PROJECT NARRATIVE

            In order to address the purpose statement and research questions central to this study, I decided to use a research problem-solving methodology.

Making Contact

As stated in the introduction, the main research for this study was done through the administration of two online questionnaires, the first to Christian webloggers, and the second to Christian  webloggers who work or volunteer in youth ministry. 

In order to gain participants in my first survey of Christian webloggers, I first posted the following online plea on my personal weblog:

“Your Kind Assistance is Requested

Will you fill out a survey for me?

As you may or may not know, I am currently working on my MRRP (Ministry Related Research Project) to complete my Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with and emphasis in Youth and Family Ministry here (link to BBS), which is somewhat similar to a thesis.

And, as you may or may not know, my MRRP is on blogging. Not just blogging in general, but a more specific topic in regards to blogging. However, I can't really tell you my topic because I am hoping you will volunteer to complete a survey for me, and if you knew what my specific topic was, that might taint your answers.

I am looking for Christian bloggers to fill out this survey. It will be in two parts, one to be answered first and then the other one to be answered not too long later, but neither should take you too terribly much time.

The survey may now be taken directly online by clicking here (link to survey site).

And feel free to spread the word, I would appreciate as many responses as possible. It is my hope that this project will have a positive effect on the blogosphere.

Thank you!”[1]

 

My weblog received on average approximately 65 site visitors per day and had 35 other weblogs linking to it on their blogrolls before the start of the surveying, but I hoped to publicize the surveys to a wider audience.  Therefore, I sent an email request to ten “big name” Christian webloggers, including some whose weblogs receive up to 1000 visitors per day and had anywhere from 100-350 other weblogs linking to them, according to data retrieved from www.technorati.com.[2]  The email I sent included general information on my project, a link to my original post on the survey, a link to where they could take the survey online, and a mention to the fact that they could feel free to promote the survey on their weblog.  I received completed surveys from four of the ten "big name bloggers," and another one emailed to let me know they were too busy to participate.  Several of these bloggers linked to my original survey post and helped bring about more widespread exposure.

            Over the next couple of weeks, approximately 35 weblogs linked to my original post about my survey on my weblog, spreading the word over the (Christian) blogosphere.  Through this linking, interested Christian bloggers came to my weblog and either emailed or commented on my site if they wanted to participate.  Originally I emailed part one to anyone who contacted me desiring to participate in the survey.  After less than a week however, I placed the survey online on a free websurvey site called createsurvey.com[3] that allowed for an easier collection of data.

            After people completed Part One of the Christian Weblogger Survey, I sent them an email thanking them for their participation, assured them of confidentiality, and included the link for completing Part Two online.[4]

            After I had received approximately seventy-five responses to Part One of the Christian Webloggers Survey I conducted, I contacted nine youth pastors who maintain weblogs, whom I found via websearches, and asked them to complete my Blogging Youth Workers Survey.[5]  I also emailed a request to every participant in the Christian Webloggers Survey who had identified themselves as working youth ministry (either professionally or as a volunteer) and asked them to complete this survey as well.  One of the youth pastors I emailed also linked to the Blogging Youth Workers survey via their weblog. 

            In all, I received 121 complete Christian Weblogger Surveys (a complete survey included both parts one and two filled out), 11 incomplete Christian Weblogger Surveys (only part one was completed), and 20 Weblogging Youth Worker Surveys.

Survey Results

Christian Webloggers Survey

            Due to technical problems I was only able to use the responses from 115 participants in my Christian Webloggers Survey.

Study Population

Gender

Male	54%	62 of 115 respondents
Female	45%	52 of 115 respondents
Undisclosed	<1%	1 of 115 respondents

                                                Figure 1:  Gender of Respondents

The study population contained more males than females.  Previous research has suggested two different conclusions in regards to gender population amongst webloggers.  The Perseus Websurvey concluded that in general there are more female webloggers than male (56% female and 44% male)[6], and a Jupiter Research article claimed "blogging is split evenly among the genders.”[7]  A NITLE Census News article supported the Jupiter Research, but also suggested that although the numbers of male and female bloggers are very similar,  interests are different,[8] so my survey results would suggest that perhaps there are slightly more males than females who would identify themselves as Christian webloggers.

Age of Population Surveyed

Age Bracket	Number of Respondents	Percent of Respondents
11-15 years old	2	1%
16-20	7	6%
21-25	29	26%
26-30	23	20%
31-35	14	13%
36-40	14	13%
41-45	9	8%
46-50	6	5%
51-55	3	3%
56-60	5	4%
Undisclosed	2	1%

                                                Figure 2: Ages of Survey Respondents

The average age of respondents for my Christian Webloggers Survey was 34 years old.  The youngest respondent was 11 years old, the oldest was 60 years old. 

As stated earlier in this paper, statistics suggest that the majority of weblogs are created by younger generations, the Perseus Websurvey concluded that 92.4% of blogs are created by those under the age of 30.[9]  In my survey, only 53% of participants were bloggers aged 30 years and under.  However, my survey was not promoted to teen webloggers, or on any teen targeted site, and thus only nine participants ended up being aged 20 years or younger.  For the purposes of my research, I was primarily interested in adult respondents. 

