Ep. 55 - Here's Why You Should Consider Creating an online Course

In this episode, I ask pastors and ministry leaders five crucial questions to determine if creating an online course is right for them. I discuss the potential benefits, such as extending their message beyond the pulpit, creating sustainable income, fostering more profound transformation in people's lives, building a lasting legacy, and leveraging impactful content to reach a broader audience. I emphasize the importance of purpose-driven, biblically-rooted courses and how they can effectively address specific needs and draw people worldwide to their teachings.

00:00 Introduction: A Special Message for Pastors and Ministry Leaders
00:46 The Concept of Purpose Driven Courses
01:42 Question 1: Extending Your Message Beyond the Pulpit
07:52 Question 2: Creating a Sustainable Way to Serve
11:06 Question 3: Seeing More Transformation in People's Lives
13:15 Question 4: Building a Legacy That Outlives You
14:51 Question 5: Do You Have Content That Has Transformed Lives?
16:50 Conclusion: The Call to Create an Online Course

Join My Next Free "5 day Purpose Driven Course Creation Challenge" - https://www.ucheokere.com/5daychallenge

Transcript

Dr Uche Okere: 0:00

If you are a pastor or someone in ministry in one capacity or another, then listen up because I've got something really special for you. It's a question. Have you considered creating an online course? Now that might be something that you've never thought about, or it might come across like it's just come out of the blues, but I want to ask you five questions today that would help you determine whether creating an online course is something for you. If you want to increase your impact, if you want to increase your income, if you want to see your influence for the kingdom of God grow, then you want to listen to these five questions I've got for you today. And if your answer to most of these questions is yes, then perhaps you want to seriously consider creating an online course. Not all online courses are equal. I call the kind of online courses that I'm talking about purpose driven courses. These are courses that are biblically rooted. In other words, they take the wisdom from the word of God and put them in a form that people can access so that they can experience a transformation that only the wisdom from God's word can bring. These are practical courses because they're about transformation. They take people from problem to solution in a structured step by step way. So that it's not an overwhelm of information, but it's practical wisdom, to help people go from the problems they are experiencing to the solution that they desire. So, have you considered creating an online course? Here are five questions I want you to think about. Number one question, do you want your message to go further than your pulpit? Yes, do you want the message that God has put on your heart to go further than your pulpit? Because depending on how you do ministry today, you have a sphere of influence. You have an audience. You have a people who hear your voice, but do you feel that the message that God has given you has the capacity to make much more impact beyond the sphere of influence that you currently have? I do not mean to diminish the impact that, by the grace of God, we as local church pastors have in our churches. Thank God for that. Thank God for the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives, no matter how small or large your church is, whether you pastor a church of 15 people, I once pastored a church plant of about 15, 20 people, it was a privilege, I saw it as a privilege, and in the capacity in which I serve today, as a pastor of my local church, I still see it as a privilege, in fact, earlier today, I was writing, an email to a group of people and I was saying to them that this is the biggest privilege of my life. I still wonder how God will choose someone like me to stand in front of his people, to teach them on a regular basis and to pastor them, to shepherd them and to look after them. So I do not mean at all to diminish the impacts, the import and indeed the significance of pastoring a local church. But perhaps you are one of the few, you're one of the many maybe pastors who feel that the message that God has put on your heart is of relevance to more people than you currently Influence. Then you want to consider creating an online course. We live in, a digital age, an online world. It's a time in which you can be in one location and reach people in different parts of the world. And one effective way to do that, one effective way to build an audience online is by creating an online course. Why do I say that? Why is it not effective to just put your messages online and hope to create an audience? Why does that, why doesn't that work as effectively as creating an online course? I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Audiences are built around expertise. Audiences are built around specific topics. Audiences are built around specific needs, specific niches. So, if you began to, if you like, like me, and I believe like most local church pastors, we don't preach on the same subject every Sunday. We have to feed our people a kind of balanced meal because people have various needs. I was preaching this morning and, and don't know when you're going to be listening or watching this, but we were talking about Easter because it's four or five weeks to Easter. So we were talking to people about preparing for Easter. It doesn't matter whether that's something that I'm passionate about. I am passionate about the gospel, obviously. It