Jason Harris interviews Albert Garlando for InFocus

JH: I know you’re a busy man, so I appreciate you taking the time to share with us. First, just let us know a little about yourself. Where you pastor, your family, background, etc.

AG: I am married to Rachel (18th anniversary last November) and have one daughter, Lily who turns 5 at the end of January and will be starting Kindergarten in 2011.
I am a lead pastor in an independent church in Kogarah NSW called Grace Chinese Christian Church (GCCC). I lead one of the English language congregations.

I was born and raised in Ingham, North Queensland as a nominal Roman Catholic. I came to Christ whilst in high school in March 1985 (and was baptised a bit later) through the ministries of the Ingham Independent Baptist Church, pastored then by Wally Jaworski. While in year 12, after hearing a series of messages by Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., I applied to Sydney Bible Baptist College to pursue training in vocational Christian ministry.

I served in various Sydney based Independent Baptist churches in the capacity of an Assistant or Associate Pastor (sometimes with the title, sometimes not). In 1997/8 we had an opportunity to travel to East Africa and do itinerant gospel work (teaching, training, church planting, starting clinics and schools, etc.) in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. I’ve returned since to speak at training seminars and conferences for local pastors.

For most of my ministry I’ve worked bi-vocationally. That is, I worked a full-time normal job in addition to my ministry role. This isn’t uncommon amongst Australian churches, especially independent ones, but many still consider it a bit strange and don’t count it as “real” ministry. Following a redundancy from one of my “normal” jobs I started seeking full-time paid ministry roles. After a short time, GCCC called me and here I am.

JH: I’ve followed your blog, God is My Constant, for several years now and appreciate how you use it. Can you give us an idea of how you got started blogging and why you choose to blog?

AG: When we got back from Kenya the use of personal websites by the likes of Yahoo and a few ISP’s was popular. Back then they were mostly used to post pictures of pets and hobbies. A few churches had seized the opportunity to set up rudimentary websites with basic info. I started doing this for Grace Baptist Church in Seven Hills. I readily used Phil Johnson’s Bookmarks as a resource and eagerly followed his early Pyromaniac blog.

I had a go at setting up my own blog with an apologetic emphasis and even had the name “apologies” (in fact the default url of my WordPress blog still has it). Now, when I write, I am primarily thinking about my own congregation. I want to encourage them to think through issues, events, and art from a gospel perspective. I don’t often comment on the big controversial doctrinal issues that the evangelical pundits are fighting over unless I get asked about it at church or it has the potential to influence my people.

A benefit of a blog is that I can supplement my preaching and teaching and expand on some details. When I write (at the moment 2-3 times per week), I can also provide snippets and introductions to other authors, blogs, and books. My goal is to stir people up and provoke them to think a little more deeply. For instance, I can write something about gambling around Melbourne Cup time that equips people to be more thoughtful and intentional about how they live and breathe the gospel at their work place. Rather than trying to “fit that in” to my sermon the Sunday before, I can better shepherd and feed my people God’s counsel. It also frees up my preaching to be more focused on expositing the text rather than only reacting to issues.

JH: What kind of time commitment does your blogging habit (makes it sound a bit like a bad addiction!) require?

AG: How long is a piece of string?

Depending on the type of article or entry, I may spend about one hour “blogging.” I allocate time in my schedule, usually Wednesdays, for writing. This includes blogging, sermon preparation, and other teaching and writing I am involved with. I try, as much as possible, to integrate my blogging with my reading and studying. That way I’m not distracted and the blog becomes just another perspective or medium to discuss things I’m already involved with. I will usually prepare a few articles or posts and then schedule them to be posted throughout the following week. If I see, hear, or read something somewhere else that prompts a spontaneous post then I can quickly include that also, but most of my articles are pre-scheduled.

JH: Is blogging for everyone? For instance, I think some pastors feel like they don’t have the technological know-how to blog. Is blogging just for the younger, tech-savvy pastor?

AG: I think my answer is, it’s not for everyone… to the same extent. Some are put off by the “techy” bells and whistles that some churches and pastors use. As a result the pastor thinks blogging is not for him or his flock.

Whether it’s a sermon outline, bible study questionnaire, devotional paragraph, or a full doctrinal position statement, every pastor is capable of writing. They may just need some help transferring their content to a blog medium.

John MacArthur is a good example. He doesn’t own or use a personal computer (see here, footnote 3) yet he is a prolific writer and author. Phil Johnson and a team of others transpose his work into various formats including blog-type articles. You don’t need to be John MacArthur, but there’s a good chance someone in your congregation knows their way around a website. When I started a website for Grace Baptist, I used my Senior Pastor’s sermon notes (that he provided) as material. Maybe there is someone in their church that can serve in this way as well!

