Thoughts toward the future – Cynthia Holder Rich
This post, which concludes this week’s conversation, could be entitled “Because I learned…I plan to…”. I have learned a ton from starting this website – something I really didn’t plan to do. When I was thinking of it and conceived the original plan, I hadn’t spent a great amount of time on the web. My web life was centered on research; I had been a professor on two continents over the preceding 13 years, and during my teaching time in the US, I had gained a love for finding things through online searching, particularly about Madagascar, where we had taught for years and about which I had completed my doctoral studies and would eventually publish two books. (Fun fact – when in 1997 we were thinking about going to Madagascar and looked it up on the web, using Yahoo 17 sites came up in the web search.) So when I thought about starting a website – I really didn’t have a clue what that meant or what might happen as a result.
So here are some things I have learned that will impact the future of ecclesio.com and my profile on the web.
1) Providing a space for important conversations among people who follow Jesus is of great worth. This moves me to both continue the life of ecclesio.com and seek ways to grow this ministry.
I have been honored and humbled to offer space to people who don’t often get a hearing, to bring pastors, lay leaders, denominational staff and professors into conversation, and to offer a range of diverse, thoughtful perspectives to engage readers, get others thinking and start their own conversations.
2) I had to adapt my approach to the site as my professional life changed. The good outcomes of this move lead me to assume that the site will continue to evolve to serve needs, and this will be good.
I found myself with less time to write for the site, and decided to invite others to Guest Direct. Truly, I wondered if anyone would take part at first. It has turned out to be a grand experiment that has greatly enriched what we offer, much increased the number of participants and readers, and extended the reach of ecclesio into arenas and communities I would never have touched on my own. The subject matter addressed has also both increased and deepened. I am grateful we took this turn and look forward to other turns that come to pass because of circumstance, which turn out to be gifts of grace.
3) I started with a central and primary commitment to diversity on the site. This has not changed.
I am thrilled to gain access to the writing of leaders across many areas of the international church, from communities of which I am not a part, and dynamic people who are thinking about issues outside the mainstream. These posts do not, in the main, guarantee high readership. I have tried a variety of strategies to get the word out to people who might have interest and read and share these…which have been, at the most, very modestly effective. While I would sincerely wish that these were read more, at least for now I can provide a guaranteed space for them to be. I can do this, and I will.
4) The friendships I have made across the world through ecclesio.com, and the profile I have through the site, are gifts. I am committed to stay in this game for now.
In particular, the relationships I have with younger followers of Jesus are a kick! Among these are many great writers, people with wonderful, creative ways of turning a phrase. They have interesting perspectives on what it means to be a disciple, or how communities might live and grow more faithfully. I learn through these relationships, and the site grows through the participation of many people who I wouldn’t have encountered without this ministry.
5) At the beginning, ecclesio.com took a lot of work. While the work has changed and I’ve gained facility at many things, I can say truly that today, ecclesio.com takes a lot of work.
It’s worth it.
Cynthia Holder Rich is the Founder and Director of ecclesio.com. She currently serves as Executive Pastor of Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS.