Blogging: Ministry vs. Making a Living
I received quite a number of emails and comments from women who read How to Start Blogging as a Ministry and one of the most common questions I was asked had to do with making an income.
When I first began my website, A Virtuous Woman, I had no interest in earning money. In fact, because I my heart’s desire was to minister to women I felt that earning a living from my blog was tantamount to “selling out” my purpose.
And, as blogging became more and more popular, I remember a lot of articles floating around about how bloggers selling ads were “sell outs.” I did have a few ads running over the years to help pay for the website expenses – running a website is not free! But aside from paying the web hosting and other associated fees, I didn’t pursue more income.
I wrestled with the idea of making money from something I considered to be a ministry. I didn’t want my motivation to change and I certainly didn’t want my readers to think that I was motivated only by money.
Around the beginning of 2013 – after more than 11 years of blogging – our family was facing a lot of financial changes. Our income had decreased by more than half and as a pastor, my husband didn’t have a large income to start with.
Making a Living with Blogging
One day, I felt the Lord speaking to my heart and I realized that even pastors earn a living to support their families. I realized that earning money that we really needed from my blog was okay. I knew I had a platform, one that I had spent over a decade growing, and that there was a potential for income.
It was then I made the decision to pursue a real income using my blogging so that I could continue to stay at home with my kids, homeschool, and work on my own schedule.
I now make a full time living from A Virtuous Woman and it’s been a tremendous blessing to my family. Without that income we’d be really struggling financially. There are several ways to make money blogging including: affiliate marketing, ad income, sponsored posts, and more.
I still consider A Virtuous Woman a ministry. I wake up every morning thinking about what I need to do on the blog and ways to help women who are struggling at home or just need ideas and encouragement. I’ve been running A Virtuous Woman for over 19 years now and I’m just as passionate today if not more so!
P.S. I’ll be sharing more about HOW you can earn money through blogging in upcoming posts in this series so stay tuned! If you’d like to know more about how you can start blogging as a ministry, be sure to read my post: How to Start Blogging as a Ministry.
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