The League of Believers Newsletter Is Free, and Always Will Be
Please ignore Substack's subscription pledge request
We wanted to provide a brief addendum to our first post after noticing a Substack-generated pledge request and “Pledge your support” button at the end of the first newsletter you were emailed. Here’s what the request said (emphasis mine):
“League of Believers is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell League of Believers that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.”
This message was generated without our knowledge. Although thankfully no one pledged support in this way after the newsletter was posted, we wanted all of you to know that, after doing a bit of digging into our account’s settings, I (Garrett, the moderator) have disallowed the option for readers to pledge financial support for future paid subscriptions. This was done for the simple reason that there will never be future paid subscriptions for this newsletter (more on this below).
To clarify, even if someone had pledged support in the short time that this was an option, the payments would not have kicked in unless we enabled them, as Substack notes in the above quotation. We get why Substack has a system like this; the company wants to incentivize writers who offer free content to eventually gather enough support to bring in paid subscriptions so that Substack can take its cut. We get it. It’s their business.
But that is not our approach.
We view this newsletter as a ministry, as a service, that happens to be hosted by a business, but which is free to you the reader at the discretion of we the authors.
As we noted at the bottom of the first post, the League of Believers is a “free newsletter” that we encourage you to enjoy and share with others at no cost. We want to take a moment to bolster that point here. As Jesus told the twelve disciples as He sent them throughout Israel to minster (Matthew 10:8b): “Freely you have received; freely give.”
Isaiah 55:1 (emphasis mine):
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
And Revelation 22:17 (emphasis mine):
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
That is our heart and commitment for this ministry before the Lord and each other.
So, despite Substack’s noting that the “League of Believers is free today,” if we haven’t already made it crystal clear, it is free today, and tomorrow, and as long as it exists.
We have added or underscored this point in our welcome email, “About” page, and in an edit to the first post.
If you would like to support this free newsletter, please become a subscriber if you have not yet done so.
You can also support this ministry by sharing this newsletter with friends or family that may profit from it.
Then, interact with our posts by sharing feedback, including prayer requests, through the comments section below each newsletter post on our website or through emails to:
garrettpleague@proton.me
And last, but first, pray for us, dear brothers and sisters (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
Thanks and enjoy, freely.
Garrett P. League, on behalf of the League of Believers team
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