| Many churches performing Godcasts |
Related Articles
|
|
By: By ERIN EDGEMON Business Editor
|
|
 Email  Print
|
Local churches are using one the fastest-growing genres of podcasting to reach a broader audience.
Religious podcasts, often referred to as "Godcasts," make up more than half of all podcasts on the Internet, said Christian Hidalgo, owner of Navigation Advertising.
"They are already recording audio for their services so it is really easy for them to convert them to podcasts," he said.
Podcasts are audio or video segments that can be downloaded from the Internet usually for free and listened to on the computer or digital music player.
The New York Times reported in 2005 that around 10,000 people are listening to some Christian podcasts. Many more are likely listening now as around 60 million iPods have been sold.
For many churches, utilizing podcasts grew out of a need for making sermons more accessible to church members. For years, churches have been selling or giving away sermons burned on CD's.
"The Internet is just opening up these doors that we have never been able to explore through history," said Brian Hollaway, creative arts director at North Boulevard Church of Christ.
He doesn't know if the Internet really is the best way to evangelize to the masses, but it is something the church is exploring. North Boulevard Church of Christ started podcasting five months ago primarily so church members don't have to miss a sermon even if they can't make it to the church on Sunday.
Hollaway doesn't know how many people are listening to his church's podcasts, but he plans to expand North Boulevard's online presence by creating an online magazine and daily devotional podcasts.
Karl Huber, multimedia associate at New Vision Baptist Church, said hundreds of people have subscribed to or are listening to the church's podcasts. Huber knows people from around the world have listened to them.
"We wanted to get the message out farther than our walls and to give our members and whoever the opportunity to download them (sermons) at home in their leisure," he said. "If it is effective, then we are willing to do it."
"We get letters back every now and then of how people are enjoying them and they are encouraging them," Huber added.
He said New Vision plans to add video podcasts in the near future.
The largest online directory for Christian podcasts with more than 200 churches is GodCast100.com.
But most can be found on iTunes, the most popular iTunes directory.
Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.
Among the local churches that post podcasts:
www.northboulevard.com
www.newvisiononline.net
www.belleaire.org
www.roccnet.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Login and voice your opinion!
|
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
MySpace
Reddit
StumbleUpon