I am going to make a prediction. By the end of this year, and certainly by the end of the next year, missionaries are going to have to have a blog. Just as video and PowerPoint presentations replaced slides, I believe that blogs are going to replace prayer e-mails and letters. Missionaries who do not have access to the internet won't be able to blog. However, much of the world is connected to the internet, and I believe missionaries are going to find that having a blog provides them with the perfect format to keep their supporters more informed about what is happening in the ministry. E-mails and letters can present the larger picture and name the major prayer concerns, but what fills the gap between one prayer e-mail and the next? As the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind." Therefore, the missionary who faithfully blogs will not only connect his supporters more closely to his or her ministry as they read about the daily joys, concerns, and challenges, but her or she will also help their supporters remain faithful to the ministry.
As for the missionaries who do not have access to the interent, they need not be blogless. For as long as there has been a need for missionary prayer letters, there have been those willing to help the missionary with the layout, printing, and mailing. Therefore, it stands to reason that there will be those within the church who will step forward to blog for the missionary who can't. If the missionary can send e-mails (thank you Lord for satellite phones), they could send e-mails to their blog operator who would then post them. I am new to blogging, but seeing the possibilities more than willing to use my limited blogging knowledge to operate a missionary blog.
Tentmakers working in restricted access countries who want to keep their identity and mission a secret for security concerns probably wouldn't blog. Internet Censorship Explorer links to an article on Online Journalism Review, called Iranian Bloggers Protest Government Crackdown on Reformist News Sites, that talks about the recent crack down on political blogs and news sites in Iran and the ensuing protest within the Iranian blogosphere. I cannot comment on the level of security risk blogging would entail for tentmakers within such countries nor discuss the ways to circumvent the blocking and censorship in countries such as Iran and China as mentioned in the article. However, I will say that while blogging is a possibility, the tentmaker would have to consider the benefits (more faithful and informed prayer support) in light of the risk, whatever that may be.
Important Note to Potential Missionary Bloggers: the blogger's handbook is Hugh Hewitt's book Blog.
Comments