doesn't matter what I'm passionate about marriage. I will preach about marriage. It doesn't matter what I'm passionate about finance. I will. Preach about finance. But there is a subject on my heart that I feel particularly drawn to. There is a need, a human need that I feel particularly gifted and graced by God to help people solve. When I begin to, to talk about that in the online space, then I can begin to build an audience around that specific topic in a way that put in my Sunday services or Sunday messages online. would not build an audience. If I put my Sunday messages online, on YouTube, on Facebook or wherever, it will gather a mixed multitude. It will not gather a specific kind of people. It will not gather a uniform kind of people that I can influence in the area that God has called me to do. So, if you want Your influence, the message that God has given you to go beyond your pulpit. One effective way to do it is to create an online course. As you create an online course, the promotional activities that you will do, whether it's organically or whether it's by running ads, those will draw your people in. I speak from experience here. I speak because this is something I've done. I live in the heart of England and right from where I am My courses have taken me to places, have given me opportunities to minister to people that my messages to my church has not done. In fact, just this week, I was having a conversation with my wife and I was wondering, why are people coming to me for Things that are different from what I'm advertising. So I advertise a course on a particular subject on a particular topic, but people reach out to me because as they saw my ad, as they saw the information I was putting out that they felt drawn to me as a person, to me as a minister, not necessarily the course that I was putting out. What's my point? My point is that putting your course or creating an online course and Creating an online presence for yourself around that course will draw people To you it will draw people to you right from where I am I've ministered to people in America, I've ministered to people in Scotland, I've ministered to people all around England, I've ministered to people in Africa by reason of the course that I created in a way that my church ministry hasn't given me the opportunity to do. So do you want your message to go beyond your pulpit? Do you want it to go beyond your current sphere of influence? If your answer is yes, then you want to seriously consider creating an online course. Number two question for you today to help you determine whether you should seriously consider creating an online course. Do you want to create a sustainable way to serve? Do you want to create a sustainable way to serve? Now let's be real. Many pastors have to have multiple jobs so that they can sustain themselves and their families because the pastoring in a voluntary capacity or what they are paid for pastoring isn't enough to sustain them and their family. So they have to find another job. Now, if you want to serve in a way, if you want to serve people, if you want to have all the time that you can have to serve people in a sustainable way, then one way that you can earn some good money is by creating an online course that solves a real problem for people. Because if you organize that knowledge that you have about that particular area that God has given you gracing. And you organize all those studies you've done and put them in a practical, put them into a practical course that will bring transformation into people's lives. You can charge for that. You can sell that and people will pay you for the results and the transformation that they will experience. And as a result of that, the money that comes in frees up your time so that you can serve. More people. So do you want to create a sustainable way to serve? I call this purpose driven profit. It's profiting from your purpose because many of us experience a conflict between the two realities that we face. The reality of our purpose and the reality of the cold, hard truth that we need to earn money to make ends meet. These are two realities, but they don't have to be in conflict. They don't have to be in opposition. They should work together. I believe that God's plan, God's purpose, God's intention is that we profit from our purpose. Because I find it interesting that in Matthew chapter six, Jesus was talking about seeking the kingdom of God In the same teaching as he was telling us not to do what the Gentiles do. So not to be anxious for what to eat or what to wear like the Gentiles do. But instead we should seek the kingdom of God. So Jesus must be implying therefore that there is a profiting. There is a way that this thing works. That by seeking the kingdom of God then your practical needs will be met. We know that we live in a world where the pattern, the system is that it is a man's gift that makes room for him. we know that money is exchanged with therefore, if you and I are going to profit from our purpose, if you and I are going to earn from our purpose then we have to create something for which people pay us. And that can be. a purpose driven course. So, pastor, think about it. Ministry leader, think about it. Do you want to create a sustainable way to serve the people that God has called you to serve? Then one way to do it, one way to earn and create sustainable income is by creating Purpose driven courses that solve people's problems and for which people pay you. And the number three question I've got for you today as you consider whether you should create a course is do you want to