Click the picture to see a larger version.
Each year from left to right represents an ACP reporting year, from September 1 of the prior year through August 31 of the indicated year.
The left vertical axis indicates the number of blog posts composed in the ACP reporting year, as indicated by the red line. The right vertical axis indicates the number of baptisms reported at FBC Farmersville for the ACP reporting year, as indicated by the blue line.
My analysis is that each increase in the number of blog posts composed in a year corresponded to a decrease in baptisms in the following year.
14 comments:
nuff said.
With that, I am...
Peter
Thank you. Powerful.
JS Houston
Thank you. Powerful.
JS Houston
And THIS is why I love you, Bart Barber! Always succinct, full of clarity, and on the money! selahV
Bart, I can't find your email. But I plan to reference this article in a post at Voices, and I want to copy the picture/graph over there. I'm not sure what the ethics are here. I think if you publish it publicly, its out there. But I'm not sure. So, anyway, if you don't want me to copy the graph, please contact me at pastordave@cableone.net. Thanks.
I get the 'X' axis: years
But the 'Y' axis ???
How was the blog graph constructed to log in blog data vs. numbers of people baptized?
What was counted as 'blog data'?
time spent blogging?
number of blog 'comments' in replies, or blog management?
time spent researching and writing posts?
Graph is visually impressive immediately, which you want it to be,
but without 'details' as to what blog data was incorporated, it leaves some questions for viewers
Point well take, anonymous. I have modified the original post to address your questions and concerns.
Dr Barber:
Wow!!
I've never operated a blog myself, but I've commented from time to time. I think that I've probably gone overboard reading these blogs from time to time but on balance they are a great way to learn informantion and network with people who have ideas about shaping the way forward.
Roger,
Thanks for the encouraging words. I don't deny that blogs can be useful. I also am not suggesting that all bloggers are impacted by blogging the same way that I have been. I'm merely observing statistically what I also observed anecdotally: I evangelize and shepherd better when I'm not blogging.
And since God did not call me to blog, but did call me to be the pastor of my congregation, it makes sense to me to back way off from blogging.
I'm not saying that I'll never post anything again. But you've seen my pace lately. I'm anticipating that level of posting, or less.
For what it's worth, your site was one of several factors that led me to bring my family to a Baptist Church (we previously attended a Catholic church).
Recently my wife and oldest daughter were baptised. I believe at least two of the younger children will choose to be baptised in the future.
I'm not trying to convince you to change you mind, but just to pass on information showing that your online efforts might have an effect you wouldn't see directly.
Your's Truely,
An Interested Outsider
Dear Outsider,
I'm honored and blessed by what you have written. I will sleep well tonight thinking about that! Thank you for letting me know.
I've got to pay attention to my first obligation—my primary duty. I'm not abandoning the blog. Indeed, as a tree flourishes by pruning, I'm hoping that my much rarer posts will be of a higher quality.
May God draw your wife and your children close to Himself. May He do the same for you.
Bart: Good post.
One of DAve Miller's problems in particular in his inability to hold in check his ideological biassses and relative thin skin in regard a lot of ignorance of the recent history of the SBC and let his SBC Voices site become a playground for rabid Fundamentalists.
SBC Voices does serve something of a clearinghouse for SBC blogs, and has had the recent good sense to see the value of the autonomous voices of the SBC plodder.
But it appears Miller has a little kingdom at SBC Voices and as one of his participants has noted his passive aggressiveness is becoming something of a pathology and stanching energies that most likely quench his righteousness and value to the local Church community The Lord have placed in his Charge.
Wow. Your statistical analysis is kinda first grade there Bart. Have you tried plotting your restaurant expenditure or length of sermons for some other weird correlations?
I have to believe this is a tongue-in-cheek post or I despair.
What I really don't like is the implication in your post that the baptisms at Farmersville are directly correlated with your activity rather that the Holy Spirit's. That is not so much bad statistical interpretation as heresy. Or you should stop praying and start selling.
mm could it be brother Bart that baptisms lag behind blog posts by a few months... or am I reading the chart standing on my head
Steve in Australia..
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