Dear friends and supporters,

Because I am currently able to support my family through my own employment and still dedicate sufficient time to Thoughtful Faith, I take no salary from Thoughtful Faith funds. I intend to keep things this way as long as I am able to. I also annually disclose channel finances on my website. My intention is that my online work can be free from any other motivation than simply that of accomplishing the channel’s mission (which may require me to tell my audience things they don’t want to hear). 

All funds made or donated by fans to Thoughtful Faith or earned through channel partnerships are considered donations. Funds are used for travel, equipment, software, editors or other channel or studio related expenses. Funds may also be used for donations to other channels or causes.

 

My policy is to never put ultimate access to my content behind a paywall and I intend for the content to be available to all in the hopes it will help bring others closer to Jesus Christ and his gospel.

 

While I do have reservations about the conflicts of interest that can arise when “making your audience happy” is how you make a living, I also understand that content creation takes time and that all are not as fortunate as myself with flexible employment. So while I do feel it is unethical to put your testimony behind a paywall and I do believe financial incentives can potentially pervert the motives of religious content creators. I do not necessarily have any ethical issue with religious content creators taking a salary from funds from voluntarily donated by supporters or earned through partners who want to help make sure their content continues regular production.

 

Navigating financial incentives in the world of religious content creation is a complex subject and one I am still formulating my own opinions on but this should help clarify the current principles that guide my decision making. I wanted to make this information public so I can be as transparent as possible with anyone donating to the channel or those who might wonder how funds are handled at Thoughtful Faith.

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- Jacob Hansen
Thoughtful Faith