see the importance of blogging.

I love to blog and found this book to be a great encouragement and reinforcement in why we blog. In chapter 5 Brian really does a great job in reminding us that Christianity is about others and how blogging is an incredible way to start conversations, reach out to others, develop relationships and build community.

This book is also good for those who do not understand blogging, not from the technical stand point but from philosophy direction. It will help to clearly shed light on how blogging can reinforce how the church is to be.

Go ahead and order a copy for yourself, blogger or pre-blogger.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for churches, or anyone interested in blogging April 2, 2007

By N. Hyde

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What an extremely useful and helpful resource!

The book begins with an explanation of what blogging is and why it's important. They do a great job of showing how blogging can be an amazing resource for the church, and they cast the vision for how churches can use blogging to cast their own vision.

The authors then proceed to answer every conceivable question you might have about blogging. I'm not a technical guy at all and I don't understand technical mumbo jumbo, yet even I didn't have any trouble understanding anything in the book.

Bailey & Storch support their writing with lots of examples from actual blogs. One of the strengths of the book is the way they consistently turn to other veteran bloggers for input, which they do through some "5 Questions with..." sections scattered throughout the book and a "One Thing" section at the end.

As I read, I was constantly taking notes because there were so many great ideas for producing a great blog, as well as numerous suggestions for writing topics. They also give some great tips for finding the best blogs and managing your reading time.

There's even a section on podcasting!

The Blogging Church is an enjoyable read, but it's also a practical manual that I'll be turning to time and time again.

One of the things that impressed me most was not only the book, but author Brian Bailey. I had emailed him with a question I had about blogging, and he took the time to write a very helpful response. That's how I ended up with my blog on WordPress.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly practical guide covers the how and why of blogging February 28, 2007

By Laurence T. Baxter VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Brian Bailey and Terry Storch have brought together their practical expertise and clear writing style to deliver an extremely useful book that will help many churches to share their story and use blogging to help their ministry. The preface of the book explains... "Blogging is a revolution in communication, community, and authentic conversation; a revolution that churches cannot afford to ignore. Welcome to the blogosphere - the new online home of the curious creature. If you're feeling a little disoriented and having trouble reading the street signs, don't worry, you're holding in your hand the field manual for the blogosphere."

This is a good summary of the book - it describes why blogging is becoming so important, why it's a powerful tool for churches, followed by practical details on how to actually get started. Overall I found the book to be an excellent mix of why and how. Tips and discussion topics I found most interesting include: Don't bury the good stuff; Who is the blog for; the ten steps to a bad blog; pros and cons of comments; what problem are you trying to solve; what is the return on ministry; share the why behind the what; and, should my church become a blogging church. Between most chapters are 'Five Questions' with blogging pastors who have found blogging to be very helpful in spreading the word. The final chapter gives some sage advice from several prominent bloggers including Guy Kawasaki, Dave Winer, Kathy Sierra, Robert Scoble and many others.

The authors have covered a lot of material in 199 pages, and no doubt had to work hard to keep the book focused and brief.... As one who likes tons of detail and discussion, I would have loved to see more info on the use of blogs for team and/or individual ministries within the church, as well as discussion about the relationship between blogging and other technology tools for building community and improving communication (e.g. portals, forums, social groups, wikis, video, streaming, and online collaboration tools such as those developed by 37signals). Then again, all this material would be enough for another whole volume.

If you're trying to figure out whether your church should get involved with blogging, or how to get started in a way that will maximize impact on ministry, "The Blogging Church" by Brian Bailey with Terry Storch is a must-read. (I'm not only a happy reader, but with the help of this book, a new blogger stepping up to the call.) -- Larry Baxter Read more ›