It's hard for me to believe that this is my 1000th post on this blog. At times, I've written four or five articles faithfully each week while there have been stretches when I've only written one or two a month. A couple of years ago I decided if this blog was going to be helpful then I needed to be more regular in posting on it, and I have tried to do that. Some weeks it's hard to think of four or five issues to address and other weeks I just have not had the time to post that many. Still, I've attempted to write on things that I hope my readers will find interesting or helpful. My whole purpose of this blog was to provide information that would be helpful to those in church leadership (especially those in bivocational ministry) and to encourage them in the work God has called them to do.
A secondary purpose was to provide a place for small church leaders to dialogue about the issues that were addressed in the blog. I felt that we could learn much from one another. Unfortunately, that dialogue has seldom occurred. It is a rare post that generates even one comment from readers.
I must admit that I am at somewhat of a crossroads with this blog. The number of people who follow it is very small, and the number of people who actually read the posts is even smaller. About 1/3 of those who follow the blog read the posts. Occasionally, that number will increase, especially if ethicsdaily.com carries one of my posts on their site, but the numbers are still very low.
This leads me to some conclusions, each of which have caused me to wonder recently whether to continue to invest in the amount of time it takes to create these articles. Either the posts are not helpful to the readers, the people who should be reading this blog are not aware it exists, or a majority of the people I am trying to reach are not interested in having resources aimed at their particular needs. Based on the number of bivocational ministers serving across denominations today the number of people following this blog should be much greater than it is if it was truly adding value to people's lives and ministries.
By the end of October I will be making a decision about whether to continue with this blog. I really need to hear from my readers for your input. I also need to see the number of followers increase between now and then if I am to continue.
I am not upset by any of this, but I don't want to continue doing something if it is not meeting a need in people's lives.
2 comments:
I enjoy your posts and read almost everyone of them. Your ministry has meant something to me. I know it is tough, but I am bivocational and have had little mentoring. Your posts have served as a part of my growth. Thanks for what you have done.
In Christ,
Dustin Long
Congratulations on 1000 posts!! That is amazing!
This blog was a blessing from God when my husband first found it. Can you believe that four years ago, we had never heard the term "bi-vocational?" We knew the term "part-time" didn't quite fit, but that's what denominational leaders label people like my husband.
As to why people don't comment more on your blog: I don't know, but at my house, my husband spends more time than he wants on the computer at his full-time job. He spends very little time on the computer when he is at home, unless he is actively working on his sermon prep. I'm not sure how often he reads your blog, but it is one of very few he reads... when he reads blogs. :)
Thank you for this blog! Thank you for your time and attention to it through the years. I hope you continue to add to it, but understand that you have other pressing concerns and that each of us have to allocate our resources wisely.
With peace,
R
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