WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.620 Welcome to the Church Digital Podcast. 00:00:03.400 --> 00:00:07.260 Through this podcast, we'll talk about the technological innovations within the church. 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:11.080 But more than tech for tech itself, we'll address deeper questions. 00:00:11.700 --> 00:00:13.300 Is disciple making possible digitally? 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:15.760 How should we approach the digital mission field? 00:00:16.060 --> 00:00:18.640 Can a biblically grounded church operate in digital space? 00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:22.940 Oh, and where does the metaverse and artificial intelligence fit into all of this? 00:00:23.900 --> 00:00:25.840 Whether you're a big or small church, 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:30.680 the Church Digital's goal is to help churches like yours learn to be a multiplying church, 00:00:31.040 --> 00:00:32.520 digitally and physically. 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:34.680 And now here's your host, Jeff Reed. 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:35.880 All right. Hey, everybody. 00:00:36.400 --> 00:00:38.040 Welcome to the Church Digital Podcast. 00:00:38.180 --> 00:00:40.260 It's episode 322. 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:44.740 Kicking off a new season here, season 11. 00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:49.660 We're doing a deep dive on the digital mission flywheel. 00:00:49.760 --> 00:00:53.200 Now, I've used this language before, digital mission framework. 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.560 And the flywheel just paints this really interesting picture. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:00.960 I'm going to get into that here in a little bit with the flywheel. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:01.920 But you know the framework. 00:01:02.180 --> 00:01:05.760 We've talked about it so much here at the Church Digital. 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:10.360 The connect, the community, the equipping, and the mobilization. 00:01:11.080 --> 00:01:18.300 But here today, I want to focus on the connection piece. 00:01:18.380 --> 00:01:19.980 So in this season, we're going to do a deep dive. 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:21.140 We're talking about each topic. 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:23.800 Connect, community, equip, mobilization. 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:26.440 But really the heart behind framework. 00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:30.780 Well, I'm going to reference my Funko Pop friend here. 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:32.460 You want to say hello? 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:34.500 If you want anybody to guess who this is? 00:01:34.660 --> 00:01:36.780 This is Leonardo da Vinci. 00:01:37.320 --> 00:01:39.200 I know some people have already alluded. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:41.420 I made this joke even in a later episode. 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:44.760 Some people made the joke, hey, Jeff, he kind of looks like you. 00:01:45.060 --> 00:01:47.260 Hey, you know, beard, maybe what it is. 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:50.300 In the next episode, I'm actually wearing a black hat. 00:01:50.800 --> 00:01:53.900 And so it really, really does kind of look like me a little bit there. 00:01:54.460 --> 00:01:56.340 Leonardo da Vinci actually invented the flywheel. 00:01:57.060 --> 00:02:00.700 He's an artist, famous artist, famous inventor as well. 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:03.000 Not a Ninja Turtle. 00:02:03.520 --> 00:02:07.000 Now, Leonardo is a Ninja Turtle. 00:02:07.360 --> 00:02:09.420 I think he's the one with the swords with the blue, right? 00:02:09.880 --> 00:02:15.480 Leonardo DiCaprio is the guy who evidently can't float in the water and drowns in Titanic. 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:18.780 No, Leonardo da Vinci is an inventor. 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:23.900 And among the things that he's credited for is the idea of a flywheel. 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:32.420 And the flywheel is basically this device that has a crank on the top, which then has a wheel that spins around on its side. 00:02:32.420 --> 00:02:39.360 Now, what's unique about this wheel is there's four wood blocks attached to this wheel. 00:02:39.940 --> 00:02:56.500 And as Leonardo spins the device in the correct, I want to say clockwise, so it'd be this way, as he spins it clockwise, the weight of the wood spins out and provides, I think the word is centripetal force. 00:02:56.500 --> 00:02:57.800 I'll have to ask my wife on that. 00:02:58.480 --> 00:03:07.860 But the gravity, the force on those wood blocks extends out and the forward motion of those wood blocks creates what's called a flywheel, 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:13.840 where the wheel continues for a vast amount of time on its own. 00:03:14.260 --> 00:03:24.080 And I would propose to you, digital missionary out there watching this space, that we can apply that theory to a digital missionary work. 00:03:24.980 --> 00:03:30.400 And that if we, and I don't want to say with these four easy steps, because it's not easy, 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.640 and it needs to be contextualized and adapted into your context. 