JH: Over the years, have you ever had someone visit the church or find out about the church from the blog? Has it ever provided you with evangelistic opportunities?

AG: I have seen a handful come visit in the last couple years. Not sure how many have stayed on. I have had one guy that had drifted away, come back to church as a direct result of some interaction with the blog.

There have been a few gospel opportunities that have come as well. I have had many substantial conversations with non-Christian friends over things that I have written, quoted, and commented on (they usually respond to a Facebook or Twitter link to the blog). One thread in particular had a few people chiming in. It was reminiscent of the old bulletin board and forum days.

JH: Every medium has it’s benefits and dangers. What are the biggest dangers of blogging for pastors? What tips can you give for dealing with these dangers?

AG: The biggest issue, certainly that I have witnessed is to not be gracious with either readers or writers. Certainly the medium runs the risk of being a little too impersonal—but then the same could have been argued about books, pamphlets, articles, monographs used effectively by pastors, teachers, writers, speakers, etc. throughout all history. A book written in 1700 is no more or no less “personal” than a blog post. However both readers and writers seem to be a little less tolerant and forgiving in the “blogosphere.”

As a pastor, beware the temptation to “vent” on your blog without being accountable for what you have written. I have been guilty of this in the past and subsequently have withdrawn or deleted blog posts. Blogging tends to be short, concise, and more abbreviated than a drawn out conversation or lecture so bear that in mind when writing. Break up your posts into parts if needed and be more self-critical of what you write when you do. Don’t compromise your ministry and integrity through a silly blogging indiscretion.

As a reader, be gracious to other writers, remembering that just as you misspeak when preaching and mistype when blogging, others do also. If something sounds a little off, or abrupt, or inaccurate, learn to politely inquire before you launch your “heretic-seeking missives” in the comments field.

JH: Let me wrap it up with one more question. What have you found most rewarding about blogging as a pastor?

AG: In my homiletics class at bible college, the teacher stressed one very important principle that many a young preacher (and old ones—myself included!) need to hear repeated often: “The mind can procure only what the seat can endure.” Or perhaps the more well known admonition: “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid). In other words, don’t do what I am doing here—waffle on!

Blogging is helping me be more disciplined in my teaching and communication. The brevity of the medium forces me to be more precise and concise in conveying my thoughts. The rewards I’ve experienced during “blogging” have given me an opportunity to think more deeply about scripture, the nature and character of God and ministry, and then in turn try to write about that succinctly. That’s an area of personal growth that I am still developing.

JH: I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for sharing with us.

I want to further support this purpose by focusing today on the question “Should pastors blog?” I’ve interviewed two pastors to ask them this question. Today’s interview is with Bob Bixby.

Jason Harris interviews Bob Bixby for InFocus

JH: I know your time is valuable so I really appreciate you agreeing to this interview. Could you start out by giving us a quick overview of who you are and what you do?

BB: My name is Bob Bixby. I am one of three pastors at Morning Star Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois. Our church has about 230-240 that attend each Sunday and about 100 of those are under the age of 18! I am the founding pastor (we started in 2002 with about 35 core people) and am by virtue of my tenure sort of the “lead pastor” although I am not personally fond of titular distinctions. My role in the church has been changing from being the sole teaching pastor to sharing that role with one of the other pastors. This has allowed me to invest more time in thinking about the future as well as preaching (although “Pastor for Preaching and Vision” as John Piper is called at Bethlehem would be far too grandiose a title for what I actually do.) My visioneering consists of asking ministerial imponderables such as, when I consider the leaders God has brought to our church,  “How can we keep all this giftedness around here without any money?” It also includes a more active interest and involvement with the children and teens, the future of the church.

I have a wonderful wife. We’ve been married for 20 years this coming June and we are not ashamed to say that “most” of those years have been wonderful. I was a Type-A, work-obsessed, driven person for too long and it took a toll on our relationship but it did not diminish my wife’s love for God, the ministry, or for me. Perhaps I’ve over-corrected now. The pendulum has swung to the always-so-glad-to-find-another-excuse-to-stay-home-with-the-fam side, but the marriage is so much more fun!

I serve in an amazing church. Jennie and I are in awe about what God has done here. God has collected a very interesting and eclectic group of people with some outstanding gifts and has planted all of us in a city with a very bad economy and absolutely nothing more exciting than the occasional opening of a gonna-last-only-three-years restaurant. And yet we grow. Truly, I have learned that the obsession with demographics that so many church planters have is over-kill. If God wants a church some place, it’ll happen. Period.

