I recently was able to tag Scott McClellan from Collide Magazine and pick his brain about a couple things that have been itching my much smaller one.

But in an effort to have full disclosure the beginning of our conversation actually swirled around an app that I built in 6 days a while back and an article they wrote about it in their most recent news stand copies.

And Scott responded instantly and was way cool.  And what was so super for me was listening to the guy talk the background and mission of the mag.  Cheers to creating a solution that meets one’s own needs first, and also can meet the needs of others.

For those that might not know about Collide, here’s your brief 411:  Collide Magazine, simply put, has some great content for consumption and it’s a definite addition to your gooreader.

Hang a left, sip your early morning brew (that may be cold like mine), and get Collide-ed.

1. Who are you and what do you do for Collide?

I’m Scott McClellan and I’m the Editor of COLLIDE. Essentially, I read, write, ask questions, and click around for a living.

2. How old is Collide and who started it?

Our first print issue hit mailboxes in September of 2007, so we’re just a baby in the publishing industry. COLLIDE was started by, and remains a part of, a church media company called RT Productions.

Our sister companies include Igniter Media (www.ignitermedia.com), WorshipHouse Media (www.worshiphousemedia.com), and Echo Church Media Conference (www.echoconference.com). Everything we do is centered on equipping churches with media resources as they communicate the gospel.

3. What was the vision and mission behind Collide? What did the founder’s believe they could add to the online space that was unique, different, etc?

COLLIDE exists to challenge, encourage, educate, and inspire creative church leaders who are committed to using media and technology to communicate in the 21st century. We’re passionate about media and technology in the Church, so we simply created the magazine and website that we wanted to read but hadn’t yet discovered.

4. Where will Collide Magazine be in 1 year from now? 5 years?

I wish I knew the answer to those questions. Honestly, I hope the answer is something along the lines of “In a year, COLLIDE will be in the hands of every creative church leader in North America.”

We think that by sharing ideas, innovative strategies, quality resources, and challenging questions with church leaders we can help inspire church leaders to use media and technology to reach the people they’re passionate about, the people they’re called to reach.

In five years, I hope COLLIDE is printed on paper-thin LCD screens and delivered door to door by a kid on a hover board. Is that too much to ask?

5. How do you see online technology changing the way we engage the world?

This has been on my mind a lot lately, and the thought I keep coming back to is: “The Church is not a building.”

Before the advent of Web 2.0, I think a lot of only associated the word “church” with a generic-looking building—a building most of us hoped was gigantic to serve as an indicator of growth.

Online technology is helping a lot of us see that the Church is people—people loving God, loving others, serving together, praying, and finding community. A big building isn’t required for any of that stuff, and yet it’s all “church.”

To me, that’s the beauty of the online movement. Sometimes I worry and wonder about the long-term effects of individual churches who quickly abandon ancient practices in the race to stay relevant—whether online or offline—but that’s a conversation for a different day.

6. Where can we “follow” you guy(s)? Is there any “promo” code for new subscribers that you could give the ChurchCrunch.com readers?

You can keep track of us on the COLLIDE blog, where we’ll tell you about everything else we’ve got going on: http://www.collidemagazine.com/blog
And for 140-character doses of cynicism and minutiae, you can follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scottmcclellan

I wish our site did promo codes so I could hook up the churchcrunch.com crowd, but it doesn’t.

However, anybody can sign up for a free trial issue of COLLIDE anytime (no obligation or payment info required) to see if COLLIDE tickles your media/tech/church fancy. Hopefully, the free trial issue convinces you that COLLIDE is the magazine you never knew you always wanted.

I’ve got mine on the way.