00:03:35.320 --> 00:03:42.700 But I do believe this, that if your ministry is connecting digitally or physically, 00:03:42.700 --> 00:03:51.660 and if you have some level of a digital community in place to establish trust, to build relationships for digital evangelism, 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.220 relational digital evangelism, relational discipleship, 00:03:54.340 --> 00:04:01.720 if you're doing that in the community level, and through your discipleship, you're helping equip people to discover what God is calling them to do. 00:04:01.720 --> 00:04:10.240 And if you're mobilizing them out to do that calling, I believe that is the digital mission flywheel approach. 00:04:10.760 --> 00:04:17.680 And that by doing that within your mission, or by partnering with others to help complete that mission, 00:04:18.520 --> 00:04:25.540 your digital mission, your digital missionary work is going to be more effective moving forward. 00:04:25.900 --> 00:04:31.180 And you're going to see it not only reproduce, but you're going to see it multiply, 00:04:31.340 --> 00:04:35.660 because you're sending people out to be on mission with that same effect. 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:42.220 So we, through the Church Digital, we're going to do a deep dive on that Connect, Community, Equip, Mobilize. 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.100 And so today, you know, we're going to talk about connection. 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:49.540 Now, let's talk about up front what connection is. 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:54.960 But before we get there, why don't we talk a little bit about what connection is. 00:04:54.960 --> 00:05:01.640 Now, if we're connection, if we're connecting with people digitally, and I hate to say this, this may be strong language. 00:05:01.820 --> 00:05:04.160 And so I'm going to apologize right now. 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.900 On this series here in Season 11, talking about the flywheel, I'm not going to mince words. 00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:12.060 Like, I'm going to speak and hate mail. 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:14.540 You can send it to Andy at thechurch.digital. 00:05:14.900 --> 00:05:15.720 Andy Magewood, love. 00:05:15.780 --> 00:05:16.200 No, I'm kidding. 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:19.980 Here's my cell phone, 484-324-8724. 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:28.080 If you are in America, it's plus one, you can always find, if you're not in America, it's plus one, you can always find me in WhatsApp and Discord. 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:29.600 We'd love to have a conversation with you. 00:05:29.960 --> 00:05:34.140 But the fact is, is that I really believe strongly in this. 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:43.220 And I think we're seeing a lot of digital ministry flounder because they're not utilizing some of these basic principles. 00:05:43.340 --> 00:05:45.700 And we're seeing a lot of success. 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:51.040 Honestly, we're seeing God move when we're utilizing this. 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:53.560 And in many ways, we're going to get into this. 00:05:54.400 --> 00:05:56.960 I think what we're doing here is biblical. 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:04.220 Like, there is a biblical drive towards the stuff that we're talking about here with Connect, Community, Equip, and Mobilize. 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:09.140 We're going to scratch the surface on that in this broadcast, in this show today. 00:06:09.260 --> 00:06:10.240 So let's get in this. 00:06:10.840 --> 00:06:12.520 This is me not mincing words. 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:14.220 This is me not pulling any punches. 00:06:14.460 --> 00:06:25.900 If we are connecting as digital missionaries, but we are not providing a community to engage with, to deepen relationships with, we're only at that connection level. 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:37.960 Connection level is social media, is streaming, is broadcasts, is podcasts, is blogging, is email, anything at the superficial level. 00:06:37.960 --> 00:06:45.420 If we're not doing community to deepen relationships, then our ministry is powerless. 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:52.800 It's powerless because all the power, okay, short of the Holy Spirit moving, all the power is in community. 00:06:53.460 --> 00:07:05.840 Community without equipping, community without a purpose, community without intentionality to get people connected to an equipping level without giving that community a purpose. 00:07:06.340 --> 00:07:08.380 Well, then the community is pointless. 00:07:09.460 --> 00:07:22.620 And really, if we're equipping people with a better understanding of ministry without mobilizing, without helping them, without sending them out, without holding them accountable for what God is calling them to do, 00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:31.200 if we are not doing anything other than equipping and letting people go, well, shoot, then I think that is reckless. 00:07:31.840 --> 00:07:42.700 And so connection without community is powerless, community without equipping is pointless, and equipping without mobilization at minimum is reckless. 00:07:42.700 --> 00:07:47.440 Once again, hate mail, send it to Andy Mage at andy at the church.digital. 00:07:47.520 --> 00:07:49.820 He would love to hear from you. 