Welcome to the first installment of my Essays series. If you’ve been reading along this year, you’ll notice this newsletter is a bit longer, but I hope you’ll stick around and give it a chance. In this one, I go into a little more detail behind my philosophy of writing here on Substack and show you how it’s connected to my ministry.
A Brief History of my Ministry Thus Far
Whenever I meet someone and they ask what I do, the easiest answer is that I'm responsible for my church's livestream each Sunday, our website, and our social media channels. If this is a brief introduction, that answer is usually enough. But the more you get to know me, you'll start to understand how much more there is to it and how much I've struggled to figure out what my ministry is supposed to be.
I barely remember what my day looked like from June 2019 to March of 2020. I had just graduated and was just trying to get it figured out. When we cancelled our services for the first time, my work expanded from being an add on type thing to the primary way we communicated with our people for several months. We had been streaming services for a long time but moving all the other ministry we did online was difficult for all of us. As a team, we did what we could and hopefully it helped.
But now, COVID is over. We've been "back to normal" for a long time. Our services are open with no limits on seating or distancing. All our ministries have resumed normal activities with no restrictions. So, what is someone with no concept of what "normal activities" looks like supposed to do?
Post Covid Reconstruction
Pretty soon after everything returned to normal, I realized that most of what we had been doing wasn't going to work any longer. I began to realize there are two ways of looking at social media/the internet in the life of a church: tools for communication or tools for ministry. You use tools for communication to communicate or advertise what's happening on your campus. You use tools for ministry as an extension of the church's mission, not a billboard. Each strategy has merit. The Church already does the communication part well. But I don't think we've grasped the potential for more and what more looks like.
God's been working on me a lot in this area since it's my responsibility in one church, but I believe what He's showing me can be helpful for everyone. First, I must make a crucial point: there's a massive difference between "church" online and ministry online. Hebrews' exhortation to "not neglect meeting together" (Hebrews 10:25) is settled; media is a tool and a blessing, but watching your church online will never take the place of participating in it.
Let us now turn our attention to the "more" that I have in mind. It's time to move forward by developing new strategies for internet ministry that go well beyond treating online ministry like a movie theater. We can't merely expect people to find our Facebook page or YouTube channel and participate like they would if they were on our campus.
So, Now What?
In Matthew 28:19-20, we receive this command from Jesus before He ascends into heaven:
"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
In Acts 1:8, we see a little more:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Do we really believe what Jesus means when he tells us that we will be his witnesses even to the ends of the earth? If not, I'd ask you to prayerfully reconsider. But if so, we must act is if Christ's command absolutely extends to the internet. He is Lord over all, and all includes the algorithms.
Influencer Evangelists
In Weekly Digest 02, I introduced you to Austin Gravely. He publishes a Substack of his own called
, which I highly recommend. Austin proposes a model he calls "the influencer evangelist." Written in the midst of the Christmas season, he makes an important point about the song Go Tell It On The Mountain.'Go Tell It On The Mountain' has a uniquely individual emphasis. It isn’t about institutions going to the mountains to the declare the birth of Christ; it’s that you, as an individual, ought to do this. Traditionally, we call this 'evangelism', and those who evangelize are 'evangelists.'
When Christ commanded his disciples to make disciples of the nations, He knew his Church would be instrumental in fulfilling his instructions. But the responsibility also rests on individuals, wherever they may find themselves. Again, all the earth includes the internet. It includes social media. These are spheres in which we all participate.
"But," you cry, "the internet is a cesspool of negativity and division! Wouldn't it be better if we just all got off it?" This is a valid concern, and I'm not going to fault you if that's what you decide. But consider this counterargument from Austin:
I worry about those whose minds and hearts may be ensnared by false truths or deceptions that rob them of the truth and the freedom it brings, who lack the tools, training, and support to recognize and reject error and deceptive allure where it is found. But what have I offered in exchange? Yes, I can tell them to come up to where I am at - to read the things I read, to study the things I study, to just stop using TikTok because I don’t use TikTok. But that is not the way of Christ, who descended to seek and save the lost by taking on a human nature through his incarnation.
But what have I offered in exchange? Yikes. Not only what have I offered in exchange as a participant, but what have I offered in exchange as a Director of Internet Ministries? Here's what I've realized: if we want the evil to go away, we must get on with fixing things. I must get on with fixing things in the realm of responsibility I've been given, and it must be more than just broadcasting a service.
Audio, Video, or Written Word?
Does this mean I have to be on every new platform or app that comes out? No, I don't think so. In his essay, Austin Gravely focused heavily on the potential of short form video on platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. The cost of entry into this space is basically zero. Given the ubiquity of smart phones and their camera quality, anyone could do this. Austin and I are similar in our hesitancy to be involved with video, and for me it's really about comfort zone. I'm much more comfortable writing this newsletter than I would be trying to make disciples through Reels or TikToks. At the same time, I'm open to podcasting because I love that format and love its potential. Despite my comfort zone, one thing I know is this: if I don't embrace getting out of that zone or invest into someone who can, I'm no different than anyone else who's scared to try something new.
Throughout this essay I've hopped back and forth between what I'm trying to do in my own ministry and what I would advise churches to consider. Maybe that's part of the point I'm trying to make here, though. I'm not trying to convince everyone in every church to do everything, I'm trying to convince you to find your thing and help others do the same. If you choose to stay on Facebook, think of your time on the platform as evangelistic and as an opportunity for discipleship. If your child or a younger person you know shows some talent for creating on YouTube, try to not condemn that right away. Instead, encourage them to cultivate that platform as service to the Lord.
For me, writing on Substack has come naturally after only doing it for a month. God's given me the outline of some cool possibilities here, and that's encouraging. Substack isn't representative of the whole internet, but that's alright. That's why God has given other Christians different abilities. It's not about our comfort zones. It's about seeing a need in the future of how we fulfill the great commission by using the new tools God's given us.
Internet Ministry and You
Here's what you can do about internet ministry if you don't know where to start: pray. I really mean that. But how can you pray?
Pray for me specifically
I hope you understand by now where I'm coming from with all of this. This is a new area of ministry, and it's taken me a little bit to get to this point. I'm here now, but I would appreciate your prayers as I continue. I'd love to disciple others in this area, but it's kinda hard to disciple someone to do something I haven't figured out yet myself. So, pray for wisdom about how to develop this but also how to teach others to do it.
Pray for guys like me, their pastors, and their churches
This is going to look different for everyone in every church, but if churches invest in this kind of ministry, it will be overseen by pastors or staff members like me. It's important that anyone getting into this take the principles of influencer evangelism and apply it to their specific context rather than attempt to copy someone else. Pray that church leaders across the world would have wisdom about how to move forward and make good use of these tools.
Pray about yourself
Ask the Lord to show you how you can be an influencer evangelist. Technology is a form of wealth, and you have more wealth in your pocket than our ancestors could have ever imagined. Your platform may be small, but it matters. Use it well.