A Biblical Basis For Digital Ministry

Some experts claim that recent advancements in digital technology are driving the most significant shift in communications capability since the invention of the printing press. Navigating this new communications frontier in a way that acknowledges both the opportunity and danger it presents is a formidable challenge for the church.

As an organization steeped in tradition, the church’s responses to change often fall into the categories of “fight” or “flight”. Too many believers are well-known in the public sphere for flooding social media with judgmental commentary about pop culture, politics, and public opinion. At the opposite extreme, fearful parents and church leaders sometimes dwell excessively on the dangers of technology and flee into cloisters of techno-abstinence.

Most churches nowadays do not understand the massive potential that digital technology brings to the cause of the Gospel. While we cannot ignore the dangers of digital technology - especially the misinformation and addictive behavior enabled by social media - the church needs more proactive and less reactive approaches. Instead of surrendering this new frontier to the enemy, we need a strategy of responsible creation and consumption of meaningful digital content.

Acts 2 describes the core activities of the early church as evangelism (vv. 1-41), worship (vv. 42, 46), discipleship/fellowship (vv. 42-46), and acts of service (vv. 44-45). The extensive reach of digital technology makes it an obvious contributor to the task of evangelism. Considering the contemporary trends of less church attendance and increased personal online presence, we cannot underestimate the importance of digital channels in Jesus’ call to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). As secondary platforms for worship, streaming and video conferencing provide continuity during times of disaster (e.g. inclement weather, pandemic) and increased access for those unable to attend in person. To a lesser (but still significant) degree, a multitude of digital technologies also support the activities of fellowship, discipleship, and service.

The rapid growth of virtual interaction enabled by digital technology raises a difficult question for the church: are virtual and in-person interactions equally legitimate from a biblical perspective? The heavy reliance on virtual/online worship during the recent pandemic coupled with the physically-isolating effects of social media have fanned the flames of this debate in many churches. With regards to public worship, some point to the fact that scripture exclusively identifies places of worship as physical (e.g. tabernacle, temple) while others claim that we can’t exclude communication channels that didn't exist in the original historical context of that scripture. While we won’t resolve that debate here, we can certainly proceed with the assumption that in-person interactions are preferable to virtual interactions simply because they more fully utilize the features of our created being. Virtual interactions can be strategically and emphatically embraced in addition to, but not as a replacement for, in-person interactions.

Some will claim that the threat of digital technology outweighs its potential benefits, but now is not the time for fear. The church needs to rise up and bring the gospel message into the digital frontier.