Mobile Ministry Magazine

**Originally posted @ Trailblazin' Ministries**

Podcasting has been around for a few years now, but it is just now really starting to make its stride with the help of places like Yahoo! and software such as iTunes. With just the click of a button, one can easily link to an RSS feed and immediately start downloading podcast episodes for their MP3 player (or personal computer), and not have to do anything else, especially if your software automatically syncs with your player when plugged in. These days, you can find a podcast on just about any subject you want to hear about from comedy to music and from sports to talk radio. All of those things are great, but for the Christian, there is an emerging area in the podcasting scene where churches and ministries are using podcasting to deliver their message to faithful listeners. In many Christian circles, this podcasting of religious material has been coined the term "Godcasting;" a cute and pointed term that points to the heart of the podcast's content.

Now, I've had an MP3 player for about 3 years now (a new brand & model each year, with my latest being the Microsoft Zune) but podcasting was never one of those things that I got into. I would only use it to listen to music that I had previously purchased on CD or at an online music store. In the past year, I have setup a podcast for Trailblazin' Ministries and have also helped places like Holy Culture Radio get setup for podcasting so that they could continue to reach out to people, but I still never listened to anyone else's podcast. It wasn't until I decided to buy my Zune (after giving away my previous player as a ministry effort) that I made the decision to start listening to podcasts, more specifically godcasts.

What was my reason for godcasting? Number one, I was getting tired of the constant barrage of music that I was giving myself from being a music reviewer, so I wanted something refreshing to listen to that wouldn't cost me any extra money. Secondly, I knew that I wasn't agreeing with some of the doctrine being taught at my church, so this would be an avenue for me to listen to some sound biblical teachers while God is directing me in this transition phase. Finally, I just wanted to podcast and try something new and see how difficult it would be (knowing I wouldn't be using iTunes to get my podcasts). So, I started off with a few podcasts (5 total) that I knew were biblically sound and would be edifying to me; my current list includes: John Piper (Desiring God), John MacArthur (Grace to You), Alistair Begg (Truth for Life), Epiphany Fellowship (in Philadelphia, PA), and Way of the Master Radio.

As of today (December 22nd), I've had my Zune for about 1.5 weeks and been godcasting for just as long. Almost immediately I have noticed a difference in my daily listening routine and the peace that I have in my spirit. From listening to Way of the Master Radio, I finally have some quality Christian talk radio (2 hours worth each day) and it has encouraged me tremendously in desiring to evangelize to people and share my faith, which is something I've always shied from as a Christian. Sure, it's a nerve wrecking experience, but listening to them do it has given me a confidence that I can do it too. Then the sermons by these various teachers have been great as well. Epiphany Fellowship and John Piper are weekly podcasts, so I have an entire week to listen to and digest those without having to worry about getting behind. Whereas Truth for Life & Grace to You are daily 25-30 minute podcasts from sermons they have preached; having these be cut up makes it easier to listen to through the course of the week and have a constant diet of meat from the Word. So, my routine has now become listening to WOTM Radio and a sermon from MacArthur or Begg (or both) in the morning, while listening to music in the afternoons. It has truly made a difference in the way my mind and spirit operates without feeling drained or burdened. It's definitely something that I'm going to continue doing because the benefits are exponential spiritually.

For those Christians with an MP3 player, or if you're even able to just listen from your computer, then I would highly recommend godcasting because the benefits are amazing. We are told that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and one way to constantly hear the Word is through godcasting. Why settle for just hearing the Word on Sunday & Wednesday, when you can get it every day of the week? If you have trouble reading the Word, there are even podcasts out there whose sole purpose is to systematically read a portion of Scripture each day. If you have an MP3 player with video capabilities, there are plenty of ministries out there doing video podcasts as well (John Piper being one of them), so you can watch as well as listen. Nowadays, there is no excuse for a Christian to not be in the Word of God and have Him in their heart, with so many resources like this around.

And for the churches and ministries out there that have yet to jump on the bandwagon, please do! There are so many avenues available for a ministry to start podcasting without any cost out of pocket (such as SermonCloud) which can get you started right away. Members will love the idea of being able to go to the church/ministry website and download the latest sermon, especially for those who travel a lot or have to miss church for various reasons. It's a very easy process and one that is beneficial to everyone in the long run. And even if you still want to try to sell your sermons in MP3 format, you can always simply podcast only a portion of the sermon and have them buy the full sermon if they so desire. Another option would include allowing full downloads of the current month's sermons and then sell the archived versions, or some combination thereof.

In all, godcasting is a win-win for everyone involved: the church/ministry and the listener. It is my desire in 2007 to see many more churches get involved in podcasting, and then to see many more members get involved as well. It is both edifying for the listener and also provides them a means of easily sharing the Word with others. My short time podcasting has proven to be very beneficial and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. The great part about it all is that it doesn't take much to get the podcast setup, nor does it take a lot for the listener to get started listening. If this is something you're interested in, but don't know where to get started, then feel free to contact me via my Contact Page and I'll be glad to help and point you in the right direction. In the 21st Century, podcasting is definitely the way to go!