Ministry vs. Business: Finding Freedom as a Christian Creative
This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 68. You can listen in here!
As Christian creatives, navigating the space between ministry and business can feel confusing. We want to honor God with our work—our words, our stories, our teachings—but is it okay to charge people for it too? Can something be both ministry and income? And how do we discern the difference without guilt or hesitation?
In this week’s episode of Writing Off Social, Sandy and Mary K sit down with three of their closest friends—women who have walked together through countless conversations about calling, money, value, and obedience. These are the same women who show up in their Voxer chat nearly every day to hash out the intersection of ministry and business.
Meet the guests:
Angie Baughman, a licensed pastor, Bible teacher, author, podcaster, and founder of Steady On Ministries. She’s the creator of the Step-by-Step Bible Study Method and leader of Steady On University.
Teresa Whiting is an author, national speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and host of the Find Hope Here podcast. She wrote DisGraced: How God Redeems and Restores the Broken.
And Jenny Zentz is a Bible teacher, speaker, podcaster, discipleship pastor, and host of The Intertwined Life.
Each of these women brings wisdom, vulnerability, and honesty to a topic many Christian creatives wrestle with in silence.
Ministry or Business?
Sandy opens the conversation by asking each woman how she defines her work: ministry, business, or both?
Angie doesn’t hesitate. “It’s ministry—because discipleship is the primary goal.” Her work through Steady On Ministries has multiple branches—Steady On University, Steady On Live events, an internship program—but for her, the heart is discipleship. Even though she pays team members and shoulders significant financial costs, she explains, “My goal right now is to get to a place where the ministry can support itself but not necessarily turn a profit.” She’s learned to separate income from calling, and to trust God with the difference.
Teresa has been teaching, discipling, and writing Bible studies for decades. “This has always been ministry—30 years of unpaid ministry.” She acknowledges the tension that so many of us feel: “Yes, it’s ministry. But also—this kind of ministry costs money.” She feels the pressure of a world shouting, “Monetize everything!” and the constant need to step back and ask, “Lord, what do You want?”
Jenny speaks passionately about calling. “I’d do this even if no money ever came. It’s impact over earnings. It’s a fire in my bones.” She affirms a reality that gives her freedom: her income doesn’t have to support her household, which allows her to treat her creative work primarily as ministry. But she also notes something important—calling doesn’t mean you never get paid. Provision may come from unexpected places, just as it did for Paul.
For Mary K and Sandy, Writing Off Social is both. It began as a business—something with a plan, pricing, and strategy. But the podcast, the coaching, and the conversations? That’s ministry. As Mary K puts it, “Everything I do is ministry. Some things make money and some things don’t.” The distinction isn’t paid versus unpaid—it’s obedience.
Should You Be Paid for Your Work?
The Answer Isn’t Simple—But It’s Also Not Shameful
This question surfaces again and again. And the answer most often is: it depends.
Angie makes an important distinction: “I don’t need to personally be paid, but the ministry needs to be supported.” She points out that spiritual teaching—like counseling, writing, or leading women—requires time, resources, and investment. “It costs money to do this. If what we’re doing is valuable, it’s good and right to ask others to support the work.” But she also warns about the danger of wanting payment to validate your worth. She shares a question the Lord asked her: “Is it valuable because I say it is? Will you believe that?”
Teresa’s response carries both conviction and vulnerability. “I think YOU should be paid. But for myself? I struggle.” She recalls a stranger telling her she shouldn’t charge for trauma-healing work because “Jesus healed people for free.” Her response is pointed: “By that logic, are all therapists and doctors supposed to work for free? It doesn’t make sense.” But when criticism is directed personally, it stings. Her encouragement comes from a place of hard-won wisdom: stand firm in your calling, steward your gifts well, and don’t bury them out of fear.
Jenny offers clarity rooted in relationship with God. “Only you and the Lord can determine whether it’s important to be paid.” She emphasizes seasons. Sometimes God calls you to volunteer. Sometimes, He calls you to step into a paid role. Sometimes, He calls you to “make tents” while you do ministry. “If God has called you to it, He will provide. Provision may not come from where you expect.” Her encouragement is simple but profound: sit with the Lord, ask if you’ve taken on more than He asked, seek clarity about whether you’re staff or a volunteer, and trust Him as your provider.
Pricing Your Work: When to Charge and When to Give It Away
And Yes—Christians Can Charge for Their Work
Angie has heard the criticism too many times: “You’re making money off the free gospel.” Her advice when facing criticism is measured and wise. Don’t respond in the heat of the moment. If it’s hostile—delete and move on. If it’s a genuine question—engage kindly. If someone can’t afford your work—ask what would fit their budget and point them to free resources. And most of all—discern with the Lord. “Some of this criticism comes from incomplete biblical teaching or from insecurity. Seek truth, not shame.”
Teresa has faced her own version of this criticism, particularly around her healing work. Someone once told her, “Jesus healed people and didn’t charge. How dare you charge money for trauma healing?” But she reframed it with clarity: we pay therapists, we pay doctors, we pay for books, tools, and materials that help us heal. Charging is not the same as “selling the gospel.” It’s charging for the hours, the training, and the stewardship of your calling.
Mary K has strong feelings about speaking engagements. “Never speak for free—even if you don’t get paid.” If you’re just starting out, or if God leads you to speak without charging, she recommends asking for photos for your website, testimonials, a referral, a book table, email list promotion, or video for a speaker reel. “You may not get a check—but you should still be compensated.”
Angie adds a powerful reminder that extends beyond the individual: “Think of the women who come after you.” If you always speak for free, event planners learn to expect free speakers. Charging isn’t just for you—it’s for the women who haven’t come up behind you yet.
Final Encouragement from These Women
Teresa grounds her perspective in Scripture: “The Proverbs 31 woman turned a profit. It is godly to earn money from your work.”
Angie offers permission and a boundary: “It’s acceptable not to be paid. But don’t stay where you’re not valued.”
Jenny speaks freedom over those who are struggling to find their place: “Maybe your people are not the people you’re trying to serve right now. Shake the dust off and go where you’re received.” And perhaps her most freeing reminder: “If you need to make tents for a while—make tents. But don’t serve in bitterness.”
You Can Be Both Faithful and Paid
You can love God and love your work. You can serve wholeheartedly and still receive compensation. You can treat your work as ministry—even when it functions like a business. You can obey God even when He leads you into uncomfortable financial territory.
What matters most? Your obedience. Your intimacy with Him. Your willingness to hold every decision—every price, every product, every offering—open-handed before the Lord.
And that’s the heart of Writing Off Social: freeing you to pursue a sustainable, God-honoring writing life without shame, confusion, or the exhausting pressure of the algorithm.
This post was reformatted from our original transcript by Claude and edited for accuracy by Mary K.
