This Is The End...Of My Time On Substack

Hey! 👋🏼

After 2 years on Substack, I’ve decided it’s time for me to move on. For my subscribers, there’s no need to worry. I’ll still be cranking out new content at.

Also, if you’re already a subscriber, there’s no action for you to take, as I’ve already imported everyone into my new home at Ghost.org. For those who are curious, I’ll explain the three reasons why I’m leaving Substack below.

1. I Want More Control of My Work and Interaction With Subscribers

Let me say upfront, Substack is a GREAT platform, especially for new writers or writers who want to put in as little effort as possible in setting up an online presence. There’s a ton to like about the robust features Substack offers.

Substack offers an outstanding text editor, Notes, if you want to engage in a Twitter-like social media alternative, and Substack helps writers get discovered through its community. At the same time, there are some significant limitations that I’m tired of pretending don’t exist.

There’s a lack of customization in how your Substack page can look, there is no way to segment which subscribers you connect with, and there’s no way to automate interactions. For example, I’d love to create a 3-5 email series onboarding new subscribers to my work and online community. That’s not possible with Substack.

Also, I think Substack is becoming bloated with all the new layers of features they are adding to their core function as a newsletter. I’m not a fan of Notes, and candidly I prefer Medium’s community to the built-in Substack community.

All this to say, I want my newsletter to be…a newsletter. I don’t want to deal with all the extra fluff that keeps me from producing the best long-form content I can. More importantly, I want more control over my content and how it can be segmented and used to better connect with current and new subscribers.

2. Substack Keeps Me Tethered To A Past I’m Moving On From

Approximately 40% of my current subscribers found me because of my article, My Experience of Spiritual Abuse as a Pastor at Hope Community Church. The article has well over 7,000 views and is the top result you’ll find if you Google my name. I’m not joking, check it out:

Candidly, I don’t want to be known or forever tied to one of the worst seasons of my life. My time as an evangelical pastor will always include dear and treasured memories, but it was also one of the most traumatic experiences.

I’m eternally grateful for the folks I have met online who came to my family’s aid and who used their voices to bring much-needed attention to the abuse taking place, and I have Substack to thank for giving me the space to share my story and broadcast it online. At the same time, I’m not the person I was when I wrote about my experience at Hope. I’ve grown and changed, and part of that change is I don’t want to be tied to the article anymore.

I also don’t want to take it down because the abuse and toxic leadership at Hope is still in place. If my article can serve as a warning or caution sign that prevents even one person from becoming a part of that church, then its remaining posted will be worth it. Until the leadership that created the toxic culture is changed, my post will remain, but I don’t need to stay tethered to it.

3. Substack Has Done Some Shady Things I Don’t Want to Be Associated With

Let me start by saying this is largely ideological differences that I have with some of Substack’s practices and choices in the last few years. Specifically, these are differences between myself and the leadership of the platform. As mentioned above, the platform itself has a ton to like about it, and I think there’s a place for it.

Substack Pro

I won’t go into too much detail, but my issue with Substack’s leadership is regarding their use of Substack Pro. If you’re unfamiliar with Substack Pro, it is a program where Substack uses funds generated by paid subscribers of individual Substacks (e.g. my Substack, Joey Bag of Donuts Substack, etc..) to pay “big time” writers/creators to start writing on Substack. Some of these writers are being paid up to six figures to write on Substack for a year! I don’t love the funds my writing is bringing to the platform going to draw celebrity authors, and I especially don’t like folks who care enough about my writing that they’re willing to pay for it, having some of those funds going to this program.

Substack writers are mad at Substack. The problem is money and who’s making it.

Allowing Misinformation and Inconsistent Policy Enforcement

To be honest, there’s way more to this issue than I care to spill ink explaining. The TLDR is Substack has had significant issues enforcing its behavior policies. Things that have gone unchecked on Substack are:

• Misinformation published about COVID
• Transphobic hate speech on Notes
• Substack allowing said hate speech to remain posted without consequence while firing a Substack editor for critiquing Substack.

You can learn more about these incidents from these two articles:

1. Substack creators are leaving the platform over misinformation, again
2. Free Speech Bastion Substack Fires Editor for Editing a Blog Critical of Substack

Again, the issues described above are based on my thoughts and feelings. I’m not making any judgment on anyone who joins the platform. If anything, I hope my sharing these things openly helps those contemplating creating a Substack be better informed to make the best decision for themselves.

I’ll still be around. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can join the community below:

It’s been fun, Substack, thanks for the memories. Starting this week, new content will be dropping from Ghost.org. Until then… 🙏🏼✌🏼❤️