Discover Your Blog’s Purpose: To Equip

Have you discovered your blog's purpose yet? This week we've talked about ways your blog can encourage others and educate others.

Today we conclude with ways your blog can equip others for ministry.

How Can Your Blog Equip Others for Ministry?

• Know your audience. Survey your readers. You can create a free, simple, and functional survey using a website such as Survey Monkey. Ask general demographic questions and questions about why they read your blog. In what ministries are they engaged (these can be as vast and varied as overseas missions to writing children's curriculum)?

• What's your area of expertise? Do you have a particular area of knowledge about which you can write? Think about how your audience's needs match your skills and experience. Your entire blog doesn't have to transform into "The Blog About _____." But you could begin to devote one post a week to this goal of equipping others for ministry.

• With each post you write, answer the question, How does this equip others for the good works God has prepared for them? Writing with the goal of equipping others will give your posts new depth and breadth.

• Frequently feature meaningful and important Scripture in your posts. When you do, you help others:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. --2Timothy 3:16-17 (emphasis mine)

How does your blog equip others for ministry?

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Discover Your Blog’s Purpose: To Educate

Yesterday we discussed focusing your blog's purpose towards a ministry of encouragement.

Today, let's look at the purpose of education.

Maybe you've never thought yourself much of a teacher, but don't sell your blog short. Your readers can learn a lot from your insights and experiences. You can also create an atmosphere at your blog where your readers learn from each other.

Has God called you and your blog to a ministry of education?

Some ways that your blog can educate others:

• Host Bible studies by making "assignments" from a Scripture selection. Discuss your thoughts and insights on the Scripture, then invite comments from your readers. Continue until you've studied an entire book of the Bible.
• Host book studies and discussions. Choose a favorite book (either Christian or non-Christian) and post discussion questions. Engage in conversation about the book's objectives and themes. If the book is not a Christian book, ask your readers to make contrasts and comparisons to Christianity, find Christian symbolism, and so on.
• Explore church history with your readers.
• Write about today's culture from a Christian worldview. Tackle tough topics (politics, entertainment, money, etc.), offering ways to navigate today's world while living biblically.
• Offer your readers a steady stream of your favorite Christian websites. These can be in your particular area of interest (sermons, homeschooling, devotions, etc.) or from multiple topics. Do some research and give your readers suggested sites that will teach them something new.

How does your blog educate others?

image: www.crestock.com

Discover Your Blog's Purpose: To Encourage

Maybe you've been blogging for a few months now and are bored.

Or stuck. Or distracted.

You'd like your blog to be something more, except you can't quite put your finger on exactly what that is.

I want to challenge you to intentionally seek to define your blog's purpose.

As a Christian who blogs, your primary purpose should be to glorify God (as is our primary purpose for all that we do).

But exactly how can your blog glorify God?

This week, we'll highlight three specific missions for your writing that are unique to blogs by Christians.

You may want to devote a specific day each week for each "purpose" with targeted posts or simply keep them as an underlying standard for everything you write.

Writing with a purpose in mind keeps your writing focused and effective.

Today we'll look at the gift of encouragement.

Has God called you and your blog to a ministry of encouragement?

Some ways that your blog can encourage others:

• Sharing your trials and triumphs of experiences that are common to your readers
• Writing about ways God has blessed you, revealed an answer to you, and/or answered your prayers
• Emphasizing the significance of otherwise "mundane" tasks and events
• Posting your favorite Scripture verses and what they mean to you
• Highlighting experiences of women from Christian and church history

How does your blog encourage others? What types of posts encourage those who need to be lifted up? In what areas do you see today's Christian woman needing the most encouragement? How can your writing help?