Blogging Tool/Service

When asked what blogging tool or service they used, here is how survey participants answered: 

 

Blogging Tool or Service	Number of Respondents	% of Respondents
b2	3	2%
Blog Studio	1	<1%
Blog-City	1	<1%
Blogger	54	47%
Blogger Pro	1	<1%
Handcode the html by hand	4	3%
iBlog	1	<1%
LiveJournal	1	<1%
Movable Type	33	29%
Own PHP Creation	1	<1%
Pivot	1	<1%
Pmachine	2	>1%
Radio Userland	1	<1%
Typepad	5	4%
WordPress	4	3%

                                               Figure 3: Blogging Tool or Service

A variety of blogging services represented was ideal because each is known for it's characteristic users (i.e. LiveJournal is known for being popular amongst teens,[10] Xanga is known for being popular amongst Asians,[11] Movable Type requires you to have  your own website, etc.) and a broad population sampling in this area was more desirable to represent these characteristics.  Blogger is the blogging tool/service provider leader for not only participants in this survey, but also overall in the blogosphere according to statistics elsewhere.[12]

Geographical Location

Country	Number of Respondents	Percent of Respondents
United States	79	70%
Canada	13	11%
Australia	7	6%
United Kingdom	5	4%
New Zealand	2	<2%
Malaysia	2	<2%
Bosnia	1	<1%
Brazil	1	<1%
Nicaragua	1	<1%
Philippines	1	<1%
South Korea	1	<1%
Sweden	1	<1%
Ukraine	1	<1%

                   Figure 4: Geographical Location

            When surfing the blogosphere and visiting weblogs of English-speaking Christians, it does not take long to realize that the majority of them are created by those in the top three countries that are represented in my survey.  There are also a growing number of weblogs created by Christians in Asian countries. 

            It should be noted that from what I was able to ascertain, the respondents living in Bosnia, Brazil, Nicaragua, and South Korea, and one UK respondent were all Americans doing missions work, teaching English, or on student exchange programs overseas.

Professions

            There does not appear to be any research that has been done previously on the subject of the professions of webloggers, I was unable to find any statistics elsewhere.  I was pleased to receive responses from a wide variety of respondents profession-wise, including many students and ministry professionals, as well as writers, parents, those working in computer-related fields, and various others. 

 

 

Currently in Education
Middle School/High School Students	5 respondents
College Students	13
Graduate Students (Seminary)	3
Ph. D. Level Student	1
Educators
Teachers (Elementary, Middle School, and High School)	6
College/University Instructors/Professors	4
Ministry
Pastors	6
Missionaries	5
Youth Pastors	4
Other Fields
Web or Computer Technologies	18
Housemaker/Housewife/Stay-at-home Dad	13
Other Professions	11
Writer/Journalist/Reporter/Editor	8
Engineer	3
Arts Related Fields	3
Company Director	2
Retail Management	2
Disabled	2
Unemployed	2

                                                                             Figure 5: Professions

 

• Some respondents listed more than one profession, therefore numbers will not add up to 115.
•  

Denominational Affiliation

            When asked what denominational affiliation or church they currently attend, participants in the survey answered the following responses:

Denomination	#	Denomination	#
Baptist	10	Baptist (Reformed)	1
Non-Denominational	10	Baptist Union of Western Canada	1
Baptist (Southern)	8	Bible Church	1
Not Identified	8	Brethren	1
Presbyterian Church in America	7	Church of Christ	1
Roman Catholic	7	Church of God	1
Christian Reformed	5	Church Plant	1
Episcopal	5	Congregationalist	1
Presbyterian	4	Conservative Congregational Christian Conference	1
Anglican	3	Eastern Orthodox	1
Church of the Nazarene	3	Emergence-type church	1
Evangelical Protestant	3	Evangelical Covenant	1
Vineyard	3	Evangelical Free Church	1
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America	2	Evangelical Friend ("Quaker")	1
Evangelical Presbyterian	2	Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada	1
Home Church	2	Indigenous Nicaraguan Evangelical Church	1
Interdenominational	2	Methodist (United)	1
Methodist (Free)	2	Orthodox Church	1
None	2	Orthodox Presbyterian	1
Pentecostal	2	Presbyterian (Liberal)	1
Alliance	1	Presbyterian (Orthodox)	1
Assembly of God	1	Seventh Day Adventist	1
Baptist (Fellowship)	1

                                    Figure 6: Denominational Affiliation

All I required for people to qualify to participate in the survey was that they identify themselves as "Christian" and maintain a weblog.  Because of this, the denominational affiliations of respondents was very mixed.   The largest denominational group was 18% (21/115) of respondents identifying themselves as some sort of Baptist (including "Baptist," Southern Baptist, Fellowship Baptist, Reformed Baptist, and Baptist Union of Western Canada). 

            65% of respondents also indicated that they were currently involved in ministry, 13% professionally, and 52% indicated they volunteer in various ministries.

 

Reading Habits

When participants were asked how many blogs they read on a daily basis, click here to see how they answered.

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                                    Figure 7: Pie Chart of Daily Reading Habits

Blogs Read Daily	Number of Respondents
1-5	13
6-10	34
11-15	16
16-20	14
21-25	6
26-30	5
36-40	7
46-50	4
65-70	3
100	1
No Answer	12

                                                   Figure 8: Blogs Read Daily

74% of respondents who answered this question read between 1 and 20 weblogs daily, with 60% reading 15 or fewer weblogs per day.  These numbers are great for relational ministry.  When someone reads a larger number of weblogs, it is harder to remember details and have enough time to interact with the writers.  Reading a smaller number of weblogs would seem to allow for better quality interaction and a better chance of deeper relationships.

