How to Create A God Honoring Email List
I remember the first time I sat down to build an email list. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, and a strange mix of excitement and dread settled in my stomach. It felt like I was standing at the edge of something big, but also like I was one wrong move away from falling into a pit of gimmicks and cheap marketing tricks.
That tension is real, isn’t it? We want to expand our reach but don’t want to compromise our integrity. We long to steward our message well, but we refuse to manipulate people into engagement. If you’ve ever wrestled with this, take a deep breath—you’re not alone. And better yet, there’s a way forward that honors God.
The Heart Behind the List
Let’s get one thing straight: an email list isn’t just a marketing strategy; it’s a ministry. It’s an opportunity to shepherd people’s hearts, to serve before we sell, and to invest in the souls behind the screens. Jesus modeled this for us in how He spoke to the crowds. He didn’t just gather people—He loved them, fed them, and met their needs before calling them deeper. (Matthew 14:13-21)
If we treat our email list as a numbers game, we've already lost. But if we see it as an opportunity to pour into people, to disciple through our words, and to be faithful in what God has entrusted to us, then we are walking in alignment with His heart.
Build on Truth, Not Tactics
There’s no shortage of marketing hacks out there—scarcity tactics, psychological nudges, and pressure-filled CTAs that make people act before they think. And while strategy isn’t inherently bad, we have to ask: is this built on truth? Or is it built on fear, urgency, and manipulation?
Ephesians 4:15 reminds us to “speak the truth in love.” That applies to our marketing, too. Instead of using fear-based urgency, let’s create genuine urgency rooted in the gospel's goodness, the depth of the message we carry, and the reality that eternity is at stake.
Rather than baiting people with clickbait, let’s offer real value. Instead of empty promises, let’s make our words mean something. Honoring God with our marketing means holding integrity above conversions and faithfulness above fame.
Serve First, Sell Second
Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). If our email list is going to reflect Him, service has to be our first priority. This means:
Giving before asking—offering encouragement, wisdom, and resources freely.
Seeing subscribers as souls, not stats.
Writing emails that feel personal, human, and deeply valuable, not just promotional.
People can sense the difference between being loved and being used. When we prioritize serving over selling, we build a community that trusts us. Trust, built over time, leads to transformation—both in our readers' lives and our mission’s impact.
The Call to Faithfulness
God doesn’t call us to go viral. He calls us to be faithful. Whether our list grows to 100,000 or stays at 100, the goal remains the same: to honor Him with every word, every strategy, and every interaction.
So, if you’re in the trenches of building your email list, feeling the tension between strategy and sincerity, let this be your anchor:
Do everything for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
That means:
Grow your list with honesty, not hype.
Write emails that nourish souls, not just sell products.
Lead with love, always.
Because at the end of the day, our success isn’t measured in open rates or conversions, but in faithfulness to the One who called us.
Before you write your next email or tweak your opt-in form, pause. Pray. Ask the Lord to help you build a list that honors Him. Then, commit to serving, stewarding, and speaking the truth—because that kind of marketing lasts for eternity.
