Online media and technologies are shaping the minds and hearts of people both inside and outside the church. If the church is called to be “set apart,” we must approach media and technology not with passivity or imitation but with wisdom, intentionality, and biblical conviction.
Churches today have a unique opportunity and responsibility to model a faithful response to our tech-saturated culture.
Here are four areas where churches can take specific, strategic steps to cultivate spiritual health and resist cultural conformity.
SOCIAL MEDIA ONLY FOR DISCOVERY – NOT FOR MEMBERS TO FOLLOW
Social media is not neutral. Its algorithms prioritize engagement over truth, controversy over edification, and emotional response over spiritual growth. For these reasons, the church should treat social media as a mission field, not a digital extension of the sanctuary.
Maintain a minimal presence on platforms like Facebook or Instagram for outreach and discovery purposes only. All essential content, such as sermons, announcements, and events, should be hosted on the church’s website, not social media. Encourage members to visit the website rather than follow ministry accounts. This affirms that the church’s primary presence is embodied and local, not algorithmically distributed.
NO SMARTPHONE USE DURING SERVICE
Worship is a sacred time to come before God with reverence and praise. Notifications, texts, and games are more than minor distractions; they displace our ability to be mentally and spiritually attentive. While culture normalizes the acceptability of screen use in every setting, the church should resist this drift.
Encourage the use of physical Bibles during worship. Post signs or reminders at the beginning of service inviting people to put away their devices, be fully present, and preserve the sacredness of corporate worship. Lead by example from the pulpit and worship team.
If silence is expected in a movie theater, how much more in the presence of the Living God?
PHONE FREE YOUTH/STUDENT MINISTRY
Adolescents are the most connected and yet most isolated generation in history. Social media has been linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness—all of which are direct barriers to spiritual growth. Churches must offer students a true refuge from the pressures of online life.
Make your youth ministry a phone-free zone. This communicates love, protection, and a desire for students to fully engage with Scripture, leaders, and peers. Resist the temptation to build your student ministry through social media accounts. Instead, focus on embodied community and strong mentor relationships.
Requesting that students follow your ministry online reinforces parasocial relationships that require zero commitment. Moreover, ministries have to rely on secular (and often anti-Christian) technology giants to prioritize their content in the student’s feed. Less profane and algorithmic-driven technologies exist to transmit information and updates to students.
BABY/CHILD DEDICATION CURRICULUM
Discipleship begins in the nursery. The time to start forming a wise, biblical media standard is not when a child gets their first device – it is at birth! Baby dedications are a powerful opportunity for the church to educate and equip new parents on how to set the tone for media and technology in the home.
Introduce a simple, gospel-centered curriculum for families participating in baby dedications. Teach the theology of parent-led discipleship and the role of media in shaping hearts. Brave Parenting offers a full Baby & Child Dedication Curriculum and consulting support to equip children’s ministries with this resource.
Encourage new parents to begin their child’s life with intention, biblical clarity, and conviction.
The church must not remain silent on the issue of media and technology. By sheer hours of media consumption, we must recognize that the digital world is shaping every generation more than Sunday sermons, Bible studies, and youth group gatherings. However, with courage, clarity, and conviction, your church can be a true light in the darkness and isolation of the constantly online life.
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