When asked if their family was aware of their weblogging, 87% of survey respondents (100/115) said at least one family member was aware that they keep a weblog.  25% of respondents (29/115) said one or more family members read their blog on a "regular basis."  Another 10% (12/115) said family members read it "sometimes."  Many who said someone in their family was aware of their blog stated only one family member was, and that family member was often usually their spouse or mother.  One respondent said her teenage daughter reads her blog and comments occasionally.

            Some comments on the aspect of family members reading one's weblog include the following: 

-                     "Blogging is the only way I can get my family to listen to anything about my faith.  They think they know what Christianity is and they won't talk about it with me.  They will read my blog.  It's been wonderful to be able to communicate about my faith via the blog…"[13]

-                     "I've been pleasantly surprised that I've been able to communicate with my family this way when we haven't had any luck talking about it."

 

While not a large number of family members seem to read their blogs, some bloggers are having success dialoging on topics and sharing their faith that they have never been able to do so any other way.

            23% of survey respondents stated that they interact with people from their church community through blogging.  Of those who interact with members of their church community via blogging, they averaged interaction with 5 church members, but 61% of those who interact with church members this way interacted with less than four members.   One youth director even stated that she had tried to get youth interested in weblogging, but that it had not caught on.  Eight other participants said members of their church community do not blog but read their blog.

 

Blogrolling

When asked how many weblogs were on their personal weblog's blogroll, this is how respondents answered:

Number of Blogs on Blogroll	Number of Respondents	Percent of Respondents
0	3	2%
1-9	15	13%
10-19	29	25%
20-30	24	21%
31-40	10	9%
41-50	11	10%
51-60	5	4%
61-70	2	1%
71-80	2	1%
81-90	2	1%
91-100	7	6%
>100	4	3%

                                                Figure 9: Blogs on Blogroll

Of those with more than 100 blogs on their blogroll, the given answers were 146, 176, 180, and 300 to 400.  Survey participants often stated that they only included blogs on their blogroll that they would recommend to others, and thus their blogroll did not always include all of their regular reads.  59% of respondents had between 1 and 30 blogs on their blogroll. 

Relationships

20% (23/115) of those surveyed stated that they do not know anyone on their blogroll “in real life.”  On average, respondents knew four people included on their blogroll “in real life.”  Six respondents stated they knew between 20 and 40 people "in real life" who are included on their blogroll. 

Only one respondent knew or had met everyone on their blogroll.  It is also important to note that 22% (25/115) of respondents stated that they knew people on their blogroll "in real life" but had never actually met these people in person. 

The final two statistics speak highly of people's perceptions of the quality of internet relationships, with almost 100% of respondents linking to weblogs of people they have never actually met in person, and 22% of respondents considering the quality of their internet-based relationships high enough that they state they know people in real life whom they have never actually met in the flesh.  The fact that these relationships exist convince me that relational ministry is possible through weblogging. 

When asked, "What percent of Bloggers on your blogroll are Christians?", this is how survey participants answered:

Percent Christians	Number of Respondents
None	2
10%	4
25%	6
30%	2
40%	3
50%	7
65%	5
75%	9
85%	2
90-99%	21
100%	48
No Answer or "No Idea"	5

                                    Figure 10: Percent Christians on Blogroll

Overall, 69% of those surveyed stated that between 90-100% of the bloggers on their blogrolls were Christians.  As many respondents commented that they only blogroll weblogs they would want to recommend to others, the lack of blogrolling non-Christians  implies a wariness and caution to promote the weblogs of any non-Christians through permanent linking.  Some respondents stated that they are always surprised to find non-Christians linking to their weblogs, and a few survey respondents even answered that they had asked non-Christians to remove a link to them in the past because they did not want to be associated with the linking website or it's content. 

When asked "Do you regularly read the blogs of any non-Christians?  If yes, approximately how many?  Do you link to them?" 17% (20/115) of participants exclusively read only weblogs written by other Christians.  29% (33/115) of participants regularly read the blogs of non-Christians but do not link to them.  A large majority of those who "regularly read the blogs of non-Christians" read only 1 or 2 of such blogs.  Most identified the "non-Christian blogs" that they read as ones pertaining to a specific interest of theirs, such as sports, computing, teaching, or cultural affairs.

It would seem from the statistics from these answers that many Christian webloggers are wary to link to others who are not of the same faith.  One respondent stated "There are two blogs I read on a regular basis who I am not sure of their religious convictions.  I only link to one of them."  Christian webloggers seem to not want to "promote" through their linking or recommend non-Christian blogs to anyone to read even when they have some kind of a relationship established with the blogger.

Surprisingly, less than half of respondents (48%, or 55 of the 115 participants)  stated they were listed one or more Christian bloglisting services (like blogs4God.com).  Several stated they were unaware of such services, and a few stated that they were not interested in being associated by faith in a bloglisting service or weblog ring.

Although there was some confusion about the question "Would you consider yourself to be a part of a Christian circle of blogging?" the results of the question were as follows:

-                     23% (27/115) of respondents said no, they did not consider themselves to be part of a circle of Christian blogging.