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:56.780 Listen, my, I don't know that this is my word for 2025, you know, people are always like, hey, what's your word? 00:07:56.840 --> 00:07:59.840 I've had so many people, Jeff, what's the word for the church digital? 00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:00.560 What's the word? 00:08:01.200 --> 00:08:11.420 I don't, this may have been my word for 2024, and I didn't realize it because I discovered this word maybe in October, November, 2024, and I just love it. 00:08:11.760 --> 00:08:13.580 So we all know what broadcasting is, right? 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:17.660 Broadcasting is where you shout something from the rooftops. 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:20.160 We talk about, you know, omni-channel. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:26.660 You want to get your church online broadcast on as many platforms as possible just to maximize exposure. 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:32.660 You know, in the biblical sense, you are just casting seed wherever it'll go. 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:34.740 Some of it's going to fall on fertile soil. 00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:37.200 Some of it's on thorny bush or rocky path. 00:08:37.280 --> 00:08:38.060 It don't matter. 00:08:38.400 --> 00:08:40.340 You're just throwing it reckless, right? 00:08:41.160 --> 00:08:41.860 That's broadcast. 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:43.620 That's omni-channel. 00:08:43.780 --> 00:08:45.060 That's the painting of broadcast. 00:08:45.060 --> 00:08:54.900 Now, the word for 2024, and this was, yeah, the word for 2024 last year, niche casting, niche cast. 00:08:55.560 --> 00:08:56.280 It's an actual word. 00:08:56.400 --> 00:08:57.340 I didn't come up with this. 00:08:57.900 --> 00:08:58.800 Actually, it was trizzle. 00:08:59.680 --> 00:09:04.220 Tyrell Good told this to me in an open office, and I was like, I want to look that word up. 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:08.560 Googled it, N-I-C-H-E-C-A-S-T-I-N-D. 00:09:08.640 --> 00:09:10.700 N-I-C-H-E-C-A-S-T-I-N-G. 00:09:11.040 --> 00:09:13.580 Looked it up, Googled it, and I was shocked. 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.040 It's this idea of, we talk about it all the time. 00:09:17.540 --> 00:09:19.400 If you try to reach everybody, you reach nobody. 00:09:21.400 --> 00:09:26.800 Digitally, if you try to reach everyone, you will effectively reach no one. 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:38.100 But if you niche down, if you target, if you have a focus, if you aim at an individual, you will reach multiple of them. 00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:41.380 We are seeing huge success. 00:09:41.380 --> 00:09:45.740 Now, the physical church audience, Jeff, what do you mean? 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:49.600 I can't, I have to, like, the church is for everybody. 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:54.520 The physical church models, you want to reach everybody within 20 miles of your physical radius. 00:09:55.020 --> 00:09:55.860 We all know that. 00:09:56.520 --> 00:10:01.460 And digitally, it's not that different, except it's not the audience that you're aiming at. 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:05.480 It's not the 20-mile radius around your physical building. 00:10:06.700 --> 00:10:09.140 Digitally, I would challenge us to aim a little differently. 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:14.640 And that's some of what niche casting gives us an opportunity to. 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:20.420 It gives us an opportunity to think smaller, to narrow down audience profiles. 00:10:20.620 --> 00:10:22.340 Well, who are we called to reach? 00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:23.320 It was interesting. 00:10:23.400 --> 00:10:28.480 We had a conversation the other day with one of our new friends here in the Church Digital. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:34.240 And he was wrestling with, you know, who God's calling him to reach. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:40.220 And he just, he loved the idea of digital ministry and digital mission work. 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:41.660 And he was really excited. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:43.540 But so much stuff we're doing at the Church Digital. 00:10:44.100 --> 00:10:48.200 And, you know, this is, listen, I'm not getting into ageism here. 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:50.740 Please, don't, don't read too much into this. 00:10:51.560 --> 00:11:05.600 But he's on the older side of the equation, into his retirement age, and, you know, was just very much, man, I just, I love this idea of trying to reach people on the other side of the planet. 00:11:05.860 --> 00:11:17.940 And I can't remember the other country, maybe it was Nepal, but he listed a couple countries on the other side of the planet, literally on the other side of the planet. 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:24.120 He's like, I just, I love the idea of reaching into those cultures and reaching people over there. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:29.620 And I was like, hey, so tell me, what do you know about anybody in India? 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:31.860 Like, do you have any exposure? 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:33.580 Do you have any understanding? 