Thereโs nothing wrong with charging for your work. In fact, itโs important to give people the opportunity to compensate you for the value you provide. Looking forward to the new courses!
Itโs very frustrating to deal with people who get paid to do their work but assume Christians who write or teach should work for free. And they couch it in โthe Bible/gospel should be freeโ type claims.
No, actually, it has never been free. Itโs just been paid for by someone else to make it free. And if you have a hoard of donors behind you, awesome! Make your stuff free! But if you donโt, then charge for itโฆyour readers are your supporters.
Also, every Christian book, seminary class, and conference costs money to attend. They provide intangible value in exchange for monetary value. But because blogs and videos are digital, people think they should be given away for free.
I have mixed emotions on the subject of "free." Church buildings are not free. Getting to church is not free. Powering your computer and turning on the lights is not free. Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Firstly, the Scriptures are not free. You literally have to buy Bibles.
Are there ways to get Bibles free? Yes. But the predominant way is to sell Bibles. Why? To support the ministries who translate and make them.
Second, following your logic, virtually every ministry is eliminated as a valid ministry because all ministries sell in some capacity. They never thrive on donations alone. They write and sell books, lessons, courses, and/or activists subscriptions or ads to increase revenue and grow.
Money is an essential tool for ministries the world over.
Some have gotten greedy and twisted the Gospel, like the prosperity imbeciles, but every ministry sells in some way, shape, or form.
If God has convicted you not to charge, then donโt charge. Follow Christ. But that doesnโt mean every ministry that sells and earns money is a mere marketable commodity. To think so ignores the clear commands of Scripture.
If we didnโt pay our priests and pastors, didnโt provide for their needs, we wouldnโt have them. Their job is 24/7/365.
I know many who preach via the airwaves and at events and are paid for what they say. If they werenโt, we wouldnโt have their content. They would have other jobs.
Same for Christian authors.
So if some want to give more to the people than an occasional article and charge a small amount for that content as they have to spend time on it that takes from their families and free time, they should be able to ask for compensation.
God calls each of us in a different way, and if Heโs not happy with the direction we are going He will definitely show us we are wrong.
If thatโs the case, that God is supplying for you by other means, then what I wrote doesnโt apply to you.
I donโt understand your problem with what I wrote, and I also donโt hear anything from you that contradicts my arguments.
It honestly sounds like youโre upset for no good reason.
Just because God supplies for you without you charging for your content doesnโt mean it will be that way for everyone nor does it mean that charge for some content as a ministry makes it a mere marketable commodity.
I felt the need to encourage others to monetize because there is a widespread misconception out there that no Christian should ever charge for content, and that is patently false and unbiblical.
Thereโs nothing wrong with charging for your work. In fact, itโs important to give people the opportunity to compensate you for the value you provide. Looking forward to the new courses!
Thank you, brother. Canโt wait to hear what you think of them. ๐๐
Itโs very frustrating to deal with people who get paid to do their work but assume Christians who write or teach should work for free. And they couch it in โthe Bible/gospel should be freeโ type claims.
No, actually, it has never been free. Itโs just been paid for by someone else to make it free. And if you have a hoard of donors behind you, awesome! Make your stuff free! But if you donโt, then charge for itโฆyour readers are your supporters.
Also, every Christian book, seminary class, and conference costs money to attend. They provide intangible value in exchange for monetary value. But because blogs and videos are digital, people think they should be given away for free.
Preach, brother! ๐ฅ
I have mixed emotions on the subject of "free." Church buildings are not free. Getting to church is not free. Powering your computer and turning on the lights is not free. Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding
Nothing is free, when you think about it. There is always a cost. Even grace cost the Saviorโs blood.
Money is a tool. I've come to realize that a Christian has no shame in charging for his work if he genuinely put effort and time into.
The Gospel is free. The Scriptures are free. Ministry if priced is no longer a ministry it becomes a marketable commodity.
I have served my Lord for over 50 years without charge.
I will never place a cost on my work.
Firstly, the Scriptures are not free. You literally have to buy Bibles.
Are there ways to get Bibles free? Yes. But the predominant way is to sell Bibles. Why? To support the ministries who translate and make them.
Second, following your logic, virtually every ministry is eliminated as a valid ministry because all ministries sell in some capacity. They never thrive on donations alone. They write and sell books, lessons, courses, and/or activists subscriptions or ads to increase revenue and grow.
Money is an essential tool for ministries the world over.
Some have gotten greedy and twisted the Gospel, like the prosperity imbeciles, but every ministry sells in some way, shape, or form.
If God has convicted you not to charge, then donโt charge. Follow Christ. But that doesnโt mean every ministry that sells and earns money is a mere marketable commodity. To think so ignores the clear commands of Scripture.
This may be true for some but not all.
If we didnโt pay our priests and pastors, didnโt provide for their needs, we wouldnโt have them. Their job is 24/7/365.
I know many who preach via the airwaves and at events and are paid for what they say. If they werenโt, we wouldnโt have their content. They would have other jobs.
Same for Christian authors.
So if some want to give more to the people than an occasional article and charge a small amount for that content as they have to spend time on it that takes from their families and free time, they should be able to ask for compensation.
God calls each of us in a different way, and if Heโs not happy with the direction we are going He will definitely show us we are wrong.
Listen. I donโt rant about those who charge for ministry. I absolutely disagree with it but itโs not my place.
I donโt know why you felt the need to โencourageโ us to monetize our Substack account.
I have been doing this a very long time. God has supplied every need I have ever had without fees for ministry content.
Good. Congratulations.
If thatโs the case, that God is supplying for you by other means, then what I wrote doesnโt apply to you.
I donโt understand your problem with what I wrote, and I also donโt hear anything from you that contradicts my arguments.
It honestly sounds like youโre upset for no good reason.
Just because God supplies for you without you charging for your content doesnโt mean it will be that way for everyone nor does it mean that charge for some content as a ministry makes it a mere marketable commodity.
I felt the need to encourage others to monetize because there is a widespread misconception out there that no Christian should ever charge for content, and that is patently false and unbiblical.