Before law school, I was a professional magician, performing in numerous venues including fairs, corporate events, theaters, and churches. In each of those venues I was called and marketed as a “magician” however, when it came to churches I was a “Christian Illusionist.”
Why doesn’t every profession do this? Why isn’t Joe known as the Christian Plumber? The answer is simple. It’s because Christianity is not just a topic, it’s an identity…its a lens.
Christianity Doesn’t Have to be Your Topic…it Could be Your Lens
There are really three ways to write a Christian blog. One way is to have your content be about the Bible. Maybe you focus on eternal life, what it means to be a son or daughter of the King, etc. The next method of Christian blogging is blogging through what I call a faith lens. This is where your content is filtered through your faith.
Think of this way, its the difference between being a pastor and being an electrician. You wouldn’t expect your electrician to come to your house with a Bible study planned. However, if the electrician is a Christian, his job might be filtered through his faith lens. He might encourage you, pray with you, etc. This is how the second method of Christian blogging works.
Blogging Through a Lens of Faith
You blog about a topic you’re passionate about, but you do it through the lens of your faith. Maybe you’re blogging on business and what it means to have a Christian business. You don’t have to write devotionals and Bible studies, but your faith is integral to your story and your posts.
Too many Christian bloggers deal with the limiting belief that their blog has to be devotionals and Bible studies…it doesn’t. Being a Christian is both an identity and a lens.
If you’re a Christian, you can write from a Christian perspective; but you’re not limited to “Christian” topics. If you need permission…here it is…I give you permission to be you. Write from who you are. If you follow Christ, writing from who you are will naturally go through the lens of who He is. So don’t be afraid to start a nonreligious Christian blog.
In fact, hiding who you are will likely cause people not to connect with or trust you…so if you’re a blogger and a Christian…you are a Christian blogger…whether you know it or not. Just don’t be afraid to let that side of you show in your writing.
Hybrid Christian Blogging
The third type of Christian blogging is a hybrid of the first two. This is where you you write on a topic that might not necessarily be overtly Christian and you have post that are more devotional style as well.
The blog you’re reading now is a good example. I blog on blogging, leadership, business etc, but I also have blog post that are geared towards helping Christians realize who they are in Christ. This is a hybrid blog. I even send out a devotional every Monday to those who go through my free 5-day Quiet Time Challenge.
These devotionals are not to help people start a blog or grow a blog, but to help them grow closer to God. Even though this is a hybrid Christian blog, these devotionals remain within my niche of helping Christian bloggers create, grow, and leverage their influence for the Kingdom…because it helps Christian bloggers focus and understand their faith lens.
Which leads me to the next point, find your niche.
Find Your Niche
If you’re trying to write to everybody, you’ll be writing to nobody. “But…Chris, my content is useful for every person!” That maybe true, but remember, the riches are in the niches. Pick the topic you’re the most passionate about and write through your faith lens.
This will help narrow your audience so people will find you. This will GROW your audience! For example, I’m passionate about blogging, leadership, and Christian Spirituality. So my blog focuses on helping Christian bloggers create, grow, and leverage their influence for the Kingdom.
What are you passionate about? Is is marriage? Focus on helping people enjoy a Christian marriage. Are you passionate about cooking? Start a blog on cooking, you can even use your faith lens to discuss how important family meals are and how to prepare them…or maybe on serving others through cooking.
You are niching down. I know many people will fight with me on this and say it doesn’t work…but then you’ll go off and do it and your audience, influence, and income will grow as a result.
So, take a moment to think about what you’re passionate about…write it down. Now think about how your faith has either impacted or has been impacted by that topic. This is both your niche and your lens for Christian blogging.
Determine Your Blog’s Purpose
Not only should your blog have a purpose, each blog post should have a purpose as well. Each piece of content should be geared towards your overall goal. Why are you blogging?
Is this piece of content pulling you towards your blogging goal or is it pushing you away? You need to know why you’re creating the content.
For example, the purpose of this post is to help you not only niche down your blog, but also free you from the limiting belief that a Christian Blog has to be about ministry or Bible studies. That limiting belief is the problem I’m attacking.
Think about why you’re blogging…write that down. Now for each post you create, ask yourself, does this help my ideal reader solve a problem that’s aligned with my goal?
My blog—focused on helping Christian bloggers create, grow, and leverage their influence for the Kingdom—allows me to attack problems that deal with limiting beliefs, business, leadership, Christian spirituality, etc.
What problems does your ideal reader face? I would encourage you to make a list and start creating content that solves each of those problems…one problem at a time.
Write Write Write
Finally, the most important thing you can do to become a Christian blogger is to write. Blogging is writing and writers write. Use the notes you’ve taken thus far, pick a problem your ideal reader is facing, and start writing. Outline your solution and then fill in the blanks.
Editing will come later. Don’t try to edit as you go, just write. You can’t edit a blank page. When you finish one problem, start with the next. Over time, after consistently posting new content, your audience will grow. Remember, you have permission to be you.
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I’d love to know which method of Christian blogging you’re using. Let me know more about your blog in the comments below.
I was thinking about this earlier today. Christians always feel they need to “preach” in there content instead of be themselves and stick to their expertise. We should let Christ shine through us in anything we do. As a christian blogger, I am trying to find my way with this.
I completely agree. Letting Christ shine through us should always be our number one goal. God created each of us uniquely. Maybe the best way for us to let Christ shine through us is to love others while being ourselves. I do realize this is much easier for me to type then it is to do. I’m still finding my way with this as well. I know many get burned out from the “preaching” when their expertise is their real passion. I believe people can effectively love on and serve others through their expertise. For example, my hope is that Christ shines through me in everything I do, whether it be a Christian devotional or a post on optimizing your blog.