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:35.440 Do you have any experience? 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:39.080 No, I just, why do you want to reach them? 00:11:39.140 --> 00:11:43.880 Because I just think it's fascinating that digital can reach people all the way over there. 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.480 And that is phenomenal, by the way. 00:11:48.060 --> 00:11:52.060 Digital, you can, literally, you can broadcast and try to reach everybody. 00:11:52.560 --> 00:11:55.380 A million people don't care about anything you have to say, and he's smaller. 00:11:56.060 --> 00:12:03.260 You can try to, you know, use digital to reach the person on the exact opposite side of the planet from you or on the other side of the street. 00:12:03.400 --> 00:12:06.080 Like, digital is a tool that can be used however you want. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.240 And this person was very excited about reaching people globally over there. 00:12:11.260 --> 00:12:18.800 But because of his context, like, you really don't understand anything about Indian culture. 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:25.060 There's 2,000 dialects of Indian, of Hindu, of Hindi. 00:12:26.460 --> 00:12:29.260 Why, how would you even start to unpack? 00:12:29.520 --> 00:12:30.940 Now, maybe he can. 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:33.540 I'm not judging him on that. 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:42.240 But his ability to connect over there is going to be dependent on his willingness to dive in and understand the culture. 00:12:43.040 --> 00:12:44.700 You can't reach everybody. 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:51.940 And instead of trying to reach everybody, if he wanted to reach, you know, people in India, go understand Indian culture. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:55.560 Go in almost as a student willing to learn. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:58.080 Ask questions more than you're making statements. 00:12:58.540 --> 00:13:04.200 And like, if you're a missionary, actually physically going to India, the first thing you're going to do is study up on India. 00:13:04.420 --> 00:13:05.420 You're going to learn the language. 00:13:05.540 --> 00:13:06.280 You're going to go over there. 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:07.160 You're going to get a job. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:08.720 You're going to prayer walk the town. 00:13:08.780 --> 00:13:09.820 And you're just going to meet people. 00:13:09.900 --> 00:13:11.020 You're going to soak up the culture. 00:13:11.900 --> 00:13:13.800 And then you're going to talk about Jesus. 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:15.320 And bless, you're going to begin with prayer. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.380 And you're going to listen way before you share Jesus. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:19.280 You've got a lot. 00:13:19.400 --> 00:13:20.320 You've got to eat together. 00:13:20.660 --> 00:13:21.380 You've got to serve. 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:24.120 There's a lot to do in Bless, Sharing Jesus Online. 00:13:24.260 --> 00:13:26.300 The book, you should check it out, sharingjesusonline.com. 00:13:26.760 --> 00:13:29.940 But there's a lot to do before you get to evangelism. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:34.280 And my friend here needed to focus. 00:13:34.840 --> 00:13:39.160 And what was interesting, really, in his context, this is a story for another different day. 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:47.080 The audience that I think he's best equipped to reach was not on the other side of the planet. 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:50.760 It was actually one that was in his literal backyard. 00:13:51.640 --> 00:14:05.680 And we're actually having conversations with him now, helping him niche down, help him target focus on an audience that he didn't even realize he had access to because of his general ministry. 00:14:06.260 --> 00:14:16.980 He's using people that he was already building relationships with, not on the other side of the planet, but mostly here locally and local to him. 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:23.320 And using digital to connect, to invite them into the community that they're already in. 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:34.000 And now relational evangelism, discipleship, relational evangelism, discipleship, those things are happening and are beginning to happen with him digitally. 00:14:34.880 --> 00:14:35.880 Niche casting. 00:14:36.500 --> 00:14:37.240 Think smaller. 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:38.680 Don't think larger. 00:14:39.280 --> 00:14:43.280 That's the biggest lesson in digital ministry, in digital mission work. 00:14:43.660 --> 00:14:45.260 It's the biggest deceit. 00:14:45.560 --> 00:14:48.940 It's the biggest, I don't know, catfish. 00:14:49.060 --> 00:14:50.060 It's the biggest fake. 00:14:50.380 --> 00:14:51.660 It's the biggest distraction. 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:53.240 It's the hardest lesson. 00:14:53.660 --> 00:14:54.700 I can reach everybody. 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:56.460 I'm going to try to reach everybody. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:58.140 You're not going to reach anybody. 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:00.300 Understand what connection is. 