Field Note #11: Why Faith-Based Online Teaching Is More Powerful Than Ever

Yesterday, a fellow faith-driven teacher's question stopped me in my tracks:  “Should I include my faith in my business?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it and definitely not the first time I’d wrestled with it myself.

Truth is, that question has been simmering beneath the surface for a long time.

Here’s what I’d tell you if we were sitting across from each other:

Yes.

The digital world is shifting and so is our calling inside of it.

These field notes are for the bold and the faithful. The ones who sense that teaching online isn’t just about dumping out knowledge and information anymore. We have ChatGPT for that.

It’s about building something that lasts, that transforms, and that serves.

Let’s talk about what’s really happening underneath the surface.

The 2025 Shift: Why the Old Ways No Longer Work

This isn’t just a trend; it’s a tectonic shift. 

The online learning world is transforming rapidly, demanding fresh approaches that carry true meaning.

Reports like the State of the Internet by Live Your Message show us that students are no longer drawn to bloated courses or manipulative marketing. They want to feel something. They want change, not just checklists.

According to Forbes and  LinkedIn the courses that win today are:

• Personalized
• Skills-based
• Centered on trust and transformation

But what happens when we add faith to that mix?

Something powerful. Something countercultural.

The Faith-Fueled Framework That Keeps Me Grounded

In a world chasing faster, flashier, and more formulaic, these five principles keep me anchored. They’re what I now teach others to use in their own businesses:

➡️ Faith in Action
➡️ Stewardship
➡️ Transformation
➡️ Serving a Community
➡️ Storytelling

They’ve become my compass. Not because they’re trendy, but because they’re timeless and they work.

Each of these principles has its own story, its own struggles and breakthrough moments. So, instead of cramming them all into one place, I’m inviting you to explore them in depth, one by one.

Each linked note is a deeper dive, a flashlight into the parts of our work that often go unseen.

1. Faith in Action→ Your Teaching is a Sacred Assignment

When I first started teaching online, I kept my faith neatly tucked in the background—personal, but invisible. I didn’t want to alienate anyone. But over time, I realized I was muting the very thing that made my work matter.

Faith in action is about letting your calling shape your content, your curriculum, and your conversations. It's not about preaching; it’s about showing up with purpose, clarity, and conviction. When you teach like your work matters to God, something shifts. You stop hustling for validation—and start teaching from a place of spiritual authority.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” Colossians 3:23

It’s a quiet confidence that tells your audience: This isn’t just what I do. It’s who I’m called to be.

 📌 Read the full field note →.

2. Stewardship → Trade Chaos for Clarity

Teaching online often feels like juggling flaming swords while standing on an exercise ball: launches, emails, content calendars, tech meltdowns. It’s easy to get buried in the busy and call it purpose.

But biblical stewardship calls us to something different: faithfulness with what we’ve been given. Not everything, just our portion. That means choosing focus over frenzy. Simplifying instead of scaling too fast. Building a business that supports your mission, not one that drains it.

When I embraced the Power-of-One approach — focusing on one audience, one offer, one outcome — I didn’t just get my time back. I got my joy back, too.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” Luke 16:10

📌 Learn the Power-of-One process → 

3. Transformation→ Teach for Heart Change, Not Information Overload

Let’s be honest: most online courses sit half-finished in digital graveyards. Why? Because people don’t need more information. They need meaningful transformation.

Jesus didn’t give people steps and slides; He gave them stories, questions, and invitations to change.

That’s our model, too.

Faith-aligned transformation isn’t about cramming more into a lesson. It’s about walking with your students as they renew their minds, shift their beliefs, and step into their God-given potential. 

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

📌 Explore how transformation really happens →.

4. Serving a Community → Create the Belonging People Crave

There’s something sacred about creating a space where people feel known. In a digital world full of AI-generated content and faceless automation, human connection is the differentiator.

When you teach from a place of service, you’re not just delivering content, but building community. You’re creating tables where people can be seen, supported, and spiritually encouraged.

And it’s more than business strategy. It’s discipleship.

“Encourage one another and build each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

📌 Explore how to build that kind of space →.

5. Storytelling → Lead with Humanity, Not Just Expertise

The first time I told a personal story, I cringed. Would anyone care? Would it sound unprofessional? But the response was overwhelming. Not because my story was impressive, but because it was real.

In a marketplace where everyone’s shouting about their frameworks and features, stories speak to the soul.

When you share your why — your failures, your breakthroughs, the moments that shaped your calling — you invite people into something deeper than just learning. You give them a reason to trust you, follow you, and grow with you.

“Jesus did not say anything to them without using a parable…” — Matthew 13:34

📌 Discover the power of story →. 

Final Reflection: This Is Our Moment

This isn’t just a framework. It’s an invitation. 

• To teach from a deeper place.
• To steward your calling with focus.
• To transform, connect, and tell the stories that matter.

This is how we rise above the noise in 2025. Not by competing harder, but by returning to what’s true.

So here’s your next step: Choose one principle. Follow the thread. See where it leads.

Because your voice? Your faith? Your calling?

It’s needed more than ever.