Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. — Romans 10:17
Whoever has ears, let them hear. — Matthew 11:15
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? — Galatians 3:2
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. — Luke 8:15
Hear the word of the LORD, you descendants of Jacob, all you clans of Israel. — Jeremiah 2:4
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The Bible talks often of the importance of hearing — hearing the Word creates and strengthens our faith. That makes sense because in Matthew 18, Jesus tells us our faith should closely resemble little children, a group of people who can't read, and yet believe. Not only that, Christ used the simplest rhetorical technique to explain his teachings — stories.
In light of this, it shouldn't be surprising that audio storytelling — a medium that should have died once nearly every household had a television in the living room —is seeing a resurgence in a digital format. According to Ann Friedman, podcasts are in the middle of a "boom." Radio-programs-turned-podcasts are successful, like This American Life, Radiolab, Car Talk, and World Café. But new digital-only podcasts have been wildly popular, including Serial, Reply All, and 99 Percent Invisible.
This proposal outlines why and how we could produce The Lost Coins, a Christian podcast.
What are podcasts?
Podcasts come in many forms, but they are simply audio files digitally distributed through a platform like iTunes or a mobile phone app like the Apple Podcasts app or Android's Stitcher app. (When This American Life, launched a wildly popular spin off called Serial, they created this page and video explaining how to get podcasts. Like radio programing before, podcasts can be call-in talk shows, sports banter, comedy and others.
My favorite, though, are documentary-style stories that peel back the layers of a person or idea and show me a different part of the world. A story from This American Life that sticks with me is from "Episode 409: Held Hostage" about Matt Frerking, a man with a condition known as cataplexy. When Matt experiences strong positive emotions, his body slowly becomes paralyzed. He spent his granddaughter's birthday party collapsed on a couch and was propped up against a wall during his brother's wedding. The details of the story, the voices of the characters, and the music and sounds of the editing create emotional connections I can't shake. Hearing, in this case, is feeling.
Christian podcasts
Christian podcasts are available for those looking for devotional and uplifting material. However many of those podcasts are generated by non-denominational megachurches. These podcasts are typically audio versions of a weekly sermon or service. While the messages might be fulfilling for some Christians, the theology of the churches that produce them will not satisfy confessional Lutheran listeners.
Other "christian" podcasts are produced by former members of a church who have left organized religion for some reason. Bad Christians and The Liturgists are two examples. These podcasts will not help Christians grow in their faith and may work to weaken a Christian's faith.
What am I proposing?
I am suggesting students and faculty at Bethany Lutheran College and/or Wisconsin Lutheran College or other interested storytellers collaborate to create a documentary-style podcast called The Lost Coins. This podcast would tell the stories of Christians living their faith in unique ways. The name refers to how Christ used stories to teach and comfort through his parables. It also reminds us that every story about a Christian life is truly about a lost coin that has been found. These wouldn't simply be sermons or devotions, but would combine interviews, natural sound, narration, and music to tell the stories of the Christian life.
Good stories live in every WELS or ELS congregation across the country. We have unlikely conversions — like the member of my church who grew up Jewish and in the midst of the war in Afghanistan realized his spiritual life was lacking. We have Christians dedicating time to help others, like the group of WELS members who came to Florida to help with hurricane relief or the missionaries who are willing to visit remote or even dangerous places to share the Gospel. We have Christians living in places where simply being Christian is dangerous. We have regular moms and dads who are everyday heroes ensuring that their kids and their communities' kids are cared for physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I know my faith would be strengthened by hearing these stories.
How could we create this?
To make this work, we need two main types of resources: people and equipment.
People
- Senior producer(s)
- An effort like this will require one or two people to serve as senior producers. It would probably be appropriate for the senior producer to also be the show's "host." Consider the role of Ira Glass on This American Life or Sarah Koenig in Serial. That producer would create schedules, assign stories, coordinate work, and serve as the final decision maker for each episode.
- Reporters
- While anyone could be taught how to use the equipment and how to edit audio, this could be a great opportunity for students in our colleges to practice the skills they are learning in their classes. Reporters would be responsible for generating story ideas, conducting interviews, gathering information, writing scripts, recording narration, and editing the final story.
- Marketing and social media coordinator
- While this task could fall to the producers, it would be beneficial to have someone dedicated to spreading the word about the podcast and searching for ways to get more people in contact with this production.
Equipment
- Recording equipment
The BLUE Yeti microphone 
The Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder 
The Zoom H2n Pro Handy Recorder - A good podcast must have high quality audio. To do this, we'd need two types of recording devices: "studio" microphones for voice overs and in-studio interviews, and field recorders for doing interviews and gathering audio in remote locations. For studio microphones,
the BLUE Yeti microphone
connects to a computer through the USB port and costs $150.
Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorders for $200
or
Zoom H2n Handy Recorders
for $160 would be good choices for field recorders.
- Editing computer and software
- This category could be as expensive or economical as necessary. Professional editing programs like Avid's Pro Tools or Adobe's Audition have seemingly endless features, but are often geared more toward recording music. Free software like Garageband, which comes installed on Macs, or Audicity, a Windows audio-editing program, could serve as well. The computer doesn't need to be dedicated only to audio production, but must be powerful enough to handle large audio files.
An example
In my role as a journalism professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida, I created a podcast modeled after This American Life. The podcast, called This Florida Tech Life, focuses on telling stories of students and staff at Florida Tech. The 14-minute episode here, called "Time Management," includes music, interviews, narration, and natural sound. While I know my students and I can improve as reporters and writers, the skills necessary to produce professional sounding podcasts can be taught.
Conclusion
The podcast boom is upon us, and Christians looking for Bible-based stories have to turn to Christian podcasts that do not present God's Word in its full truth. The Lost Coins podcast could fill that void and reach people who otherwise might have never heard.
References
Martin, M. and Greenstone, S. (2017, Mar. 5) Christians Turn To Podcasts To Say Things They Can't Say In Church. All Things Considered — National Public Radio.
Freidman, A. (2015, Mar. 20). The economics of the podcast boom. Columbia Journalism Review.
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Discussion
I appreciated your suggestions regarding a Christian podcast, and I especially liked your proposed title with its reminder “that every story about a Christian life is truly about a lost coin that has been found.” The challenge of identifying and communicating a compelling story related to God’s grace on display in each believer’s life would be a worthy pursuit for Christian artists and a blessing to its audience.
When I read over your staffing proposal, I thought it would also be useful to have a pastor or group of pastors serving as consultants. Their role could be to offer producers and reporters informed guidance regarding doctrine-related topics or questions.
After reading your article, I wondered if your experiences and studies have left you with some theories regarding why audio storytelling is thriving despite the fact that, as you state, the “medium that should have died once nearly every household had a television in the living room.” Developing a better understanding of why this format is proving so attractive to contemporary ears might help students craft their own segments that “pressed those buttons” while communicating Gospel truth.
Thanks for your contribution to the conference!
In contrast, they are much more of a personal experience than those radio shows, due to the fact that I'm usually listening to them with my headphones on. This personal experience gives me an emotional connection to the hosts, especially the ones who I have invested 100 episodes or more into. A big difference between podcasts and FM radio shows, for me, is the fact that people feel much more genuine. The topics of discussion in podcasts are often very specific and ones the hosts are incredibly passionate about. They don't have to worry about appealing to the mass of people on their commute to work which offers podcasters more freedom with their content.
As for the involvement with schools, I love that idea. I do think in order to be successful quality is key and that will come through having solid producers and hosts at the helm. I do love this idea though, there is a wealth of experience to learn from and hearing people of all ages talking about their faith would be really interesting.
If you're going to the trouble to create something, be sure to consider distribution and promotion. For less than a pastor's weekly offering, you can get thousands of people around the world to watch it.
Here's an example: https://business.facebook.com/academiacristo/videos/1287111584665402/
The above video was viewed 150K times. It cost $110 USD to promote and distribute it online. (Promoting and distributing outside the USA is typically *much* cheaper than inside the USA).
I like the idea, but don't just make it an audio. Consider video. In less than 5 years, over 80% of all internet traffic will be video. It is not difficult to make useful video that people will engage with. Here's an example of a video made using just a smart phone. https://vimeo.com/174612592
I like the idea, but make sure whatever you do, it is able to be useful offline. Most people in the world do not have large data plans. You want to enable them to share the video with others when they're not connected to the internet.
Thanks for letting me share my two cents. :-) Blessings on this project proposal!
One of the things that makes audio storytelling so powerful--and I know this from my own experience as a listener and from a handful of textbooks I've used in class--is that it focuses on one sense. When only one of the five senses is engaged, that sense becomes more intense. Listeners rely on the narrator's descriptions, the source's voice, the music, natural sound, and rhythm of the editing. Because that is all done through one sense, it is felt more intensely. And then throw in the technology of ear buds, those tiny speakers that nestle right up close to your ear drum. The sound is close. The voices are intimate. The emotion can be felt, almost physically. Well made audio stories can be moving.
I think video content and audio stories are different and will serve different purposes. Video posts might be easier to share and spread via social media. But Christian podcasts could provide a deeper impact for those individuals who listen. The popularity of podcasts seems to have staying power, so I think there would be demand for well-made Christian podcasts.
