Podcasting

Greetings STPeeps! (No one uses the term “peeps” anymore when referring to friends on the internet. While it has gained a negative association with the lovely marshmallow treats [of which I’m one of the few on the planet who love Peeps], I think we should bring the term back!).

So, I know it’s been a month. I won’t offer you the list of excuses other than I just haven’t blogged… at least not here. I did add an update to my church’s blog a few weeks ago (you can find the link here), so feel free to go check that one out if you feel led to. That particular post was just the first of at least 2 or 3 “articles” helping an inquisitive passerby learn more about our church, specifically how we “fit” into the Baptist world. Personally, I think we would argue that we don’t need to “fit” to be Baptist, but that is another post for another time – especially if you understand what it actually means to be “Baptist.”

Anyway, I digress. The topic at hand for this post is Podcasting. If you’re like me, you have one or 70 different podcasts that you’re subscribed to but only a handful that you actually listen to on a weekly basis. Mine range from podcasts on Politics, History, Books, Pastoral Ministry/Theology, Sermons, Lord of the Rings, and even a Smallville Podcast. I’m really all over the board! I’ll also go through phases and typically listen to podcasts religiously for a few weeks when I’m in between audiobooks (or if my current audiobook just isn’t hitting the right spot that day).

But I love podcasts! I love that we have the ease and ability to create media from all sorts of walks of life. And I love that you can choose which media to listen to. You can choose by your options on all podcasting platforms, but you can also choose with your wallet. The same is true for Substack, which I also enjoy. With the current condition of media, particularly news media and social media, podcasts and Substack are really helpful in getting a grasp on what’s going on in the world without being overwhelmed while at the same time, specifically niche podcasts and Substack’s allow me to take a break from the whiplash of the news cycle without feeling like I’m uninformed.

I bring all this up, as you might have guessed, because I (like I’m sure thousands of others) wouldn’t mind giving more direct podcasting a try. I currently edit and upload my church’s sermon and Sunday School audio to a podcast, (You’ve probably noticed the embedded player on the homepage to our site here, but if not, you can check out our sermons and Sunday School audio here) but honestly, I’ve been itching to do more. I think I can contribute this to a few things:

1. I’m about to graduate with my M.Div. and while I have quite a few projects lined up (mentally) for the church, and I’m also planning to continue on to the D.Min., I think a podcast would be a good personal project.
2. I think it would be fun to figure out more of the ins and outs of podcasting
3. I have like 4 podcast ideas in mind, but 2 that are only viable and I want to do something with them.

So, the purpose of this post it partly just to get my thoughts down (hence the point of a blog) but also to start putting it “out there” that way it’s not just an internal dialogue that I’m having with me, myself, and I. Let me throw out my two podcast ideas that I think are viable so that way those too are out there for the you all to ponder over (and feel free to share your thoughts!).

A SouthTown Pastor Podcast

This one would most likely be a podcast “extension” of this blog. The only reason I have yet to even attempt to pull the trigger on this one is because of my lack of blogging on a regular basis. I have convinced myself that I needed an “x” amount of traffic on the blog before attempting to turn it towards an audio format.

WordPress (my hosting site) actually has a Podcasting wing that would help me do this easily and the podcast would also most likely go by the same name as the blog … so it has the whole “two-birds, one stone” thing going for it.

But this Podcast would be a lot like Pastor’s Talk or Preacher’s Talk or even Can This Work in a Small Church? (I recommend all of these to my pastor friends btw). Obviously there would be differences. It would have more of a “Christ Community Church” (my church) flavor, where we’d not only discuss topics relevant to pastors, but also liturgy, “Baptist Catholicity,” Church History, and on and on and on.

But much like “Can This Work in a Small Church?” there would also be flavors of “small” church ministry. Pastor’s and Preacher’s Talk are both great podcasts (as are others like them) … but the majority of resources out there are from the “big guys” and for the “big guys.” Our “About” section on this site digs into this a little bit, but I’d personally love to see more content being put out by smaller church pastors … When the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, they were TINY tiny … just a few dozen folks at most. With the winnowing that has taken place in the church due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I imagine there are many of our “small” churches that have found themselves unexpectedly “tiny.” These pastors and ministers and elders are lovingly serving the bride of Christ in their places of ministry. Let’s hear from them!

And since this is a type of media that I want … why not create it myself?

A Book Podcast

This podcast would be work … but less “work” than an STP Podcast … only because it would be about a hobby of mine … books! There are thousands of book podcasts in the world. But, much like BookTube or even BookTok … there is a disproportionate amount that lean either to YA (young adult), LGBTQIA+, and the like. Certain YA novels are of interest to me, but not many, and I won’t begin to get into the reasons why I don’t want to entertain the thought of the other subgenres. The point is, like the other Podcast option above, if I want a particular kind of content … why not create it myself?

Personally, I’m interested in more than theology, history, pastoral ministry, etc. I do enjoy reading on those topics, and I read them pretty regularly. But at the same time, I also enjoy fiction, I enjoy biographies, I enjoy non-fiction, I even enjoy work on political discourse from time to time. But this is also where I run into a snag … because everything you can find online about starting a podcast all suggest that you “find your niche.” With books, my “niche” is hard to nail down because I read what I’m in the mood for, and there’s no telling what mood will strike me this week. Will it be a work of classic literature or a noir PI novel? Will it be a western or a space opera? Will it be on the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire or on the history of a small town in Mississippi? To be honest, it’s a crapshoot!

But, even with that, I love this idea because it would somewhat give me a time to take off the “pastor” hat and put on the bibliophile hat, which is always good for my personal mental health. I love what I do and I’m so very thankful to God for giving me this chance to serve him and his elect in this way … but I also love to read about a sleuthing monk from the middle ages who solves murders in between Prime and Vespers.

I imagine this particular podcast would either be about specific books or about multiple books that are being read at that time. As time goes on, I could see interviews, etc… taking place as well… but that’s way on down the line! We’re still gassing up the plane here … we’re not even boarding passengers yet.

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These are both valid options. And honestly, if one works out well, there’s nothing to really stop me from starting a second one. I have a few folks in mind that I’m considering asking to help me with this idea – both logistically and/or as a co-host. (Because, even though I am an absolute delight, you still need a co-host. Johnny had Ed … and everyone loved Ed!)

The point is: I may fall flat on my face doing this, but why not give it a try? And if it turns into something, great! If not, bummer … but great!

What about you all? If you had to pick one of these two options, which do you think you’d rather see out there? Which would you occasionally listen to? Let’s just do a voting poll to make this easier!

– Nick