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:03.200 Connection is a very shallow relationship. 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:05.820 It's very shallow and it's very superficial. 00:15:07.160 --> 00:15:12.940 You know, let's take your influencer who's got, I don't know, you know, pick Instagram influencer or whatever. 00:15:13.140 --> 00:15:13.380 TikTok. 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:15.020 Am I still allowed to say TikTok? 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:19.720 When I'm doing this recording, Trump's already vetoed it back in for another three months. 00:15:19.800 --> 00:15:21.260 We'll see what's happening around Easter. 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:22.760 But for now, TikTok. 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:25.440 So take your TikTok influencer here in America. 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:28.520 They've got hundreds of thousands. 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:31.520 They've got millions of subscribers and followers. 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:35.360 Their videos are getting millions, hundreds of thousands of views. 00:15:35.540 --> 00:15:37.480 That's, who are these people? 00:15:38.180 --> 00:15:46.240 What relationship does a subscriber have, one of these hundreds of thousands of people, have with the influencer? 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:48.360 Is it depth? 00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:50.380 Do they have one-on-one conversations? 00:15:52.240 --> 00:16:06.700 Now, listen, I have seen evidence of how Justin Bieber utilizes his influence for the kingdom connecting with Church Home up in Seattle and Los Angeles and wherever Church Home. 00:16:06.760 --> 00:16:08.440 Church Home, I think, is primarily online now. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.520 And so there is ways to use even that connection level. 00:16:14.140 --> 00:16:26.400 But it's interesting, even Bieber, with some of the work that he's done, he connects it to Church Home as a ministry and uses Church Home as that community partner. 00:16:27.140 --> 00:16:31.120 So recognize that connection has a purpose. 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:40.020 But when I say connection without community is powerless, well, shoot, all you're doing at the connection level is superficial stuff. 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.040 You're building, you know, the proverbial house on the sand. 00:16:44.140 --> 00:16:49.380 Without a foundation because you are not building a community. 00:16:49.540 --> 00:16:52.060 The people that are engaging are shallow. 00:16:52.300 --> 00:16:55.000 The roots are not deep. 00:16:55.540 --> 00:16:56.540 And they will leave. 00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:57.960 They will go somewhere else. 00:16:58.040 --> 00:17:06.180 They will disconnect because that's what happens at connection level unless there's some sort of a relational equity that's put in place. 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:10.020 So start thinking about digital missionary. 00:17:10.820 --> 00:17:14.020 If you're trying to reach everybody, don't. 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:18.740 I'm not sure I want to say this. 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:23.180 I'm not going to say this with emphasis, but I am going to say it. 00:17:23.260 --> 00:17:24.080 I'll say it this way. 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:31.420 I cannot think of the last digital church or digital missionary that was effective in their work by trying to reach everyone. 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:35.760 I cannot think somebody's going to come to me and say, Jeff, this person. 00:17:35.820 --> 00:17:37.000 I'll be like, oh, yeah, you're right. 00:17:37.260 --> 00:17:37.640 I'm sorry. 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:38.260 I'll take it back. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:49.660 On the top of my mind, I cannot think of one person right now that was effective doing ministry work digitally by trying to reach everyone. 00:17:50.380 --> 00:18:03.080 The people that are effective are niching down into geographical, into platforms, into age, like they are narrowing their focus. 00:18:04.380 --> 00:18:14.440 There are more people, there are more active Facebook accounts right now globally than people in India and China combined. 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:24.480 Short of the Antichrist coming back, I am not sure of anyone who can effectively reach everyone in Facebook with one fell swoop. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:26.680 That's actually an interesting observation. 00:18:27.520 --> 00:18:30.660 The Antichrist uses a broadcast method. 00:18:31.760 --> 00:18:34.840 What I'm actually suggesting would be the of that. 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:36.680 Don't try to reach everyone. 00:18:36.800 --> 00:18:37.360 Reach someone. 00:18:38.020 --> 00:18:41.280 Actually, if you look at the biblical method of how Jesus grew his church. 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:47.300 He narrowed down to 12 disciples. 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:51.540 And the first church was about 72 people. 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:56.900 Now, actually, if you look at Luke 6, Mark 6, Luke 6. 00:18:57.060 --> 00:18:58.560 Dang it, I forgot to look that scripture up. 