Churches are increasingly adopting a digital-first approach to reach younger generations, focusing on short-form video content and interactive digital community-building rather than traditional broadcasting.
Common methods include leveraging platforms like TikTok and Instagram for relatable content, using Discord for secure, peer-driven interaction, and employing AI tools to create engaging resources.
Talking about this recently on American Family Radio, Brett McCracken, a senior editor and director of communications for The Gospel Coalition, said technology can be implemented in ways that make things more efficient and reach more people, but it can also be done too much.
He says churches might think they need to make everything digital and screen-based and that they need to act like YouTube influencers or have a TikTok aesthetic if they are going to engage Gen Z or keep the attention of young people.
"I think that's not a smart move," McCracken told The Stand Radio.
"Where I think that a lot of pastors and churches can go wrong is starting to conceive of the Church as something that needs to compete on the same level as what people find on their phones," he said.
McCracken is also an author who writes about the intersection of faith, pop culture, and technology. He often explores how modern media, digital culture, and entertainment shape believers' spiritual lives and the Church. Based on his interaction with young people today, he gathers they do not want the Church to be like TikTok.
"They don't actually want to go to church and feel like it's just another experience like what we experience on our phones or on social media. They're actually hungry for an alternative to that," he relayed. "[They want] to be able to come into a church for at least a few hours a week and be taken out of that digital environment that can feel exhausting, it can feel oppressive."
There are several podcasts that explore the Church's growing use of technology, including Church Tech and Tech In Church, which focus on digital tools, livestreaming, and online ministry. TheoTech and Future of Church examine technology's theological and cultural impact on Christianity.