see more transformation in people's lives. Thank God for what God does by his power. Thank God for the change that God brings into people's lives as we bring his word. But you know like I do, that many times God takes people through a process. Many times God Walks people through a process, a step by step process for them to experience that which he has for them. And the truth is, a lot of times, a sermon on a Sunday morning isn't enough. A sermon preached once on a Sunday morning isn't enough. People need to be taught. People need to be held accountable. People need to be encouraged to walk the path that leads to their freedom, to their deliverance, to their healing, to their help. And that can happen through A purpose driven online course, because these are structured courses. These are courses that embed the wisdom of God that begins from the problem that the person is experiencing and it tells them, right, this is the next thing that you should do on your way to the promise that God has made to you in his word. So do you want to see more transformation in people's lives? You preach the word that God gives you, but do you see all the impacts that you can possibly see? Is it time to create courses that would help people apply the word that you bring to them? If you want to see more transformation in people's lives, then perhaps creating purpose driven courses is the right thing for you. So I've asked you three questions already. Number one, do you want the message that God has given you? To go beyond your pulpit number two. Do you want to create a sustainable way to serve? And i'm talking about your income there number three. Do you want to see more transformation in people's lives. I believe most of us as pastors, as ministers, we want to see people's lives changed. Number four question. Do you want to build a legacy that outlives you? What happens to your messages currently after you've preached them? They might be in an online storage space somewhere. Maybe they are on Facebook somewhere. In fact, I think just recently Facebook has a new policy about removing live videos from their platform after some time. What happens to the messages that you study so hard to put together? What happens to them? After you're gone, are they just going to be stuck in notebooks and in your message notes? I sit down sometimes and I reminisce over my sermon notes from 25 years ago, from my days as an undergraduate preaching to fellow undergraduates. And I wish those messages were recorded because I want to hear how I spoke those days and perhaps see how I've grown. And I believe if I even listen to those messages again, I might learn one or two things. But more importantly, What's going to happen to your teachings and my teachings after I am gone? One way to preserve those teachings, one way to preserve the messages that you've prepared, the revelations that God has given you, is to package them into online courses. Because even after you are gone, those courses can still be sold, those courses can still make a difference in people's lives. And finally, number five question to help you decide whether creating an online course is for you as a pastor, as a minister, as a Jesus follower, who believes that God has given you a message for the world. And you're passionate about seeing that message, inspire, transform, impact people across the world. My final question for you today is, do you have content that has transformed lives? Have you received revelation from God that has transformed lives? Have you taught in the area of marriage, for example, and seen people apply the principles that you taught? And so, Marriage is healed. So, relationships restored. Have you taught and seen people who have struggled to get into, into relationships, get into relationships? Have you brought teachings that helps people and deliver them from sexual addictions, for example. Deliver them from substance abuse. Abuse. Have you brought teachings that helps people deal with a mental health issue? Do you have content that has transformed lives? Have you helped people find direction in life with your teachings? Do you have content that has transformed lives? Maybe it's even your own life. Do you have content that has transformed your life? That content might be your life experience. It might be the things with which God has comforted you, with which you can now comfort. other people. Do you have content that has transformed lives? Because if you do, there are people going to bed tonight praying for someone like you to come across their path, praying that your ad will pop up on their Facebook feed, praying that they will see you on YouTube, watch your video on YouTube, and glean from the wisdom that God Has given you pray for someone like you to hold their hands and tell them this is the next thing you need to do If you're going to experience this healing this deliverance this transformation this best that god has for you. Then it's time to create an online course because this can become a powerful tool in the hand of God to change people's lives. The people that God has called you to serve are waiting for what God has given you so that you can use it to make a difference in their lives. So pastor, ministry leader, Jesus follower, Christian author, Is it time to create an online course? If your answer to most of these questions are yes, then I would say to you, seriously consider creating an online course and see your impact increase, see your influence increase, see your income increase, see what God can do with these online courses when you create them. God bless you. Thank you for listening.