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:03.560 If you look at one of the sixes, maybe it's John 6, one of the gospel sixes. 00:19:04.060 --> 00:19:05.540 It was one of the feedings of the thousands. 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:14.160 And Jesus was doing his signs and wonders and had thousands of people following him. 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:19.400 Literally, this was one of the feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. 00:19:20.800 --> 00:19:22.300 And everybody went to bed. 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:33.180 Jesus not only met physical needs by doing healings and miracles of people, but he also fed everybody and they went to bed. 00:19:33.820 --> 00:19:36.280 The next morning, Jesus and the disciples go away. 00:19:37.820 --> 00:19:38.900 And what happens? 00:19:40.760 --> 00:19:41.880 The people wake up. 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:43.720 I'm hungry. 00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:45.060 It's brunch time. 00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:46.080 Where's that Jesus guy? 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:47.200 Let's go find Jesus. 00:19:48.260 --> 00:19:52.560 Luke 6 talks about how the people go and find Jesus. 00:19:53.760 --> 00:19:55.120 And what happens then? 00:19:57.020 --> 00:20:01.840 Jesus recognizes the crowd for what it is. 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:03.800 A crowd of hanger-ons. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:07.920 Jesus wasn't interested in a crowd of hanger-ons. 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:13.840 The group that would actually walk away with Christ at this moment was the group that Christ would build the church on. 00:20:14.840 --> 00:20:23.740 And Jesus needed something, a little more with a foundation, a little more core, a little more people excited about what was happening. 00:20:25.060 --> 00:20:29.720 And so, because this is the community of the church at its basic foundation. 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:34.400 Jesus starts talking crazy like, eat my flesh, drink my blood. 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:46.540 And I think it's Luke 666, whatever gospel it is, 666, says that literally Jesus' words offended the hanger-ons. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:49.580 They offended the people that were following Jesus. 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:53.580 Some of the disciples even walked away from Christ that day. 00:20:54.940 --> 00:20:59.000 What was left was the foundation of today's church. 00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:04.740 12 disciples, 72 individuals that were jacked up on fire for God. 00:21:05.360 --> 00:21:10.160 These numbers up here at the connection level, they're vanity metrics. 00:21:11.280 --> 00:21:16.900 I mean, I listen to the church digital and even at my own personal level, I know some of my vanity metrics. 00:21:18.340 --> 00:21:40.120 I'm excited by the people that we're connecting with, but connection without community, Jesus' throngs of thousands of people who wanted to have their physical needs met and wanted brunch were pointless unless Jesus could get them in the community to start a community. 00:21:42.800 --> 00:21:43.760 Jesus is powerless at this level. 00:21:43.760 --> 00:21:44.140 Jesus is powerless at this level. 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:54.820 Jesus, nobody knows who Jesus is 2,000 years later unless he says, eat my flesh, drink my blood, and filters down the crowd to this. 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:59.340 Because at this point, he's got nothing that's going to last millennia. 00:22:00.340 --> 00:22:06.300 Get some people that are jacked up excited about this, that paints a different picture. 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:14.080 And so understand the importance of getting people into community. 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:20.540 Without connection, our community is stale. 00:22:20.860 --> 00:22:22.220 We need connections. 00:22:23.020 --> 00:22:25.440 We need new people coming in. 00:22:25.520 --> 00:22:26.580 We need fresh ideas. 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:28.060 We need to connect with new people. 00:22:28.060 --> 00:22:32.200 We need to resource new thoughts that are out there. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:37.800 As a digital missionary, there is plenty of opportunity for you to connect with people. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:38.660 Virtual reality. 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:40.440 Walk around and share Jesus. 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:44.020 Do a virtual reality church service and connect with people. 00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:51.740 YouTubers, Twitch streamers, engage with people and bring new life into these communities. 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:54.980 New ideas, new spiritual purpose. 00:22:55.780 --> 00:22:57.000 Connection has purpose. 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:58.020 Write a blog. 00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:59.080 Do a stream. 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:00.440 Be creative. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:03.360 Do something that nobody's ever thought of before. 00:23:04.340 --> 00:23:07.820 It's a little harder today in 2025, but it's still possible. 