221. Please Read Pastor’s Blog

I have been writing the pastor’s blog every week for the last eight years. But I haven’t written about why I write a blog in detail. So here are the two reasons I write the blog every week: To reveal myself and to communicate church direction.

First, I learned that it is difficult for church members to know their pastor intimately. It would be best to visit every member and let them know what is on my mind, but that is not realistic. So I take an indirect but more efficient route by writing the blog. Since the goal is to be transparent about me, I mainly write about how I am doing, what I am reading, and what I am thinking. These reveal a large part of my personal life and ministry. But I still find it challenging to uncover myself due to my personality. So it is not an easy process. But I believe continual self-revealing is necessary to reduce miscommunication and build trust with our members.

Secondly, One of my primary functions is to cast a vision for the church. So I use the blog to announce church direction. Some are small, but some are big. I think of it as a “blinker” to give members a heads up what direction we will be taking soon or in the future so that no one is caught off guard. I try my best not to make big announcements without communicating them first to key leaders. But sometimes I have to announce something before anyone knows about it, depending on its nature.

In summary, I write mainly to “prevent” potential problems from happening. And misunderstanding often is the biggest reason for such issues. So I suggest reading it before Sunday service starts. I hope our communication continues to become two ways, to do ministry together without suspicion but with trust.