Have you noticed that Justin Long has moved his content from Momentum Magazine over to Strategic Network? (Thanks Wilma!) See the site at:
http://www.strategicnetwork.org/
The model here seems to be that there is much free content, while other content is shared as “premium content,” available only after sponsoring Strategic Network for $20/year. If you have comments on this site, or this paradigm for supporting it, please click the comment link below.
From a North American concept, I can definitely appreciate the reality that it costs money to run a resource like this and thus the users should support it.
That being said, I believe that the Global Christian Community should have free access to the entire body of information that has been composed and written by its leaders. To restrict the info based on the ability to pay, what some countries is three weeks wages could be conceived as North American ignorance and superiority, and a serious breach of Christian charity.
Thanks guys for the note. I should clarify that the premium section is limited to the pay-to-subscribe journals Evangelical Missions Quarterly, International Bulletin of Missions Research, Missiology and a handful of others. I sincerely think it’s an incredibly charitable offer on their part to make their combined archives available for this small price. I realize that not everyone can afford it. Fortunately the vast majority of our resources are available for free. It is an unfortunate fact that, as you say, it costs money to write (personal support), it costs money to publish (publishing resources), it costs money to secure, etc. One can only give away what one has other resources to pay for! :)
The question can be answered from different frameworks. My framework is the dismal lack of willingness within the mission enterprise to expend dollars on research, evaluation and strategy. My suggestion is to charge $ for some content but frame it along these lines: “Become part of the Network for Strategic Missions community” (how is the work of that network advanced/strengthened through membership? What do members give? What do they receive? How can they derive value from the connection; and leverage the value of the connection?) In clarifying the value of membership then make the added content a member benefit–rather than “restricted to premium users” content. I believe we need to consistently go for the ‘highest buy-in’ into the cooperative/intentional learning management (which this website helps advance) necessary to advance mission.
that’s probably a good idea, pjhannam. Up to this point, the only thing we’ve charged for is access to those 4 journals, because they are pay-to-subscribe journals. Everything else on the site is free. The premium content subscription is not intended to support the site. It’s intended specifically for access to those journals. Support for the site comes from free-will donations.