JH: I’ve followed your blog, Pensées, for many years now (both the old one and now the new one) and have found it very helpful. First, can you tell us the background to the name of the blog and tell us how it’s pronounced. (!) But second, can you tell me why you, as a pastor, choose to blog.

BB: There is nothing mysterious about my choice of a blog title. Actually, when I started blogging, I literally knew of only two people that blogged. I was kind of a pioneer from my own perspective. At the time I felt kind of outside of fundamentalism because of a bad experience, was suddenly on the bad side of the good old boys, and had no audience but the 30 or so people that came to our church plant. Somebody told me about blogging and I decided to try it. When I was asked to give the designer a title (I don’t think Blogspot or WordPress even existed back then), I tried to think of something that would represent me. I thought of the word “musings” because that would imply that I could write something without too much accountability for grammar or historical accuracy! I was just musing after all; not writing a dissertation. And my musings would be short (so I surmised). Anyway, that made me think of Blaise Pascal and his famous collections of short thoughts (Pensées) and I thought it was fitting since I had grown up in France. Thus, the title. And the subtitle, Musings of a Contented Misfit, still fits. You pronounce Pensées pAHn-say. Kind of. With a French accent, of course.

Honestly, I wrestle with the blog thing. Perhaps it’s the comments section I should can. I don’t know. As my church grows I get busier with counselling and I simply don’t have the time. I have a friend who pastors a church with over 3,000 people. He says that the hardest time of his ministry was when his church was in the 150-300 range because it’s big enough to demand lots of time, but not big enough to have an adequate staff. On the other hand, blogging is a way to gain influence. There is no doubt that my blog has made friends for me and drawn people to our ministry. (We’ll ignore for now the fact that it has also made some non-friends, “enemy” being too harsh a term for professing brothers!). I actually have another blog that I do with the other pastors and it targets our congregation. It is very useful to disseminate all kinds of information and thoughts to them. As for Pensées, the new site has not fully taken off yet because I have not really sold my soul out to it yet. It’s demanding.

Should pastors blog? I think the answer is yes. But it probably should be more like the site that I share with the other leaders in our church. See, for example http://msbcstuff.com/. We also put up the next Sunday’s liturgy and book reports, etc. Whatever we think is helpful. However, the beautiful thing about a blog that targets a larger audience is that you don’t have to fight for an audience. If you write well enough on any topic, you’ll get discovered. And it’s not arrogant to want an audience. As ministers of the Word we believe we have something to say that needs to be heard. I liken blogging to standing on a street corner and speaking as loudly as you can!

JH: So you’ve highlighted a distinction between the personal blog (Pensées) and the “church blog.” I think that’s a helpful distinction because a lot of pastors tend to associate blogging only with the blog wars they see now and again. So looking at your “church blog” specifically, what percentage of your members would you estimate read your posts there regularly? Also, do you find that it is less time consuming than Pensées?

BB: The church blog is less time consuming because the other pastors contribute to it as well. I do not know exactly what percentage of our congregation reads that blog, but I don’t think I’d be off the mark to say the large majority. Our church is a young congregation and so they are pretty in tune to the whole connection by internet concept. Interestingly, a very small percentage of people in my church read my main blog, the one that outsiders know about. And, frankly, I’m happy with that. I don’t really think it’s necessary that they experience the “blog wars,” etc.

JH: Let me change direction here for a moment and ask you about the macro trends for ongoing learning for pastors. In the past, I think pastors have tended to read books and theological journals as a way to stay sharp on theological trends and larger issues and then subscribed to a few magazines to stay abreast of the latest developments in matters relevant to Christianity. Could you comment on how you think this has changed or might change and what role blogs can/should/will play in ongoing pastoral learning?

BB: I think blogs are overrated. I hardly read them myself. I have about twenty on my reader and every third day or so will peruse the titles to see if anything catches my eye. I doubt I read more than two whole blog posts a week. I’m old fashioned when it comes to reading and do not feel like I have really absorbed something unless I have physically held a book or journal in my hand. So, I’m a bad person to ask about this subject. However, having said that, I also think that blogs are underrated. They are not going to go away. They’re available and accessible at all times. My blog will lay dormant for a long time, but if I write something provocative I’ll have over 600 reads a day for an extended period of time. That is something you certainly cannot do with the printed page. And, additionally, the readers are presumably interested readers. If they selected your blog post it is because they are interested in the topic. I had lunch with Justin Taylor and several other pastors recently and this very topic came up. The pastors were all from very large churches and they all said that they hugely benefit from Justin’s “Drudge Report”-style collection of articles and information that is going on in the evangelical world because they are too busy to keep up with what is going on. I can sympathize with that. At the same time, I found it fascinating that Justin seemed to shrug off the impact of blogging and its long term role in pastors’ ministries. I do not know why. Perhaps, like me, he doubts the value of getting information overload.

