Earlier this month, I wrote on how churches should consider hiring a blogging editor instead of a blogger. I recognize that many church leaders may know the qualities a church blogger should have, but might not know some of the key differences between that position and a church blogging editor.
I would like to help you with that.
Do note that all people have different talents and strengths and my own experience is one that is unique in itself, so this is not an exhaustive list. On top of that, a church blog editor needs to have most, if not all, of the skills that a church blogger would have.
5 Skills A Church Blog Editor Needs To Have
With out further ado, here is the list of action items to add to your church blog editor’s job description.
- Vision and Voice of the Blog
The biggest responsibility of a church blog editor is not to do grammar or ensure that every image is pixel perfect. Those are secondary characteristics to having an editor that understands the purpose of the blog and pushes a vision that is necessary. This might requiring asking for specific content not yet created or heavily altered (a sermon on baptism may not be a great evangelistic blog post for reaching out to your community). This may come in editing content from a pastor’s sermon from last Sunday, ensuring that the content is readable for the online audience (that could be very different from the congregational audience), and any other inbound linking or promotional posts that are important. - Breadth and Quality of Content
The content that gets shared on Sunday morning is not going to be the same exact stuff that is shared online. People do not necessarily want to read whole novels, instead getting to action steps in bullet points, short videos, or a 700 word blog post. This is the job of the editor, to take relevant content within the church and create something for online use. In someways, you are but a content curator with a very specific pool to draw from. This will require that you have a healthy schedule of posts, keep on people to create content for you to post, and ensure that they are not giving you last-minute, poorly written, slop that shouldn’t pass for something to post. - Create Community, Encouragement, and Freedom
One of the best parts about editing for contributors is the ability to lead in the community. I hope if my contributors were asked if they were encouraged, they would immediately say yes. I critique blog articles, I establish boundaries for scheduling articles, and hard line on specifically writing on church technology. But I also focus on their strengths, celebrate when they have received the results of hard work, and promote great blogging habits. - Blog Titles
Most pastors do not worry about SEO when they write blog articles, nor should they. A well crafted blog title that uses the SEO keyword, is enticing for viewers to click the article, and still be authentic and personable takes time. An editor can directly serve the blog in this way by crafting a great title. Your job is not to make the content, but to make it shine. - Motivate, Clarify, and Support Contributors
One of the biggest unexpected joys of this being the blogging editor for my blog is the ability to create a community of people that want to talk about church technology and how to build up God’s kingdom. We frequently have side conversations about random stuff and I challenge them to make their passionate viewpoints into a blog. Other times, they do not get the results they were hoping and my job becomes to motivate and support them in the process. Even more, when a contributor write an article that does not fit with our blog or makes several mistakes that are easily fixable, my job is help them make those changes. This has created a band of bloggers united under the same banner and created an online fellowship I have not seen accomplished in different forums.
These may not have been what you expected for characteristics to put into a church blog editor’s job description, but I highly value them and would not trade them for anything else.
Blessing Mpofu says
this is so on point! great framework / point of reference for the critical role. very insightful. thanks Jeremy
Jeremy Smith says
Thanks man!