Spark2Flame

As I mentioned a few days ago, I want to see some changes come to this blog and the Burn Frequency podcast.

I’ve been pretty sparse around here, but I do have things I want to share that I believe will help people. This led me to look at sharpening the focus and diversifying a bit or a lot.

I have a passion to connect with people, help people, and see the Church be all it’s supposed to be. That comes in the form of encouragement, challenges, helpful information, and more.

This is what hit me recently. My passion is not only seeing churches worship and understanding its importance. I also have a passion for seeing churches reach out effectively and one area many are lacking is in the technology arena.

Now a church of a thousand or more probably has a full-time tech person, but what about churches like the one I am a part of? We may be growing, but we’re consistently around 50 people. Does that mean we shouldn’t or can’t use technology as a meaningful way to engage our community, our church, or even the world?

No, I don’t believe that at all! Just as with worship, many times there’s a spark where you know something can be more powerful but you don’t know how to get there. Technology is certainly the same. There are so many services, so many social media applications, so many opportunities that it can seem overwhelming or the learning curve too steep. That’s what Spark2Flame is all about.

I may be on my way, but I’m not a full-fledged geek (i.e., expert) yet. I’m essentially an outsider who has to figure these things out like 98% of other small church pastors and staff. I don’t believe that we should miss out on what God is doing and using for lack of understanding or time.

This is what I’m proposing as a new focus and what I will attempt to do—

• introduce you to and review applications and services that will help in your church or life
• aid in understanding why social media and technology will be an effective way to reach and show Jesus
• still talk a lot about and explore worship, worship leaders, the Church, and life
• turn the podcast into a more informational and conversational platform that will explore all these things and how they intersect
• Involve more people in getting the message across on the blog and the podcast
• still have fun and inject some humor into all this!

I’m happy to say that many people—not just younger people—are excited and truly “getting” the benefits of these media. We’ve had lots of excuses as small churches, but no good reasons. That’s not to be harsh, but I do hope to help remove some of the anxiety and fear that surrounds some of this.

More and more churches see the potential, but many people don’t know where to start. Maybe you're just part of a church and you can help see these things utilized. Lord knows pastors need help!

I realize that I am not the only blogger or podcaster attempting these things, but I do hope to help and start a great conversation.

Here’s what I want to see: you get behind this and alert someone who needs to hear this.

Okay, so what do you think? Will you stick with me—are you on board? Do you see this as a real need? I would love to hear your thoughts.