-                     Many stated that yes, they did feel as though they were a part of a Christian circle of blogging for one or more of the following reasons:

§         They only read the weblogs of other Christians

§         Their readership is mostly, if not all, Christian

§         They are linked to by only other Christian bloggers

§         They are part of an explicit blogging community like “St Blogs”[14] or “The Blogdom of God,”[15] and a few mentioned being linked on blogs4God.com.[16]

§         They post primarily on Christian topics

§         They include mostly Christian content on their site

§         They are a Christian, so yes therefore are part of the Christian blogging community.

One survey participant stated the following:  "That's an excellent question. I do (consider myself to be part of a Christian circle of blogging). I think that every Christian has a duty to help, to inform, to support others. I seek out, and link to others whose writing implies they think the same way. But, except for one small badge, I don't make it explicit." 

When asked, "Would you say you have a personal relationship with any non-Christian bloggers?" 29% (33/115) of those surveyed said yes, they do.  About half of those (14% of all surveyed) stated that these were internet-based relationships, and 15% stated that these were bloggers whom they know outside of blogging.  One respondent, who was of the 71% who did not have a personal relationship with any non-Christian bloggers stated it bluntly that no, they did not have any such relationships because "I haven't been able to build a relationship with a non-Christian blogger but that's because I don't leave comments on non-Christian blogs nor do they on mine."  Two respondents specifically stated they would love to build relationships with non-Christian bloggers.  Not many responded with the enthusiasm of this blogger: "Definitely. There are lots of non-Christian bloggers I talk to on a regular basis with and are friendly with."

            I was curious if bloggers utilized other mediums of communication to communicate with their fellow bloggers, and felt it important to ask "Do you interact with other bloggers in ways besides blogging?  (Blogging would include reading and commenting on blogs)."  The survey respondents answered:

Way of Interacting	Number of Respondents	Percent of Respondents
None (only blogging)	15	13%
Email	81	70%
Instant Messenger	46	40%
Telephone	21	18%
Regular "Snail" Mail	15	13%
In Person	23	20%

                  Figure 11:  Communication Outside of Blogging with Bloggers

27% (31/115) of respondents also stated they had met people in the flesh whom they had originally come to know through weblogging.  Several stated that they were scheduled or planning to meet other bloggers in the next few weeks or months.  These statistics again speak of the quality of relationships created through weblogging.

            With 87% of participants interacting with webloggers in ways other than simply reading and commenting on blogs, the statistics tells us that webloggers are highly communicative and interactive people.  They do not just maintain their weblogging relationships through the medium of weblogging, but instead branch out to other communication modes.  They are willing to go beyond the given medium when developing and maintaining relationships they first found through weblogging. 

Readership

I asked survey respondents whether or not they were aware if they had any regular non-Christian readers of their weblog, and if so, what percent of their readership was.  17% (20/115) said no, they do not have any non-Christian readers.  28% (32/115) said they did not know or have no idea as to whether or not any of their regular readers are Christian. Three out of the 115 respondents said the majority of their regular readers are non-Christians.  Six out of the 115 respondents said half of their regular readers are non-Christians.  Of the 55% of respondents who stated they have regular non-Christian readers, approximately 35% had only 1 or 2 non-Christian readers, and approximately 35% had less than one-quarter non-Christian readers.  One respondent commented, " I do have one friend that is not a Christian that is reading my blog regularly that I hadn't seen for years and through my blog we have reconnected and building a new friendship. He's not blogging, but reading. I have no idea how many others, I know that through the Blogger Idol that Darren Rowse[17] has started I've had comments from people I've never met, some I don't think are Christian. So that's cool."

            When asked how many hits or visitors per day their personal weblog received, here is how respondents answered:

Number of Hits or Visitors	Respondents*
20 or less	27%
21-40	22%
41-60	14%
61-80	12%
81-100	8%
101-200	11%
201+	6%

     Figure 12: Hits/Visitors Daily

* It should be noted for this question that 5% of survey participants did not answer this question, and 17% of participants stated they did not know the number of visitors visiting their site, so percentages on this chart have been calculated using only 78% of total participants in the survey.

 

            As we can see from the statistics, most of the webloggers participating in the survey have small audiences, 49% of those who knew the answer to this question received 40 or less site visitors per day. 

            While my site received about 65 unique hits, or visitors, per day before the surveying began (it has since gone up), I can only say I have at most 15 dedicated readers who visit my site regularly (either every day or every few days), the large majority of my visitors are one timers.  We can probably assume the same of most of the weblogs that were surveyed, one of the major conclusions of the Perseus Weblog Survey was that blogs have nanoaudiences, the large majority of them are only interesting to a handful of individuals.[18]

            Think of the nanoaudience like the small group… small groups are great for people getting to know each other.  But blogs focus more on a certain individual (the writer) than a small group would, and are often more promoting of one-on-one interaction.   

            The nanoaudience factor, the one-on-one factor, and commenting systems available with blogging leads me to conclude that blogging is great for relationship building, and thus relational ministry.  If I comment on the weblogs of those who read mine, interact with the comments left on my site, and perhaps email, instant message, or snail mail my nanoaudience, I am being relational.  If I take the time to encourage, offer suggestions to, pray for, and dialog with my nanoaudience about situations and ideas in their lives and their weblog posts, I am doing relational ministry. 

Writing Habits

Identity on the internet has been an issue for many years.  For some bloggers, it is a big issue, but 59% (68/115) of respondents surveyed did give their first and last names.  22% (25/115) of respondents gave only their first name, and 19% (22/115) blog under a pseudonym.

