
Posts in this Series:
Giving Your Blog to God
Promoting the Gospel
Making Money from your Blog Isn’t Wrong, Greed Is
When to Quit, When to Take a Break
The Big Announcement!
***********************************
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10
Making money from a blog is a hotly debated topic in Christian blogging circles. Some people suggest you lose your integrity when you make money from blogging and the other side says it’s perfectly alright to make money as long as you maintain your integrity.
Rather than shy away from this topic, I’m going to meet it head on and hopefully lay some of the debate to rest.
Making money from blogging isn’t a bad thing and it doesn’t show a lack of integrity in and of itself. In fact, it is very difficult for an outsider to truly judge the motives and character of a blogger based solely on the fact that they make money through their blog. The truth of the matter stands between God and the blogger.
So, stop judging the topic of making money from blogging based on random perceptions and look at it from a biblical standpoint that only includes two individuals…you and God.
-What are your motives for wanting to make money from blogging? Do they exhibit a lack of trust in God’s provision? Do they exhibit a tendency toward greed? Or are you pursuing an income from blogging as a way to be a wise steward of your resources and time?
-If you have an aversion to making money from blogging, why is that? Is it the Holy Spirit giving you discernment of how you might react if you were to start making money from blogging? Is it because you have perceived greed in others who make money from their blogs? Are you setting a double standard in which you believe making money from something like writing freelance articles or a book is somehow more acceptable than making money from writing a blog? Is blogging equal to being an entrepreneur?
-Do you have the time or the need for a part time job? We are to be keepers at home and not running from house to house (or blog to blog). Is there a financial need in your family that could be filled by blogging without taking away from the family? Do you have your husband’s blessing?
-Do the things you make money from support the mission of your blog and the Word of God? It would be wrong to promote products you know nothing about simply to make a quick buck. You can never let your guard down and expect greed to stay away. Make a mission statement for your blog and then only promote products that match that mission statement. This is precisely the reason you do not see Google Ads on my site. I tried it once and realized it was showing many things I do not approve of and other things that go against the mission of Raising Arrows. Yes, I could have made a lot of money from it, but it would not have been money made with integrity. (This is not to say that Google ads cannot be placed on a Christian site and be just fine…they just couldn’t be placed on my site and be just fine.)
I hope this has given you some food for thought about the motives and intentions behind making money from blogging. It really must be something you bring before God, humbly and in submission to His will.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
For those of you interested in the actual process of making money and working with companies, there is a new site to be launched March 6th designed specifically to teach homeschool bloggers and companies how to work together. You can see a sneak peek here: HomeschoolBlogging.com More information coming soon!
I’m really enjoying this series. Thank you for your thoughts about Blogging as another outlet for the ministry/mission God has called you to. It has challenged me to be more intentional and prayerful in my blogging. (I’m more on the humor side of life – always looking for the giggle God is giving us!) But I can still have intention.
This was a great post. Thanks for sharing your opinions and insights. I guess I was in the dark — I didn’t even realize that some people thought it was “evil” to make money blogging!
I didn’t even know it was an issue either. I guess I’m just out of the loop. Then again the first 10 years that I blogged I didn’t even know that you could make money from blogging. Then I gave up blogging altogether after 12 years because it just wasn’t fun anymore.
Amy,
First, I wanted to thank you for your honesty. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about things that are debated, but it is usually worth it in the end. I believe that God desires Christians to be united and not to allow issues to divide us. Your post so lovingly addressed these hot topics.
Personally, I have struggled a bit with this issue. Fortunately, God has given me a very clear vision. I believe that He called me to begin blogging in a more public domain (beyond my personal blog) and that he intends to use it to provide income for my children and I during this time of waiting for His intervention in my very broken marriage. He has been so faithful. The new blog has only been up for a month, but it has blessed me beyond what I could have ever imagined. And thus far, I haven’t made a dime! Blessings to you!
I make money from my blog and our goal (as a family) is to increase that money over time. It will help us meet some family goals to provide a better life for our children (namely, getting to move to a farm). And growing the blog will slowly enable me to step back. We feel strongly that this is the right Biblical decision for our family. (We have discussed, prayed, and researched it at length — we believe God wants us to be compensated fairly for our work and we must work hard and be good stewards of His resources — since they are really not ours anyway.)
This is so much like how my husband and I feel.
Great post! While we havent started making money with the blog (no idea how) I completely agree with you saying that it is important to only promote this that support your blogs mission (God’s mission).
Such a good post, and good things to consider. God has placed such a strong vision on my heart about earning money from my writing, there’s no question in my mind my blogs will be a part of that. I guess I didn’t even realize there was such a controversy. I always assumed blogs and ads went hand in hand.
I’m just now starting to try making a few dollars here and there on my blog.
I have also decided not to do google ads. Mostly I’m switching to wordpress and getting a design, so I’m more worried about losing money at this point.
I am trying to make the plunge slowly because I love blogging and I want it to be more something I enjoy and bless others while doing it then a source of income.
It makes me wish I could work on more collaborative ebooks. I really enjoyed my first experience with that.