But to be clear--audio and video are not either/or. They are both/and. The demands of production and distribution are different. The audiences will be different. And folks like us who are part of the GOWM should keep collaborating on projects like this.
I've been privileged to spend all of my ministry and the majority of my life among Hispanics. Generally speaking, the Hispanic culture loves doing things together. iglesialuteranacristo.com is an example of this. Rather than 5 congregations separately streaming their services to small audiences on 5 separate websites, they're working toward the goal of having 5 congregations using the same website. Right now they have Most Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Medellín, Colombia and Cristo Rey in Bell Gardens, CA. God willing, they will add a third congregation in 2018.
When small groups work together in one place, more people can be reached.
God has granted our churches some gifted preachers in our circles. However, my experience has been that even those that post their sermons online are usually only watched/listened to by dozens or hundreds, rather than by thousands.
The WELS Spanish ministry effort, academiacristo.com, has learned how to reach larger audiences with limited resources. Our Facebook page is large enough that we receive free personalized training from a Facebook marketing expert. We know how to target and reach more people.
I think a podcast channel like you mention has significant possibilities. However, I'd encourage you to:
1) Consider recruiting 6-12 congregations who are blessed with gifted preachers, and who are already recording sermons, but who are not reaching thousands with those recordings.
2) Recruit someone who could assist those congregations to set-up their system to make sure you're getting high quality audio. (The key is to use congregations already recording. Just help them improve what they're doing, and set up a system so those sermons get added to your podcast channel each week.)
3) Recruit WELS Multi-language Publications to assist with creating videos to promote your podcast channel. Others could also do this, but I know Multi-language Publications is interested in this type of thing. I think they might jump at participating.
4) Recruit Academia Cristo's Facebook managers to create some promotions to broaden your reach and build an audience. (Consider promoting outside the US. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and numerous African countries has significant English speaking populations. Sure, American sermons won't always apply well outside of the U.S., but people are searching for people clearly proclaiming God's truth. We just need to let more people know who we are.)
To get this project off the ground, you need to gain traction. You'll do that by starting simply and gaining a following. Starting by creating a podcast channel of sermons that are already being preached by congregations that are already recording their sermons seems like a relatively simple way to start. Asking groups like WELS Multi-Language Publications and Academia Cristo to assist also makes sense.
I don't mean to be pushy or out of place. Incorporating everyday means of communication in ministry efforts that seek to help people carry out the great commission is something I'm very interested in.
Dr. Petersen,
As a college student who is just starting to see the popularity of podcasts creeping into my life, this proposal seems to be an effective method indeed. I had assumed that christian podcasts were out there but it had not occurred to me that their production through other church bodies may also prove dangerous because of the mix of good and bad within the message. The idea that the pure message of the Bible can be brought across in a way beyond simply a sermon or devotion is intriguing and I think it would definitely find an audience among generation today that sometimes struggles to pay attention to speeches because of the media we have been brought up in.
However, I was wondering if the lack of sermon or devotional setting may also pull these stories away from their original intent. You mentioned several Bible passages at the beginning of your proposal, many of which mention not just hearing, but hearing “the Word” which works faith. The Bible is the tool which the Holy Spirit works through. Our personal faith stories can be uplifting and encouraging, but they are not the tools through which the Holy Spirit works faith. Within these documentary-like podcasts, how do you propose to involve the actual Word of God directly within the “lost coin” stories of faith? And in doing so, turn these podcasts from just not being bad doctrine as in other podcasts to being also explicitly good doctrine?
Thank you for your proposal. I think it is a step in the right direction towards using today’s technology to reach so many more people with the love of God.
I am someone who loves to listen to Podcasts and I would most definitely get a kick out of listening to a podcast done by my synod or that affiliated with. Your idea to get the students involved in order to develop their skills in technology is wonderful and I agree with you 100% that it could be an opportunity for students to use their God given gifts!
From the podcasts that I listen to, they all seem to have some sort of schedule that they follow. The one that pops into my head right away is a Shakespeare podcast that I listen to that, every week of the month, have assigned a certain topic that they will discuss in regards to Shakespeare. One week they dig into one of Billy Shakes’ plays, the next week they break apart a quote from a play or sonnet, the next week they put Shakespeare characters into baseball teams (or something wacky like that), and so forth and so on. They even have a “wild card” episode once every month that can amount to any various thing relating to Shakespeare. Do you think it would be useful to have a schedule like that for this type of podcast that you are considering, or do you think that it would be more beneficial to act as “this week’s topic is the story that is the most extravagant” type of thing?