25% of respondents said that they had had inappropriate comments left on their blog, including foul language, personal attacks, sexually explicit commentary, and other random comments.  8 % of respondents (9/115) said that they had had internet stalkers. 

Some of the comments left on internet stalkers included:

 

-                     " I have had a few different people 'stalk' me after reading my blog. One time a guy told me that he knew I was the one he was going to marry just because he had been reading my blog and liked what I had written. He even went as far as to say he was going to move to where I lived."

-                     "A man emailed me all the time.  I don't think he was dangerous, he was just really bossy."

-                     "A man got my telephone number because it was published and called a

lot.  It was… odd.  And it made me feel weird about having so many of             my intimate thoughts online."

 

            I asked those surveyed whether or not they have any fears about giving personal details on their weblog, and 30% of respondents (34/115) said that no, they did not have any fears.  Fifteen respondents stated they have emotional boundaries when writing in their blogs, nine respondents stated they have "personal boundaries."  22% (25/115) said they are wary of giving their location or address.  Six respondents stated they were cautious of giving personal details due to internet stalking that had happened to them previously.  20 respondents did not use names of family members and family details.  Two respondents had been warned by their employers not to blog about work details.  Seven respondents stated they keep work details private.  Four respondents stated that they were wary about blogging about church details.  One respondent said they had been asked by family members not to post "private details" and "family squabbles."  Another  respondent said information on their blog had led to a family disagreement. 

Some interesting comments on the issue of personal details include:

-                     " I have tended to keep my blog as a place away from people I know personally to explore my thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or of hurting anyone."

-                     "Once in a while when I get weird comments I worry that I have given too much information."

-                     "I don't give away real deep feelings in my life like how lonely I get being single. I try to keep it lighthearted because i don't want anyone seeing all that kind of stuff .it's too personal if my family is reading it."

-                     "There are two guys that read my blog that have repeatedly tried to stir up trouble for me. One even has a background of doing that sort of thing to other youth pastors."

-                     " When I began roughly four years ago, I was naive. That has changed via experience. I have through mistake, misapprehension, and misapplication nearly lost my job, damaged irreparably a relationship with a potential spouse's parents, and been brought before the elders of a church where I was teaching a college-age study. In only the first case was there any merit to the problem, but blogs are necessarily free from context and so readers often apply their own imagined context to the text - resulting in conclusions far from those intended."

-                     "As for personal life stuff, yes, I do often times battle with whether I should share it or not. But, it's not because of strangers, but rather, because of my close friends and family. I just sometimes feel like I don't want to reveal to them some of the deeper day-to-day struggles that I have. But, I'm slowly coming out of that fear and I do share more now than I used to. I think the thing that turned that around for me was the first time I decided to share that I was having a hard time with something and I got a response I was not expecting. That response was that my friends also have those feelings. Who knew?!"

           

 

When asked "Do you intentionally include Christian topics in your blogging?  Why or why not?" 15 % (17/115) of respondents said that no, they do not intentionally include Christian topics in their blogging.  However, of the 98 respondents who said they do intentionally include Christian topics in their blogging, the large majority of them stated that it just comes through naturally, it is not something they think about.  They intentionally include Christian topics because Christ is whom their life is centered around.  Three respondents said sharing Christ intentionally is the purpose of their blog.  Only one respondent said no, they do not include any Christian topics in their blogging as that is not the intent (a linguistics/teaching blog). 

When asked if they try to intentionally "reach out" (minister) through their blog, 43% of respondents stated they did not.  28.5% said they intentionally reach out through their blog, and another 28.5% stated that they do not try to intentionally minister through their blog, it just happens that what they write ministers to others. 

It seemed from the comments given to this question that most respondents did not have trouble with being naturally expressive about their faith.  Some comments that would reflect this are "I include Christian topics in my blogging because my life is centered around Christ, so that just comes through," and "Absolutely (I include Christian topics)...it's who I am and is a natural flow of my thinking," and "Yes (I include Christian topics) because it is part of my life - it IS my life."

However, some respondents also stated that their inclusion of Christian topics was very intentional, such as this participant who stated: "Yes. I want to defend Christianity from objections. I want people to see Christian reflections on things Christians don't often enough reflect on. I want Christians themselves to be challenged in their thinking. Much of the reason is simply that I think about Christian topics because I'm a Christian, and I write about what I think about, since that's what I'm most likely to have something to say about."

A few respondents stated their caution on being "too Christian."  One respondent answered as follows: "Yes, (my inclusion of Christian topics in my blogging) reflects my life.  However, I don't want non-believers to feel very uncomfortable when reading my blog," and another stated simply "I mention my faith once in a while, but I don't make it a regular thing on the blog. It isn't something I talk about much."

Most respondents were very positive, saying their discussion of Christian issues and writing from a Christian perspective is a natural outpouring of their faith.  "I do (write about Christian topics) because that is a part of my life, Christianity influences how I think and perceive the world, there would be no way for me not comment about those topics."

Another participant in the surveys gave this interesting perspective: "Christianity stands on its own merits; unless I'm debating a point of authority, or making a religious statement, I try to build my writing around an invisible structure. Something that has Christ in its bones, not on its shirt, if you know what I mean."

