Ministers are content creators with a problem

You have a world-changing message to deliver. In order for that message to reach an audience in a digital-first age, the methods of delivery likely need to change.

How do you start writing your world-changing lessons or sermons?

Do you begin with reflective time in prayer? Do you start with a whiteboard and thought bubbles? (That’s how I often did it.) Do you stare at a blinking cursor until inspiration hits? Do you pray with increasing fervor for God to give you words… any words?!

The point in this little reflective exercise is to note that you likely have a process–a creative process. You know what it’s like to sit down, put the proverbial pen to paper and generate something that will inform and equip others. You’re well-practiced at the art of creation. Congratulations, Rev, you are a content creator.

The pandemic of 2020-21(?) heightened awareness of the trend that the content many of us create for religious communities no longer seems to have the impact it once did. Pre-pandemic, most ministers enjoyed a well-established platform. In the Christian tradition, that platform was often the pulpit. Each week we created a valuable piece of content and happily delivered that content to our target audience, who sat in the pews before us. 

But now our audience is no longer in the pews. The Barna Group found that even when COVID-related restrictions end, only 41% of church-engaged Gen Z members plan on returning to regular attendance of in-person worship. Only 42% of millennials say they prefer in-person worship. It’s important to note that these stats only reflect those who already claim to be part of our churches–they don’t touch on people who are not currently engaged in faith communities. People–especially younger people–seek to engage in faith communities in ways outside of in-person worship.

Connecting with a digital-first culture

It’s becoming less and less likely we’ll see as many people return to the pews as we were accustomed to seeing pre-pandemic. The younger, digitally-native generations already had a built-in resistance to our standardized form of content delivery (the pulpit) and are now finding the world bending to their preferred modes of consumption. They’re multimedia consumers who find value in snippets of information. Our content delivery method of speaking from a podium for 20 minutes (or more) feels foreign to them.

This does not diminish the value of the content you create as a minister. You are tasked with delivering world-rocking words and ideas. You’re literally on a mission to transform the world! In order for that mission to keep pace with the changing world, our delivery methods may need to undergo a transformation of their own. It’s time to pivot. It’s time to take the world-rocking content we’ve produced for years and find new ways to present it to the world.

“Present” is an important word in faith. In our Christian tradition, presence is the central point. God shared presence with humanity in the form of Jesus Christ. That’s a big deal. After Jesus ascended, we believe that God’s presence became a part of us through the Holy Spirit. We believe God is present with us in the forms of Creator, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God’s presence is made known to us in several ways. 

In our world today, we are discovering new ways to be present with one another. In younger generations, virtual and digital presence counts as actual presence. Relationships are formed in digital space. I have a 13-year old son who counts other teens, who he’s only met through online games, as friends. That’s foreign to me (a 45-year old). But it’s native to him. He experiences real presence in digital space. 

In many ways, digital availability enhances the depth of friendships. The same core characteristics that we seek in friendship are present in digital friendships: self-disclosure, validation, companionship, instrumental support, conflict and conflict resolution. The difference between myself and my son is that when I was his age, I enjoyed very limited time windows in which I could engage these core characteristics of friendship. My son has a wider window of engagement due to technology. As ministers with messages, we should note that our constituents are using technology to form relationships and consume information. 

Our call in this new world revolves around making our world-rocking message present in digital spaces. In the Christian tradition, we believe the message is most effectively delivered when it puts on flesh. That sounds counter to presenting a message in digital space. But in a world where the boundaries between digital and corporeal are blurred, we are invited to consider how we begin to digitally embody the word. How does our digital presence embody God’s world-changing message?

Digitally embodying The Word

I once attended an evangelism training where the leadership encouraged the participants to assign themselves “fishing ponds”. The “ponds” were spaces where we could offer presence. For me, the pond became a local coffee shop and bakery. It was my third space (my home and my office being my primary spaces). I got to know the staff there. I had a number of impromptu conversations with people there. I met friends of friends there. I spent so much time there that one church member said “if I didn’t know better, I’d say we’re paying you to drink coffee here all day.” He was kind of right. I purposefully inserted myself into that coffee shop for the purpose of meeting new people and sharing a message of kindness and hope with them. I was there to be a ministerial presence. 

I couldn’t go to the coffee shop today. Even if I could, people wouldn’t have the same openness to stopping and engaging me in conversation. I hope that time returns–but it will take a while before we’re all comfortable doing that.

However, people are hanging out in digital spaces more than ever. They are more ready to engage in conversation in those spaces more than ever before. They are connecting with real people through those spaces more than ever before. And it seems that many are going to continue using virtual means to form connections. 

That’s a big invitation for those of us in ministry. We know where the people are. The invitation is for us to consider how we are utilizing these digital spaces to connect with people and share our world-rocking messages with them. Have we made the digital space our third space?

Here’s what you can do today: Consider how you are present online. Engage someplace new to you. Look for ways to include your world-rocking message in your online presence. 

We’re working on sharing our world-rocking message through Digital Ministry Notes. Sign up for our newsletter in order to never miss a new idea or tip. Sign up today and get 28 days of social media content for ministers, allowing you to easily occupy the digital space.

Ministers are content creators with a world-rocking message. In order to deliver that message today, our delivery methods need to change.