Building an Online Community: Lessons from Angie Baughman’s Steady On University
This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 76. You can listen in here!
When Angie Baughman launched Steady On University (SOU) almost two years ago, she wasn’t sure it would work. As a pastor, Bible teacher, and creator of the Step-by-Step Bible Study Method, Angie had spent years teaching women in traditional classroom settings. But creating deep, meaningful connections in an online space? That felt uncertain.
Today, SOU is a thriving community of 50 women who gather weekly to study Scripture together. And Angie’s journey from idea to launch is packed with valuable lessons for anyone considering starting their own online community.
Why Start an Online Community?
Angie describes her relationship with social media as passive. While her team posts daily encouragement and promotional content, she rarely engages personally on platforms like Facebook. This made an online community—separate from social media—especially appealing.
SOU exists for women who want to build greater confidence in studying the Bible independently while experiencing genuine community. The members range from longtime Bible study enthusiasts to women just learning the difference between Bible translations. What unites them is a desire for consistent Bible study habits and meaningful connection.
As Angie puts it, the community facilitates “deeper relationships with God and with God’s Word and with ourselves and with sisters in Christ.”
The Pricing Journey
One of the most challenging aspects of launching SOU was determining the price. Angie initially considered $9 per month, as she was unsure how much people would be willing to pay for an online bible study. But at that price point, she would have needed a large number of members to simply cover the cost of running the program.
After conversations with friends and mentors (including Sandy and Mary K.), she landed on $27 per month or $270 annually (two months free). The higher price point wasn’t about maximizing profit—it was about sustainability and investment.
“There’s something that says, ‘I value this’ when I put a price on it,” Angie explains. The financial investment encourages members to be more heart-invested as well.
Choosing the Right Platform
After initially building SOU in Kajabi (a robust but overwhelming platform), Angie switched to Circle, paying $99 monthly. The decision felt natural, and Circle provided everything she needed for her community.
One unexpected benefit? Being off social media became a draw for members. Inside Circle, women only see SOU content—no distractions, no algorithmic chaos. The platform’s user-friendly app makes it easy to participate from desktop or phone.
What Surprised Her Most
One member told Angie something that perfectly captured the surprise of SOU’s success: “I had no idea I could experience this kind of closeness with God and other women in an online space.”
Angie admits she couldn’t really envision how it would work in those early planning days. The depth of relationships and spiritual growth has far surpassed her wildest dreams.
Another surprise has been getting to know her readers in a completely new way. “Now I’m studying with my readers. I’m listening to my readers every week. I’m walking with my readers,” she shares. This knowledge continually improves the content she creates, not just for SOU members but for all women she writes for.
Lessons Learned
What She’d Do Differently
Instead of launching on a specific date (January 20, 2023), Angie wishes she had promoted SOU until reaching a target number of members—maybe a dozen or fifteen. This would have reduced anxiety and created a softer, less aggressive launch process.
Best Practice: Run a Beta Group
The smartest thing Angie did was run a month-long beta group. After spending eight months setting up SOU, she tested everything with real users, gathered feedback, and made adjustments before officially launching two months later.
This was the first time she’d done what she calls a robust beta group—and it changed her approach to everything. She now rarely launches anything without running some kind of beta test first.
Pitfall to Avoid: Overcommitting
An ongoing membership is a big commitment. Angie’s advice? “Begin as you plan to end.” Start with what you know you can maintain. You may not be able to implement every idea you dream up at your desk.
“It’s really hard to start something and then realize you can’t keep up with it,” she cautions. You can always add elements and raise prices later, but scaling back is much more difficult.
The Spiritual and Practical First Steps
Angie offers two types of first steps for anyone considering an online community:
Understand Your Why (Spiritual/Ministry Side): Do you feel peaceful about moving forward? You don’t need to understand every specific, but you should know your core why. For Angie, it was creating a space for community Bible study. Period.
Take Time to Figure Out The How (Business/Practical Side): Break down tasks and decisions into small steps. If you’re creating space for genuine relationships, it deserves to be well thought out. Give yourself permission to spend time thinking and praying through the details.
Beyond Membership: Additional Income Streams
This year, Angie added Bible teacher training courses to SOU. This is a higher-ticket item that creates another income stream. She sees a progression: free resources (newsletter, podcast), lower-ticket paid membership, and higher-ticket specialized courses.
While SOU itself may never pay all the bills, God continues opening new opportunities for income that align with her dreams and calling.
The ROI Question
Earlier this year, Angie joined a high-level coaching program to improve her marketing strategy. Within that program, she was told they don’t really coach membership groups because “they’re too much work and there’s too little ROI.”
After months of reflection, Angie agrees—if your goal is to make a lot of money, a membership community probably isn’t the best path. It requires ongoing engagement and significant work.
“But here’s the thing,” she says. The internship program and SOU give her a front-row seat to watch God work in women’s lives. The joy, strength, and growth she witnesses in her members creates value that transcends financial ROI.
“There’s more to it than just the ROI,” Angie concludes. And that might be the most important lesson of all.
Want to learn more about Angie Baughman and Steady On University? You can find her work at Steady On Ministries, where women are cultivating consistent Bible study habits and building meaningful community.
This post was reformatted from our original transcript by Claude and edited for accuracy by Mary K.