I asked those who intentionally try to minister through their blog (57% of those surveyed) if they felt they were reaching out to Christians or non-Christians.  17% of all respondents stated they feel they minister specifically to Christians through their blog.  Only (5/115) of respondents stated they try to specifically reach or minister to non-Christians through their blog, but 20% (23/115) of respondents stated they feel they are reaching out or ministering to both Christians and non-Christians through their blogs.  Some comments on this question included the following:

-                     "I try to be encouraging through my blogging which could help other Christian bloggers simply by sharing triumphs and tragedies. Non-Christians I hope would see my faith and possibly be encouraged to learn more."

-                     "I try to be a part of the non-Christian world (without, of course, compromising my own beliefs) so they may notice God through me."

-                     "Christians may find the things I write to be more of a help to them than non-Christians, but I don't set out to write a post with the intention of 'Hey, this is really going to bless someone.'  I don't sit down to post with the intention of ministering to someone. I pray that God will use me through my blog to draw people to himself, but I don't see the blog as a ministry per se. I guess in a way my pastors do see it as an evangelism tool -- but they see evangelistic gifts in me that I just think of as my way of talking about my faith."

-                     "(I reach out to) non-Christians. I hope to get across the point that intelligent, thinking people can also be Christians and that there are some Christian, like myself, who don't claim to know all the answers."

-                     "(I reach out to both) Christians--reminding them of their vocation to love and to serve. Non-Christians--reminding them that they are beloved of God and desired by Him from before time began."

-                     "(I reach out to) both. I've had some very heartfelt conversations with both Christians and non-Christians because of my Blog."

-                     "I would like to reach out to non-Christians by showing them a different view of a believer than many of them seem to have. By that, I mean a more tolerant, warm, and less hypocritical individual."

-                     "(I reach out to) Christians. Since they are my brothers and sisters they are the main people I am to be in fellowship with, and they are the people, outside of my immediate family, that I should be encouraging."

-                     "People have seemed to connect to what I write and I've been contacted by many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, who have said that I've encouraged them or they've enjoyed some particular piece of writing. I don't intentionally try to witness to or admonish people through my blog, but it sometimes just happens."

-                     "I guess that I do try to write things that are helpful for other Christians both in their thinking and in their living. I do not write with non-Christians in mind because I do not think that they read my blog."

-                     "I feel I am reaching out more to Catholic Christians. The way I see it, a non-believer won't be very moved by reading my blog. But if I can encourage a fellow Catholic to truly live out their faith then they will touch many more people in their personal lives- whether a family member or the guy bagging their groceries."

 

The large majority of survey participants seemed to be positive about incarnational ministry, they gave the impression that they truly desired to reflect Christ in their lives and write from that viewpoint.  Although many were wary of and not in agreement with intentional preaching from a blog, most stated they believe themselves to be reflecting Christ in their blogging. 

Blogging as a Means of Ministry

When I asked "What is your opinion of the concept of blogging as a means of ministry, as a way to reach out/minister to other Christians and/or non-Christians?", the opinions on this topic were greatly varied.  A few were vehemently opposed to the idea of blogging being used as a form of ministry.  Some were concerned that the medium is too impersonal.  Some were concerned that it would be done without any tact.  One respondent was opposed to the idea of any sort of computer-based ministry because it is not "God ordained."  Some stated that blogging should not be used as a form of ministry because it does not create real-life flesh-and-blood relationships.

            But, the majority of respondents thought that blogging as a form of ministry is a great idea, "if you can make it work."  Many stated that blogging is a great way to come into contact with others whom you would never have any other way of being in contact with. 

            Many stated they believed the community aspect of weblogging is great for Christians to interact with and minister to other Christians.

            "Real Live Preacher"[19] was named by three respondents as a good ministry model online, and "Catholic and Enjoying It"[20] was mentioned twice.  Several respondents identified blogging as a valuable medium for discussing apologetics and theology with other believers.  A few respondents also stated that "the emerging church" has been using blogging as a valuable communication and discussion tool.

            Many also stated they were unsure how well a ministry tool blogging would work when trying to reach non-Christians.   

            There were many comments on blogging being a good lifestyle ministry, but not a good evangelistic tool.  Respondents commented on the fact that it would be hard to have a successful "preaching" weblog to non-Christians, however a well-written weblog about life as a Christian would be more apt to be well-received by non-Christian readers.

            Some of the comments on blogging as a means of ministry include:

-                     "I think that it is a great way to reach a sector of the population who might not be affected by Christianity any other way. As for Christians it offers the chance for a broad community of believers and thinkers to exchange thoughts."

-                     "In the fact that bloggers tends to be a little more open and honest, I think it's a good way to set up lifestyle ministry. As a purely evangelistic tool, I think it's pretty lacking in scope. You have to be interesting enough to get people (Christian or non) to want to read your site, and you're not going to get much non-Christian readership by preaching."

-                     "I think there is potential. I know I often read something which speaks to me at the moment. While I do believe that there is a sense of community among many Christian bloggers, it is the personal face to face contact which would be missing. Nevertheless, I know God has used me many times to speak to other bloggers in need, although this is usually by email from a blog rather than an entry. I have also emailed other bloggers on the spur of the moment and found that my words were used as ministry. Again, these were people with whom I had a relationship, even if only email."

-                     "I think blogging can be and is a ministry. It encourages relationships and allows Christians to reach out to non-Christians in a medium which is friendly and accessible. One of my non-Christian friends reads my blog sometimes and I hope that through what I have written, she will see what God means to me and what He has done. It's a non-confrontation arena and it's an opportunity to invite people into your life this way."

