living intentionally by faith everyday

L.I.F.E by Ashley Pichea

Thoughts on Ministry

This post was written “quickly” and off the top of my head. Please forgive me if it doesn’t make sense in spots. I just needed to get it all out before I talked myself out of it.

Last night, I attended a concert given by Timothy Mark. It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen him in concert, so it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard his story. But for some reason, last night, his story resonated with me. God used Timothy’s example of walking by faith, trusting God to provide, to help me to make some decisions about my own ministry.

Lately I’ve been feeling the pull. You know, the one to turn your blog into a business? I’ve been walking the fine line between business and ministry for a month or so now, not sure which side of the line I really wanted to end up on. I view the blog as a ministry – as a springboard for future ministry. But at the same time, I really want the blog to be able to be self-sufficient and even allow for me to be somewhat compensated for the time and resources I put into it. Yet the idea of “charging” people for “encouragement” seems a bit backwards to me. This blog is something I would continue to do even if I didn’t ever receive a single penny.

Anyways, even if none of that made any sense, the bottom line is that I want to continue to do what I’m doing, but without the motivation of money. All of my “paid” services (advertising, ebooks, etc) will be by donation from now on. While I will have “suggested donation” increments set for my services, I will not require payment for my services (though availability will still be limited). When I have ebooks available, downloads will be free with an option to donate available. While I will continue to welcome sponsorship, I will also have a “tip jar” available for anyone who would like to donate to the ministry.

It is a ministry – and I will continue to view it as such. Please help to hold me to this, as the pull and allure of monetizing is so great. Thank you for your part in making this ministry a success.

Disclosure: At times there will be affiliate links within my posts. I do make a small profit from anything you buy from those clicks, but not at any additional cost to you.

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Category: Faith
  • penguinelk

    Wow! It looks like we were struggling with the same decision at the same time! We've come to slightly different ends, but God has been in it all! That's really cool!
    http://www.rediscoveringdomesticity.com/2010/09/why-ads.html

  • apichea

    I just love how God has worked in and through the blog. I was really
    struggling with the idea of "monetizing the ministry" for my own personal
    gain, when that's not what this blog is about at all. I love how God used
    another person who is doing ministry "by faith" to confirm my way and lead
    me the next step!

  • Robyn

    Ashley – thank you so much for joining in on Mingle Monday this week. You are such a delight! I hope you have an awesome week. And congratulations on your decision for your blog.

  • megs3782

    Just stopping by to say I love you and your heart. You really are such an awesome girl and friend.

    You'll do great!

  • apichea

    I love meeting new bloggers through Monday Mingle and catching up with
    others not already in my reader. Thanks for stopping by!

  • apichea

    You are too sweet. I love our friendship! Thanks for the encouragement!

  • martha brady

    maybe the fact that i have been a pastor's wife for years affects me this way, but i don't see that having ads and having your blog be a ministry are mutually exclusive. let's face it, w/o $$, none of us can live very long b/c we need food, a roof over our heads, etc. to pretend that we don't is not realistic…or to act as tho' the money somehow taints our motives. (now the love of money, that's a different story!) I've discovered that to do a decent job at blogging, takes a LOT of time. (at least i hope i'm doing a "decent" job of it.)
    Our purpose here on earth is to glorify God. That can be done in the mundane, a paid job, or those things that seem like "ministry". in reality, all of it is ministry. we glorify God by the way we live our lives in the everyday and the ordinary. that is where our character is molded and developed. it seems that if the advertisers on the blog coincide with the goals for your blog (i've read this too!) there is nothing about that that would harm the ministry of the blog.

  • Janice

    Isn't it great to just HAVE a decision made? I'm sure the Lord will bless your work and provide for it.

  • apichea

    Thanks for sharing your point of view. I do agree with you, the two are not
    necessarily exclusive. I think, for me, the issue wasn't *having* the ads,
    but rather being *focused* on the ads. It was becoming a pride issue that I
    needed to let go of and trust God with. I was starting to focus more on
    monetizing than on encouraging, and God showed me that it was a problem.
    I'll continue to keep the ads up, as long as they are in agreement in nature
    with the blog, but I won't be focusing on them (I hope). Thanks again for
    sharing!

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