JH: Information overload… that’s a good segue to my next question. As with anything new, there will be benefits as well as dangers. What do you consider to be the biggest dangers for pastors who blog? Perhaps you could also comment on how you seek to address these pitfalls in your own blogging.

BB: I think that there are potential pitfalls for the blogging pastor. If you allow commenters to opine on your blog you always risk getting ensnared in a debate that has spun away from the original track. Some people seem determined to miss the obvious intent of the blogger and they are so effective at it that you wonder if they went to school to learn the skill. Blogging is risky in that you really don’t know who will read your post. I once saw an article that I wrote about my daughter and adoption posted on a radical feminist blog in which everything that I said was ripped out of context and I was being villainised and people were pitying my daughter as if she had been captured by a cult!

A more subtle danger is that a blogger can both overestimate and underestimate his influence. I think both possibilities are risky. Overestimating your influence is obviously dumb, but it could lead to an over-investment of time in something that distracts from one’s main ministry. Underestimating one’s influence is also dangerous because it could lead to a carelessness about what one writes or how he writes it. I have erred in both ways.

My own solution is to treat my blog as a “ministerial hobby.” Generally, hobby and ministry would not go together. A hobby is supposed to be a distraction from the pressures of ministry. But in the case of my blog, I don’t commit my soul to it, don’t worry about investing lots of time to keep it up, and do it when I have time that does not take away from my local church ministry. But, I’m trying to think more ministerially about it and reflect a little bit on the pastoral/ministerial goals I could pursue with the blog.

JH: It’s important to be aware of the pitfalls of blogging, but let me finish up by asking you about the benefits of blogging. What have you found most rewarding about blogging as a pastor?

BB: Blogging has opened up many vistas of relationships, connections, friendships, and influence that I truly do not believe I could have had otherwise. I’m shocked by how many people tell me that they’ve read a blog post and what it meant to them. Though, I’m not nearly as active now as I used to be, I still get mail from people I’ve never met that ask questions or say nice things about what they’ve read. It’s been a real blessing.

I think the biggest blessing for a pastor, however, is that the blog enables him to leave his personal opinions about almost everything away from the pulpit and just exposit the Word. Pastoral opinions matter. They should matter to people. But in the end they’re just opinions. The blog affords an opportunity for the pastor to opine on many real-life issues and frees him from the temptation of trying to sneak it in during his pulpit ministry. Blogging has helped my preaching stay purely expositional and I have hardly ever wandered off into secondary issues to opine or coach our folks on how they ought to think about a particular matter. They get my opinions, but not from the pulpit!

JH: Amen. I really appreciate your perspective on this and look forward to continuing to follow your blog.

I’ve known Alen Basic (pronounced bash-ich) for about four years now. Alen joined GMT not long after he got saved and has been an active member of the forums since that time.

In March this year, Farid redefined his role on the forums in order to focus on his role as director of GMT. Alen has stepped in as Head Admin of the GMT forums and is doing a great job!

I wanted to give you a chance to get to know Alen a little bit. Alen has agreed to an email interview which follows.

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JH: How long have you been on the leadership team at GMT?

AB: I have been on the leadership team for about two years now (maybe a bit more/less). I started off as the Connect editor before being made a Moderator. Now of course I am the Head Admin.

Alen Basic (left) with Farid Wardan

JH: As the new Head Admin at GMT forums, what is your vision for the forum side of things?

AB: I have so many ideas to run with but I guess the main focus is to help GMT continue to maintain its purpose statement: “To develop a network of edifying relationships, to nurture a sincere pursuit of and love for the truth, and to cultivate an environment in which believers can be conformed to the image of Christ for the glory of God.”

I would love the forums to have a big outreach and be a place where everyone fellowships and checks out what’s new with everyone. I think some other online mediums have helped push forward a level of interactivity I would like displayed in GMT.

JH: Do you see the internet forum as a useful medium for theological interaction in the long run?

AB: I think the internet forum has a lot of pros and cons but I would argue that it indeed has its usefulness in theological interactions. You have the advantage of coming across a wide variety of views and beliefs and this help enables you to deepen your understanding of other beliefs while helping you ground yourself.