-                     "I think for some it will go well but I believe that face to face contact is extremely important. I don't think it should be a stand alone ministry if possible."

-                     "It can help build bridges when you can't physically meet."

-                     "Real ministry happens in the context of relationships."

-                     "My concept is to just put myself, my thoughts and feelings, out there, unedited and authentic, and transparency begets transparency, so that people may see Christ in me, as well as other parts of me too."

-                     "If you include a commenting system… then you have a forum for discussion, which I guess could be used for ministry .... I think that if you tell people about your faith in an active attempt to spread the gospel, they should be allowed to react to that, ask questions and think it through - otherwise you are hitting them over their heads with the gospel…"

-                     "It could be a great way t o find hurting people."

-                     "Blogging as a ministry can be done, but I think in order to be successful you have to build a rapport with your readers. Just telling people what to do isn't usually enough, you have to gain their trust and guide them to discover the truth (make that The Truth) for themselves. You can't argue people into accepting Christ."

-                     "If you are able to do it great. Christ said to go our into the whole world and preach the Gospel. Blogging can be a means to this end."

-                     "The concept of blogging is much like journaling in public. We often keep our spiritual beliefs hidden and private, and a blog gives an opportunity to say openly those things we don't often say. It is also somewhat bi-directional and interactive, so a blog can create something like a discussion in a living room among a group of acquaintances. So I think it has a lot of potential. It's fairly anonymous, so people can feel safe about responding to what you have written. That said, the internet is so vast that it is difficult for people who might be inclined to join in such a discussion to find out about you, so I'm not sure just how effective blogs are in the long run. Time will tell."

-                     "Blogging, at its finest, is a form of communication. It's slower and both more and less precise than other forms, but if you are diligent, you can use your blog as both a tool of debate and an agent of change. That lets you do two things, speak and connect with people, and if you're lucky, provide help or solace. I try to approach blogging as a conduit of love, and of putting my care for humans into a more-or-less concrete form."

-                     "I see blogging as an extension of who I am and how I live. I 'reach' out to those around me (both Christians and non Christians) in real life when the opportunity arises - I take this same approach with blogging. Its not something I intentionally make a ministry but opportunities have arisen at times to play a part in what God is doing in others lives."

-                     "It is VERY MUCH useful to encourage those who feel isolated (like stay-at-home moms and particularly those who homeschool) because there just aren't too many of us out there and the likelihood that we live in each others' neighborhoods is remote. The internet makes the world so much smaller and makes it easier to find likeminded individuals so as to feel less isolated and alone, like you're the only one in the world doing what you're doing."

-                     "It is a great way to minister. I am able to share the things that God is doing in my life to encourage and build up others in their faith. It also helps introduce people who aren't believers to the reality of what Christianity is about. Community blogging allows us to keep in touch with the other people in our church and lets us encourage them when they are going through a tough time. Also a great way for teachers to be able to pass on the things that God is saying so that they can teach others. I could go on for ever on this topic, but it's tough to write in this little box. :)"

-                     "I think it's great, a new approach so to say. As more and more people engage in blogging, I think it's a whole new place for e-vangelism."

-                     "Blogging is God-sent. For some of us, elderly or disabled or living in very rural places, it is one of the only ways available to reach out, to serve. In urban areas among the able-bodied it may not be so much so, but for me, it still lets me teach even now."

-                     Any form of communication can be an avenue of ministry. But blogging for me is a particularly personal kind, more like 1-to-1 conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging Christian Youth Workers Survey

 

            One of the original goals of my project was to connect with weblogging Christian youth workers to determine if and how their approach to weblogging is different than the "mainstream Christian weblogger."  It was my hope to discover blogging youth workers who were connecting with youth via this medium.

Population

Gender

 

            Of the 20 persons surveyed for the Christian Blogging Youth Workers Survey, 70% were male and 30% were female (14 males and 6 females).

Geographical Location

 

Survey participants were located in the United States (15 participants), Canada (3 participants), the United Kingdom (1 participant), and Malaysia (1 participant), once again very reflective of popular Christian weblogging countries.

Church Affiliations

 

            Participants in this survey attend churches of the following denominations and types:

-                     Assemblies of God

-                     Air Base Chapel service

-                     Christian and Missionary Alliance

-                     Church of God

-                     Evangelical Missionary

-                     Free Will Baptist

-                     International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

-                     Non-denominational (4 participants)

-                     Presbyterian (3 participants)

-                     Reformed Church in America

-                     Southern Baptist (2 participants)

-                     United Methodist

-                     Vineyard

-                     Wesleyan

 

Ministry Position

 

                        Figure 13: Ministry Position of Youth Workers

"Youth Pastor" in this chart includes those who identified themselves as being the youth pastor, an associate pastor with duties primarily as youth pastor and young adults pastor, a youth and family pastor, and a junior and senior high pastor.  The category of "Youth Director" includes one "interim youth director."  "Caregroup Leader" includes a Life Group leader and a Carecell leader.

 

Half (10) of the participants in this survey were paid professional youth workers and half were volunteers. 

Church Statistics of Youth Workers

Church Size

 

            Church size varied greatly with those participating in this survey. 

              Church Size chart goes here

Figure 14: Church Size of Youth Workers

Those with churches over 400 participants included ones with 700, 1500, and 4500 in attendance.

