Collide Magazine--a Breath of Fresh Air

Last night, the Elders of Westwinds asked me what magazines I read that are specifically geared toward the church. They know I read countless magazines including Rolling Stone, WIRED, Communication Arts, Paste, and Entertainment Weekly to name a few but . . .

Church mags? Hmmm. There aren’t many that turn my crank.

I pay for two subscriptions. I have received a few subscriptions as gifts. I read a few online.

Online, I read The Wittenburg Door. I used to subscribe to The Door when they still mailed it to you. I really miss the hard copy but when I need my dose of satire nothing surpasses The Door—in any form.

My two paid subscriptions are to Relevant and Collide.

Collide—Where Media and Church Converge is the latest magazine I subscribed to. So far, I’m pleased. From spots reviewing indie films to conversation about web apps and “Technology and the Virtual Church,” Collide—a relatively new publication—is scratching an itch that no other magazine geared towards the church is.

The May/June issue has a special little treat.

There is a two page spotlight article on Westwinds and an interview with yours truly.

They did a great job. If you have ever been misquoted in a publication, you know the fear you first have when you first look at an article. Collide did a wonderful job.

Collide gave me permission to reprint some of the article here on Vertizontal. I will give you their introduction and encourage you to subscribe.

Church Spotlight
Westwinds Community Church
Jackson, MI

Jackson, Michigan is home to more than 30,000 residents, something called the Hot Air Jubilee, and Westwinds Community Church. Though Westwinds is far from being a mega-church, the church’s use of media and technology is prolific. A visit to westwinds.org reveals a site that is more than aesthetically pleasing; the site provides access to a robust media library, the personal blogs of the church’s leadership, the church’s web-facilitated spiritual development program (Causemology), and more. We talked with John Voelz about Westwinds’ passion for connecting its community with Christ through creativity.

Collide interviewed me about the personality of the church, my role on staff, how we incorporate media and technology in our services, why we do what we do with technology, and Causemology.

Check Collide out on the web!