Why You Should Start A Christian Blog

 

It's official! This blog is over one year old. In this past year, we have accomplished some amazing (to me) feats. I will cover some of these in this blog post. However, as  I reflect on what has been done here at Nazarene Caffeine, I can't help but wonder if someone else might be feeling the call on their lives to do something for the Kingdom of God. Perhaps someone has felt that way, and has not quite figured out what to do. If this is you, can I encourage you to start a Christian blog? I am being entirely serious when I say this. I think that Christian bloggers, podcasters, and video creators have an amazing opportunity to reach out to people with the message of the Gospel. Let me tell you why blogging is a great first step in reaching the online world.

First, a blog is really simple to keep up, if you choose the right place. At Nazarene Caffeine, I am currently using Blogger. It is fairly simple to use, and I have become very familiar with it over the years. Other options include Wix, Weebly, Wordpress, and even sites like Medium. Of course, a site like Weebly is going to have more features available than Blogger, and will be easier to use for someone just starting out. However, both Blogger and Weebly are relatively easy to keep up. Someone with no coding experience (like myself) can easily create a blog that generates an average of over 1,000 views per month in the first year. Don't underestimate what God may be trying to do through you.

Second, there is a vast audience to be reached online. Practically everyone uses the internet on a regular basis, and therefore we should use the internet in order to reach these individuals. When I started Nazarene Caffeine a year ago, I was not expecting to reach 15,000 people in the first year. I did, and there were several weeks throughout the year that I was simply too busy to focus on Nazarene Caffeine. I took the following screenshots on April 28th

By April 29th, Nazarene Caffeine had reached 15,000 viewers. This only took a part-time commitment of less than 5 hours per week, on average. If this is possible for this blog, it is possible for you, as well. Furthermore, we have seen an incredible amount of growth over the last year, as can be seen in the graph below.

The drop off around September was around the time that I had to step away because of other commitments. That didn't stop some of the traffic from continuing to flow. I look at these statistics like this: Would I have had the opportunity to reach 15,000 people in real life with the exact same message that I presented in my blog posts? I think that it would have been difficult for me to reach 15,000 people, and I would have needed quite a bit of help. Furthermore, I would not have reached the same audience. If I had not started Nazarene Caffeine, I would not have reached people outside of the United States, or probably even outside of my own state. However, Nazarene Caffeine has reached individuals in at least 20 different countries. The shaded areas below are the countries that this site has reached.

In short, there is a unique audience out there for you to find. You just have to take the opportunity to reach them.

Third, you have a unique message that I do not have. God has given you a different experience in life, and likely a different passion, than I have. One of my passions is to help people find free Christian resources and understand how to use these resources. I don't feel like my primary focus should be on, for instance, helping people with their finances. There is a time to step into that role, and I have definitely posted about how to honor God with our finances. However, this is not my primary focus. It may be something that you feel God leading you to. Maybe God is leading you to a different field. Regardless, your content will not be the same as mine, because God's calling on your life doesn't look exactly like his calling on my own life. A quick look at some statistics can show the possibilities when you honor God with your passions.

I see these statistics as a huge blessing.

A fourth reason to start a Christian blog is because there are many non-Christian blogs out there. Some of these offer unbiblical advice that can actually be harmful to someone spiritually. Others are openly anti-Christian and attack the faith. If this were left unchecked and unchallenged, the viewers that you saw above would only hear an anti-Christian message. For this reason, we cannot sit on the sidelines. The world needs Jesus, and a blog is one way to reach a vast audience.

I am sure some of you reading this may be thinking something like, "I would start a blog, but I am not a good writer." I would simply respond to this by saying that you don't have to be a good writer to be a good blogger. There are several blogs that use primarily pictures to convey their message. Or you could try your hand at vlogging, which is simply blogging via video rather than webpages. There are countless options for how to make a blog (or vlog) work for you. No special equipment is required.

Finally, just remember that if God is calling you to do something, he will be with you through it. An old pastor friend of mine used to tell his congregation that "God does not call the equipped. He equips the called." Regardless of where God is calling you, follow through on that call. If it is blogging, let us know. Perhaps there is a way we can help. Either way, let God lead the way, and enjoy the journey.