Youth Group Size

 

            66% of those participating in this survey worked with youth groups of less than 40 adolescents.

                                             Figure 15: Youth Group Size

Age Groups Worked With

            90% of those surveyed work with 11-18 year olds, who, as we saw earlier, are the main blogging age group. 

Age	Number of Respondents
Birth-10	5
11-18	18
18-23	6
24-30	5

                                                Figure 16: Age Groups Worked With

Numbers do not add up to 20 as some youth workers stated they work with more than one age group.

 

Reading Habits

 

            14 of the 20 respondents (70%) stated that they read other youth ministry blogs on a regular basis.  Of those who read youth ministry blogs, the average read 9 on a regular basis.  Some only read 1-3 youth ministry weblogs, while several read up to 20.

When asked whether or not blogging had "encouraged or facilitated them in youth ministry," 80% of respondents stated that it had.  Some comments to this question included the following:

-                     "I have learned from others in ministry through blogging."

-            "I have been encouraged that some of the youth workers are like me."

-                     "I have picked up some good ideas (from other blogging youth workers) and the prayers and support have been wonderful when I have needed them."

-                     "In reading other people's blogs, I find that I'm better able to notice trends

-                      I think it helps me recognize where the young adults I come into contact with are coming from ideologically."

-                     "Great support network!"

-                     "I have found inspiration and ideas from reading others thoughts and ideas."

-                     "It has given me ideas how to teach on particular topics, and has been a

place to bounce situations off other believers as I seek wisdom."

-                     "It is a great place to have to hear about what others are doing, to process those thoughts on my own blog and to have some dialogue around those ideas."

-                     "It is good to hear the ideas and experiences of others."

 

Relationships

Blog Audience

 

I asked respondents who their weblog's main audience was.  60% of the paid professional youth workers identified their blog's main audience as other youth workers.  Overall, 35% of those surveyed identified their blog's main audience as other youth workers.  Only two survey respondents (10%) identified "teen bloggers" or "youth" as being  among their main audience.

Adolescents Online

 

When asked "Are the youth you work with aware that you blog?", this is how respondents answered:

                         Figure 17: Are Your Youth Aware of Your Blog?

Of the 10 respondents who stated youth are aware of their blog, 70% said only 1-4 youth were aware of the blog and/or read it.  One respondent (5%) said all of the church was aware of their blog, it is linked through the church webpage.  One respondent said their blog is a total secret.

            The majority of those surveyed worked with youth groups of under 40 youth, and therefore were less likely to know of any youth who blogged themselves, as compared to those with larger youth groups who would have a higher chance of coming across such youth.  I also asked whether respondents were aware of any youth that they work with who also blog and 40% answered yes, 60% answered no.  Those who responded "Yes" to this question (8 respondents) stated that they were aware of "some," 1, 5, 6, and 15 of their youth who also blogged.  Of those who are aware of their youth who blog, only 2 youth workers regularly visited their youths' blogs.  2 others visited their youths' blogs "sometimes" or "occasionally," and one stated they did not ever read their youths' blogs.

When asked "Do you include any of your youth and/or other adolescents on your blogroll?  If yes, how many?", 17 respondents (85%) said "No."  Of the three respondents who said yes, one had 5 adolescents on their blogroll (not from their youth group), one had 7 adolescents and 8 college students on their blogroll, and one had a link to their youth group's group blog.

            When asked "Do you regularly visit the blogs of any adolescents, whether you work with them or not?" 16 respondents (80%) said "No."  2 respondents said they regularly visit the blogs of adolescents they do not work with.  1 respondent regularly visits the blogs of her 2 daughters and the blogs of 3 friends' children.  The respondent stated "They are all Christians , and I love reading their blogs – the evidence of God's faithfulness in rising up the next generation is very encouraging!"

1 respondent regularly reads the blogs of adolescents to "see where they are."  1 respondent said when they get a chance they like to read the blogs of adolescents to "get a glimpse of their world and see what they are concerned about and writing up."

Instant Messenger

 

I asked respondents "Do you communicate with any youth via instant messenger?" as it is very popular with adolescents.  67% said yes and 33% said no.  Those who responded "yes" to this question  had anywhere from 2-100 youth on their buddy list (7 respondents had under 15 youth on their buddy list, one had 50, and one had 100).  Most communicated with youth via instant messenger several times a week, although a few stated they seldom communicated that way.

Conclusions on the Blogging Christian Youth Workers Surveys

 

            It would appear from the statistics gleaned from this survey that blogging Christian youth workers, especially those who are paid professionals in the field, are encouraged in ministry by their weblogging.  They network and dialog with other youth workers via blogging.

            However, the large majority of them are not connecting with their youth, or any youth for that matter, through weblogging.  They are, for the most part, not utilizing blogging as a tool to reach out and minister to adolescents online, whether they know them or not.

            I was encouraged to find that one youth worker surveyed had linked to a group blog contributed to by members of his youth group.  With the large numbers of adolescents who go online regularly, I feel it is important to attempt to connect with them via the medium of the internet.  Although blogging is only one way of connecting online, it does not seem to be being grasped by youth workers as of yet.  I hope this will change.

            We know youth want adult involvement in their lives and adult friendships, they need support from people who have been where they are at and people who are willing to encourage them in developing their relationship with Christ.  If youth are online blogging, how can we encourage youth workers to connect with them there?

Continue on to Conclusion