EMQ » July–September 2023 » Volume 59 Issue 3
Summary: God has been preparing the digital and the metaverse mission fields, and in these digital environments we can reach the world. A handful of innovative church planters with little to no support are leading what can at the very least be called an innovative experiment. Their work is bringing hard-to-reach people encountered in digital spaces into relationships with Jesus. The missional implications of their work cannot be ignored.
By Jeff Reed
Billions of people. Mission fields larger than India and China combined. Massive percentages of atheists, agnostics, and de-churched. Yet the church is hesitant to go? Anyone else confused?
Hold on. Let me back up a little bit.
“Jeff, your view of digital is so small.” I was not prepared to hear those words.
In 2021, I was championing digital discipleship through thechurch.digital (TCD). Through TCD we helped thousands of churches learn to thrive, grow, and multiply in the new COVID world. The first Bible study I ever taught online was way back in the year 2000.
Since then, I dedicated decades of my life to the idea of being a church in digital space. So, when a missiologist from a globally recognized organization called me out for my limited view of digital, I picked my ego up off the ground and listened to what he had to say.
He was right, by the way. I did have a small view of what God could do digitally.
God has been preparing the digital and the metaverse mission fields. But we are missing the opportunity that God has clearly laid before us, because of antagonism toward digital ministry. Matthew 9:37 which says, “The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few,” becomes sadly ironic.
In a mission field where billions of people interact, the Church is reluctant go. But it’s in these digital environments where we can reach the world. And a handful of innovative church planters with little to no support are advancing on the digital mission field.
