We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cheri Strange a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cheri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission was birthed through daily opportunities to trust God to give me courage to do things this timid wallflower didn’t think she could, stretching further than a small-minded girl like myself is comfortable thinking or moving. To make things interesting, came the calling to bring others along.
It took about a decade to recognize and respond to it, but in 2009, I did by forming She Yearns Ministries. The overall mission of the ministry is to help stir more desire for God into the everyday lives of women, through speaking with women’s groups across the country, writing Bible studies and books, and serving as a content partner for Bible.com (or the YouVersion app).
In the Bible, the writer of Hebrews calls followers of Christ to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near,” (Hebrews 10:24-25). In a nutshell, that is exactly what I aim to accomplish. My training and experience (teacher, professor, women’s minister, and mom of six girls) equips me to serve women of all ages who are familiar with Christianity, who want to grow in their relationship with God. What I understand my calling to be, in its essence can be summed up in these words from Charles H. Spurgeon:
“EMPTY YOURSELVES!
Do as you have opportunity, tell it out; empty it upon the earth.
If you have proved Him, confess to a generation about you that He is a faithful God.”
That is how this ministry was born.
It is my privilege and joy to do exactly this: empty myself— to tell it out and confess to anyone who will read or listen.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When I began She Yearns Ministries, speaking and writing in 2009, I envisioned one day pooling all of my abilities and skills into a ministry that serves as a resource, where women can be encouraged, challenged, even deepen their faith, or find what they need to take the next step in their relationship with God. That’s why I started The Stirring Faith Company where I create, make available, and produce Gospel-saturated resources to help women desire more of God in their everyday lives. Oh, I still travel across the country speaking at conferences and women’s events, but the ministry reach through The Stirring Faith Company is greater. Our resources include all of the things I have always championed for spiritual growth and encouragement, but we have expanded into digital resources, devotionals, journals, cards, stickers, and other inspirational helps.
Today, The Stirring Faith Company continues the mission I believe God has placed in my heart and mind. It is truly a privilege and joy to help women by stirring more desire for God into their everyday lives. I’m thankful for the opportunities to empty myself, telling out my faith, and professing it to anyone who will read or listen.
One project that is dear to me right now is my book with Bold Vision Books, Can You See Me, Now? Good News for the Lonely, Left Out, and Less Than. This book is a 75-day journey, and it’s for anyone who has ever felt the sting of not being missed, who knows the pain of not being invited, and seems invisible. Currently, we are living as the loneliest generation on record, and more than fifty percent of people feel as if no one knows them well. There has never been another time when we have needed this message more than now. What I want women to come to know is that there is a path forward. There is hope for the woman who feels no one notices her.
Written in doable segments busy women can grasp and complete, Can You See Me, Now? offers relatable stories, practical helps, and Biblical hope. The message is resonating, so we also developed a leader’s Guide available with discussion questions, videos, and ideas leaders can use to walk this journey as a group.
The Stirring Faith Company will be launching more Bible reading plans, at least two Bible studies, two devotionals, and additional digital and print resources in 2024. We cannot wait to see how God uses these to work Hebrews 10:24 through women we encounter in the coming days.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2009, I pivoted from academia to working in Christian women’s ministry. I had spent the previous nine years developing my “writing voice” until I finished my first Bible study. Not knowing what step to take next, I began looking on the Internet to learn what to do with a completed manuscript. I found a writer’s conference, a mentor, and the training I needed. It wasn’t long before I was pitching my proposal to editors. One of those editors was interested and invited me to make some corrections and send it to his publishing house. I did, but unfortunately the day my manuscript arrived to the publishing house, he died. needless to say, I never heard from them about my proposal.
I stuck my manuscript in a drawer, and let my energy fuel other things in my life. I started a blog. We adopted four more children who didn’t speak English. I rescued a Maine Coon cat. But a couple of years later, I felt God tugging at my heart to pull that manuscript off the shelf again, so I did. I really wanted the opportunity to publish with publishing house I had connected with previously. Therefore, I discovered on-line what conferences the deceased person’s replacement was heading, and purchased my plane tickets to meet him at one of these destinations.
My efforts were worth it because not long afterwards, this publishing house offered me a contract. I’d like to say it was smooth sailing from then forward, but it was not. The contract was lost for months, which meant I couldn’t shop my manuscript anywhere else, but I could not move forward with this publisher, either.
Release day finally arrived, after only five years. More than once, I wanted to quit. Add to this logistical mess the chaos putting a family together made up of three languages, sundry deficiencies and special needs–there was nothing left of me to be spent. Still, God met me in those difficult places, giving me His hope, moving me forward in His strength.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Of social media, I am not a fan. As an author, a large platform is an advantage, so even though people in the publishing industry recognize the limitations of social capital, the expectations remain high. The best advice has been to focus on one outlet at a time. A couple of years ago, I decided to make my focus Instagram because I felt that was where my audience might hang out. In the beginning, I joined “follow loops” and tried to post more regularly. But these first attempts were not very successful. I would gain ten followers only to lose eight. It was as if my glass ceiling was with 800 followers who were pretty much people I knew but who did not engage with my ministry.
Over the years, I have paid for and attended training in how to grow a following. I just had not yet implemented what I had learned. But that all changed in 2022. From that summer until today, April, 2024, my account has grown from under 900 followers (following 1200) to 25.3K followers (following 958), without dancing videos, few reels, and zero pictures of my kids.
Please note: I am not a strategist nor a coach, but I am happy to tell you what I did that made a difference. Here are some key things I did for my Instagram Business account that worked.
1. Clean out follower list. Instagram will tracks this metric for you, showing you the top 50 accounts. (Repeat every few weeks.)
2. Decide who you want to come to your page – ie, who is my ICA (Ideal Client Avatar)? Who are they engaged with? What pages are they following? Why?
3. Instagram is a visually driven social media platform. Your visuals matter. Decide on an Instagram wall aesthetic. Use your brand colors, and the type of posts you want to do regularly. I have two main color schemes: blue background and white background. When these alternate over time, it creates a really nice pattern. Since Instagram has visual appeal — this is worth doing.
4. Make Canva.com your new best friend. (It’s worth it to pay for the Pro acct.) I set up a file with my blue backgrounds and one for my white ones. That way – I’m not recreating the wheel each time.
5. Post regularly — whatever that means for you. I’ve been able to grow my account posting once per day – five days per week. But the best advisers suggest posting more often and using reels.
5. Go find those public accounts similar to what you want to be doing, but who have a stronger following. Look at their follower lists. These are your potential people. If their accounts are public – you can see their wall to determine if it is someone you would want to follow or have follow you. Select about 5-8 of these to follow. (Don’t worry if they don’t follow you back right now.) What will happen, is they will go straight to YOUR WALL to see if you are a creep — or if there is any reason they would want to follow you back. If you are doing #1-4 — they will likely follow you. REPEAT this every few days.
WARNING: Don’t try to do all of this follower dropping and adding in a week or you might trigger the Instagram authorities to question the authenticity of your account and shut it down.
Give it six months. If you don’t see any growth — make adjustments to what you are posting or maybe you need to reconsider your ICA.
My success has been in finding something I enjoy posting that helps the people I want to serve – and serving them regularly. Your people are out there to be served, as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cheristrange.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheristrange/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Therealcheristrange
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CheriStrangeSheYearns
- Other: YouVersion the Bible app: https://www.bible.com/organizations/94091876-ad14-4152-8122-cdfa7c6f7864