Again, I absolutely love your idea for a podcast! I would definitely listen to The Lost Coins and I am anxious to see if God grants it to happen in the future.
Thank you for your presentation!
This is a great idea: creating a schedule for the podcast. I am definitely one for organization and an assigned schedule for things. With that, I think the podcast hosts and producers would be able to advertise and look for potential guests to come on and speak. Unlike journalism, in podcasting you can basically speak about whatever you want, while still having the ability to incorporate current events and how those are relevant to your topic. It also does well for advertising. If someone doesn't know what a podcast is about and is looking at it with a non-Christian background, they might not know what "The Lost Coins" is. The name has significance to people who were raised in the faith, but those who weren't may need a little more information about the podcast before listening. The schedule (if advertised) would be that extra step for those still second guessing whether or not they'll listen.
Dr. Peterson,
First off, thank you! I wouldn’t consider myself a fully devoted podcaster, though it has become my exercising jam, free-time boredom annihilator, and occasionally my bed-time relaxer. Out of all the Christian podcasts I’ve sifted through, I haven’t really found any that are both Bible-based (or, “for confessional Lutherans”) and interesting (not just sermons). A few Lutheran Church Missouri Synod one's sort of hit the line, but that is all. I’m glad that you're working on one that seems to fit both of these categories well!
After reading some comments, I really liked Mike Hartman’s idea of also having a video format. Many of the podcasts I listen to are from videos posted on Youtube, personal blogs, or News sites. This past summer I was introduced to the Time of Grace Ministries (http://www.timeofgrace.org/), which is a group of WELS pastors and lay members who produce devotional videos every weekday. Two annoying things are that they don’t do podcasts and their videos only last 3 minutes or so, which is good if you're up in the morning and want a quick devotion, but not good if you just want something to spend time with and think about on that hour drive to work, or while you are on your half hour bike ride.
I think a big potential problem with this is marketing. There already is a lot of “Christian” content out there from mega churches and other organizations as you said, so how will this stand out from the rest? I feel that, although podcasts are rising in popularity, there are still so many people out there who aren’t going to care because these larger, more well-funded churches have already attracted a lot of people for themselves. If the targeted audience is confessional Lutherans, then I feel more media forms should be out there as, having been a Martin Luther College student for 3.5 years, I can say that podcasts aren’t really a topic brought up in almost any conversation.
As a podcast listener myself, I really enjoy the idea. Podcasts are an extremely easy and versatile way of getting solid information out there and there aren’t any good Bible-based, well-done podcasts out there. It’s about time we get one! Thank you again for your contribution to the conference!
Who is our audience? How we do we reach them? These are great questions, I know we'll struggle with these if this project moves forward! I look forward to the discussions.
I really enjoy listening to Bad Christian podcast as I enjoy listening to the differing opinions on the role of our Christian faith in our life. I wonder if there would be any benefit for there to be a competing podcast with more of a conservative Christian bent? Do you think there is room for competition?
First, read, listen, watch--I encourage my journalism students to read national, local, and other college newspapers to get good ideas. Borrow those ideas, refocus them, localize them.
Second, pay attention--I can think of about four or five stories that could come out of my little congregation here in Florida. We have a veteran who converted in a "fox hole." We have grandparents who have adopted their grandkids. We have a premature baby fighting for life. We have a retired pastor who spent several years of his ministry in South America.
Third, network--There are about five or six ELS or WELS congregations within about an hour's drive, and this is in not in the WELS/ELS heartland. By reaching out to pastors, and pastors reaching out to congregation leaders, I think finding the stories will be easy. The hard part will be deciding which ones to tell first.
You said you did this before, how involved were students in that Podcast? What sort of topics were covered on that podcast? If there was one word of advice you would give to students interested in getting involved in getting involved with The Lost Coins?
This is a great idea. Speaking as a college student who is always busy either studying, working, or practicing, having a podcast available on smartphones is very helpful. Some of these stories would be appreciated to listen to in order to keep people going. I would love to see this get up and running.
Best of luck!
Coming from a Catholic background there was a tough transition when it came to learning about the new beliefs of those at Wisconsin Lutheran College while taking some of the Theology courses. If it wasn’t for one of my favorite professors, who taught his intro class in mainly a Q & A format, I do not know if I would be as comfortable at the institution.
Since then, a few theology professors have started their own podcast here at WLC. I believe if there were an opportunity for students to send in questions and have them answered by a professor or trusted professional on campus it would help a lot of students immensely. This might help some students feel more comfortable and prevent them from transferring just because they have a different faith.
Are there any other benefits that you see a Christian podcast bringing to students that may not be from a WELS/ELS background?
I look forward to hearing from you!