Ron Edmondson is quick to tell you that he is first and foremost a pastor. And, while that is true, he also has a strong online presence that uniquely qualifies him to talk about social media. His leadership blog is widely read, and he is active on Twitter and Facebook.
I met Ron online through Twitter, and we began discussing various leadership issues. Just north of Nashville Ron started one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S. He recently moved to Kentucky to lead another church. Before he joined the ministry, Ron was a business owner. His experiences running a small business, starting and rapidly growing organizations, and leading online were all topics I wanted to ask him in person.
In this nine-minute interview, we discuss:
- The similarities and differences between leading a business and a church
- How he has grown a church through the use of technology and social media
- Why he was an early adopter of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging
- How he found his “blogging voice”
- Mistakes he made along the way
I especially appreciated Ron’s advice to leaders who want to start building an online presence:
1. Start with a purpose.
2. Develop a plan for how to do it.
3. Don’t rush–systematically build it and let it grow over time.
As one of the early online leaders and bloggers, I also was interested in the benefits he sees from his work online. Some of the benefits are:
- Provides resources
- Spurs new thinking, insights and ideas
- Increases attention on leadership development
- Connects to people all over the world
- Influences people and reaches individuals he otherwise would never meet
Someone once asked me, “Skip, as a business leader, why do you talk about pastors, conductors, restaurant owners and athletes?” My answer is that I love people and love to learn. It’s valuable to study success wherever you find it. My most valuable learning often comes outside of the business arena, and that’s the case with this unique pastor.
If you are interested in online marketing, best practices in social media, or leadership tips, you will enjoy watching this video and hearing Pastor Ron Edmondson’s perspective.