It’s useful because it is a familiar format and it is non threatening. It’s easy to dig in and get involved in any level of discussions. In saying all, that I don’t think forums are the only way to go but I see them for at least the time being the most relevant and most useful medium for interaction in theological discussions for young people.

JH: I understand that your local church needs to play the biggest role in your own spiritual life and growth, but what role, if any, has GMT played in your spiritual life and growth over the years?

AB: GMT helped me study things out. There are a lot of issues I wouldn’t have discussed or even been aware of unless I was involved with GMT. As a result of these “controversies,” I’ve been prompted to read my Bible more and study out not only these issues but study the Bible to get to know God better.

Jason Harris, Farid Wardan, Alen Basic (left to right)

JH: If someone were to come back to you ten years from now and tell you the impact GMT has had on their life, what would you want them to say?

AB: I guess depending on the people, you will get different answers on how it helped them, but overall I guess I’d want to hear that GMT was a place of fellowship when they had no other place to go and that they developed a lot of strong relationships on the forums that have really helped them mature in Christ.

I’d want to hear that perhaps they just went to church every Sunday and just believed whatever it was that they were being taught with no grounding in it but now due to their beliefs being challenged on GMT, they now have grounding. They now know what they believe. They might not necessarily changed convictions but they know how to defend their convictions straight from the Bible.

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Rob Apps has kindly agreed to an email interview for our InFocus readers.

But first, I want to direct you to the updated website for Apps Ministries. It’s got a new look and should be a helpful resource, particularly for pastors and ministry leaders.

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JH: How long have you been helping churches with legal issues?

RA: For about the last 16 years, ever since I began law school really. I was a member at Condell Park Bible Church in Sydney for many years. The church had a school under its ministry and that generated a lot of distinct yet related issues that I was able to advise on.

From memory, all the changes in child protection law started in NSW in the mid 1990’s so it was interesting riding that wave and trying to get on top of all the new obligations that were imposed on churches and schools. I was able to help a lot of churches and schools on that topic and a host of other issues.

JH: What is the most common problem pastors ask for your help on?

RA: Usually basic risk management issues like insurance questions, accidents and child safety issues. There has been some ministry to churches that have gone through splits and other conflicts to do with property issues. I have helped quite a few churches introduce risk management policies beginning with training and education for the whole church, meeting with leaders and helping them with policy implementation.

There have also been some families and churches that have had issues with child welfare agencies and it has been challenging trying to assist them.

JH: What is the most common thing that pastors don’t ask for help on, but maybe should?

RA: I think getting help early on legal and ministry issues, such as ethical or counselling conflicts that can arise. Prevention is always better than the cure.

My advice to pastors is to have at least one other man in the ministry with whom you can speak freely and confidentially. Every one needs a sounding board to make sure we approach the ministry with balance and the right attitude.

JH: Did you see yourself in this type of ministry fifteen years ago?

RA: Not at all.

I thought my legal career would be a brief ‘diversion’ before I ‘really’ started to minister. But I found that the Lord used my training and background in ways I never imagined: as He does with every believer.

I am more comfortable with this ‘dual’ ministry so to speak because I believe it fits with my ministry gifts. My wife was also comfortable with me moving in this direction. Further, the other elders at Trinity Baptist Church have also sensed that call and direction. They had the grace and good sense to see how God was leading.

Even when training for the ministry some years ago I felt God had some kind of itinerant ministry for me. The ministry has now been clearly defined with the launch of the website last August. In a real sense the website just articulated and promoted what I was already doing.

Ironically, when we moved from Sydney to Cairns in 2006 I thought that many of these opportunities would dry up however the reverse was true. In the few months before the website was launched quite a few invitations came in to preach and teach and that’s what made me think it was worthwhile having a presence on the web.

Since then invitations have come in literally from Sydney to Perth to educate churches and also to minister the Word of God in camps and conferences. So God has opened doors and I have sought to walk through them.

JH: With the recent birth of your son, are you planning to keep travelling/speaking?

RA: Yes and let me explain.

The overwhelming majority of my time in the forseeable future would be spent in Cairns anyway, serving at Trinity. I am more burdened about what God is and will do at Trinity than what He will do through Apps Ministries. Most of my time is spent as a pastor dealing with all the ordinary concerns of a church. I try and bring those practical insights into the education and training arm of the ministry.

In terms of the preaching aspect of the ministry, that is my heartbeat and passion and there is a great need across our country for clear and passionate preaching that encourages God’s people and calls sinners to faith in Christ.

As our family grows I would love to include them in my travels so we can serve together. My wife Katie is an accomplished musician and she provides special music of the highest quality in churches when we travel together. I would like to see that side of the ministry developed to include our children in the future.