What is MinistryGeek This Week all about?
This podcast will be about Technology in Ministry (big surprise huh?). We will post a new episode each week on Wednesday mornings and we we deal with a number of different topics related to using technology in various aspects on ministry. In some ways this new podcast will be an extension of this blog and what I teach in my Ministry Technologies course at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver. Dale, Caleb, and I all love the Lord and we love finding new ways to use technology to spread the message of the Gospel and build up the body of the church. We hope you will join us.

Listen or download our first episode here. In the next few days this should be available through iTunes on your computer and we hope you will subscribe to it and listen when you can.

Let us know what’s on your mind
If you would like to comment on the show, or ask us a question, email it to MinistryGeek@edge.net. We look forward to hearing from you.

So What is a Podcast?

The word podcast came from the term Portable On Demand broadCAST. It was not directly connected to Apple’s iPod devices (although they certainly made podcasting more “portable”). In its simplest form, a podcast is an audio blog. They are audio files linked to a blog format website with an RSS feed so people can “subscribe” to the content. “Podcatching” software, like iTunes, allows listeners to set their computers to download these files automatically when new audio sessions are available. Once downloaded, they can be sync’d to an iPod, phone or other mobile device so they can be heard any time, any place. Pretty neat huh?

Talk Radio on the Internet

But there are two podcasts that I want to make you aware of that are going beyond just repurposing Sunday morning sermons, recorded Bible classes, and devotional talks. Both of these “programs” fit more of a talk radio type format. Rather than posting a sermon audio, they discuss topics, events and issues from a Christian perspective. These programs are made for podcasting and they are well worth your time to give a listen.

iPreach the podcast

iPreach, hosted by Dale Jenkins and Adam Faughn (both full time preachers), is a talk show format podcast for preachers. These guys have a great time doing this show and interview some great folks (and no I am not saying that just because I have been on their show) about what is going on in preaching around the Brotherhood. Recently, they recorded an episode live from our Ministry Technology class here at Bear Valley. It was a blast! This show is recorded live using TalkShoe.com and if you go online while the show is being recorded you can live chat with Adam, Dale and their guests, ask questions and comment. You can check out iPreach using iTunes here or on TalkShow.com here.

Engage! – Where Christ and Culture Meet

Engage!, hosted by Caleb O’Hara, Wesley Walker and Joe Wells, is a recent addition to the talk show podcast format. They discuss current, cultural issues from a Christian perspective. The show strives to deal with what is going on in the culture around us and to bring a biblical world view to it. They have had topics like; Sports and the Christian, Suffering, and even The Oscars. This show is recorded live on Monday evenings at 8:00 p.m. Central Time on Talkshow.com as well. You can check out Engage! using iTunes here or on TalkShow.com here. They have also built a website to provide additional material at www.engagepodcast.com.

Both of these podcasts show how how this tool can be expanded beyond just sermons. Imagine starting a talk show type podcast in an area where the church is just getting started. or a podcast that talks to teens about their issues as Christians, or a podcast discussing questions about the Bible. The possibilities are staggering if we will just look at these tools and ask ourselves how we can use them to build up the church and spread the message of the gospel.

Check out these two podcasts and let me know what you think. Also, if you know of other podcasts in the brotherhood, share them here. We would love to hear about them.

During the lectures, they decided to broadcast (and record) their iPreach podcast LIVE from the Student Center on the Freed campus. I got to be on as a guest and we all had a great time. If you aren’t familiar with iPreach you should be. You can find it by searching “iPreach” in iTunes or follow the link here. If you would like to listen to our LIVE night from Freed, just follow this link. iPreach is a podcast for preachers and teachers and is fun and informative. check it out.

The next morning Mike and a fellow worker of his met with me to discuss how they might use technology to reach out into the area. We talked about a number of things, but at one point Mike said he liked the idea of recording very short (2 or 3 minute) audio files that he could then use for evangelism issues. Providentially, as I went about looking at new tools and techniques during the week I discovered Audio Boo. Audio Boo does exactly what Mike was asking me about – you can record very short (3 minute maximum) audio clips and post them to the web. The service is very much like Twitter (a little like Facebook) in that you can “follow” certain peoples “boos” and they can follow yours. The downside of this service is that it is for the iPhone only at this point. (I realize that leaves a great many people out of the loop, but it isn’t my product.) You simply download the app to your iPhone and set up your free account online and you are ready to Boo! One of the great feature of this service is that you can have AudioBoo automatically “tweet” your posts on your Twitter account and/or post it to your Facebook profile status for others to hear. You will also be able to subscribe to the podcasted Boos through iTunes on any computer. This is certainly a niche product that may not appeal to everyone, but it seems like the potential is there to deliver your message in a new a interesting form.

We’ll have to see if this service really takes off or not, but it certainly fits the need that Mike was talking about. I have recorded my first Boo and you can listen to it here. It should also appear in my Twitter posts (@jmhite) and in my Facebook profile. As you can see you can also embed the player into your website or blog.

Listen!
NON-IPHONE USERS – AudioBoo does provide a service for those without an iPhone (it is called PhoneBoo), but the catch is you have to call a phone number in the UK to make your recording. Obviously not very practical for those of us in the U.S. You can use Skype to call the number and save some coin, but that does cause another link in the chain to keep up with. One of the advantages of the iPhone app is being able to create your audio anywhere, anytime.

While this may be cool for some, (especially ministry tech geeks like me), it begs the question SO WHAT? I mean, what is the big deal about being able to put your sermon presentations online? Does that really matter?

Well, it might. Obviously leveraging the power of your visuals with your audio will help you communicate more effectively. If not, why did you build the PowerPoint presentation to begin with? But it goes beyond that…or at least it should. 

The report also states that the number of podcasts available to Internet users has exploded in the last two years. In 2004, Podcast Alley, a popular podcast directory website listed fewer than 1000 podcasts available for download. That same directory now lists over 26,000 different podcasts, representing over 1 million episodes in November of 2006.

Churches need to consider how they can use this tool to tap into a wider audience for delivering audio files online. The Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver currently podcasts chapel sermons and presentations through the BVBID Chapelcast. You can subscribe free to this podcast through Apple’s iTunes (also free) or get more information from the Institute’s website. The Bear Valley church of Christ Sermoncast is just beginning to podcasts their sermons and some Bible classes and the Parker church of Christ in Parker, CO. has a good selection of episodes available as well. You can find others through the iTunes Store within the iTunes software. Remember that subscribing to these podcasts is absolutely FREE!

While a number of these concepts and technologies were very new to them, I was very excited about their reaction. A number of people asked if I was going to podcast the presentation and as much as I hate to admit it….we didn’t tape it!! I know, dumb move. I may try to go back and screencast it to make it available later though. I had a number of preachers ask if I could come talk to their elderships or members about this stuff. I definitely saw a spark. Please pray that this word can be spread and that more and more preachers will see the value of using these technologies to help their congregations spread God word and grow themselves.