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:09.360 Think outside the box. 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:16.500 I have heard, it's been a minute, if I'm honest, it's been a minute since I have heard somebody 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:18.940 cast vision about how to use blockchain and crypto. 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:22.360 Metaverse has kind of calmed down a little bit. 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:27.520 There is a lot in digital mission space centered on the metaverse. 00:23:27.520 --> 00:23:31.280 It is a ripe mission field, even for today. 00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:37.380 And so there is importance on how we can utilize that connection level. 00:23:38.380 --> 00:23:43.360 But digitally, we cannot get stuck at connection. 00:23:44.560 --> 00:23:49.900 Connection is the equivalent of, and once again, I don't mean to offend my friends. 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:51.760 I'm sorry, in the physical church space. 00:23:51.760 --> 00:23:57.800 But getting stuck at the connection level without community really is the equivalent of being 00:23:57.800 --> 00:24:02.480 all about that Sunday morning service and not taking it into the next level. 00:24:02.520 --> 00:24:04.740 By the way, Sunday morning service is a connection level event. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.400 If all you're doing is Sunday morning, it's shallow. 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:11.540 Yes, you're getting teaching, but you're not getting community. 00:24:11.840 --> 00:24:13.320 You're not getting one another's. 00:24:13.820 --> 00:24:19.080 And so you need that community, even at the church level, even at the physical church level. 00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:21.940 And so don't get stuck at connection. 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:25.020 Start to recognize that we need more than connection. 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:27.640 So let me paint the picture here. 00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:32.260 Because some of you, we are really good as digital missionaries and digital churches. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:37.300 We're really good at broadcast, and we're not understanding that niche, cast, and community. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.740 So here's what I want to do. 00:24:40.340 --> 00:24:44.540 I want to challenge us, maybe start to talk about what community is not. 00:24:45.260 --> 00:24:48.660 I'm sorry, what connection is not, and start to focus on community. 00:24:49.060 --> 00:24:55.920 I want to start to talk about what connection is not and highlight the importance of community. 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:56.880 All right, ready for this? 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:58.700 Let me read this through some scriptures here. 00:24:58.780 --> 00:25:03.520 You tell me, can this happen at a connection level? 00:25:05.220 --> 00:25:11.800 Proverbs 27.7, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:22.520 Watching an online church service, having a Twitch stream conversation, can that happen? 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:28.320 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:34.480 You know, the great point of this is, in your context, maybe it can. 00:25:35.280 --> 00:25:42.740 Like, I don't want to assume that I'm right or I'm wrong here, but I want to paint the picture for you. 00:25:43.280 --> 00:25:50.820 If you are focused only on connection in your context, this is the standard. 00:25:51.520 --> 00:26:00.940 Ephesians 4.32, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ and God forgave you. 00:26:01.540 --> 00:26:09.340 At the connection level, do we really know enough about people, even to get close to the level, to talk about forgiveness? 00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:12.160 Colossians 3.13 and 14. 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:15.380 Bear with each other and forgive one another. 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:21.400 If any of you have a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you. 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:31.400 And over all of these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:39.660 How do you put on love at a connection level, at a superficial level, at a shallow level? 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:48.700 It's important to make connections, but you draw those connections into a community to deepen. 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:51.220 I mean, you're literally deepening the relationship. 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:52.860 You're going deeper down the funnel. 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:57.060 You're building trust in order to get to the level of love. 00:26:57.140 --> 00:27:00.820 You're establishing those relationships in order to get to the level of love. 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:01.580 Here you go. 00:27:01.620 --> 00:27:02.200 Here's another one. 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:04.440 1 Peter 4.8-10. 00:27:04.600 --> 00:27:07.020 Above all, love each other deeply. 00:27:07.140 --> 00:27:08.380 You're deepening those relationships. 00:27:09.100 --> 00:27:12.720 Because love covers over a multitude of sins. 00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:16.000 Offer hospitality to one another. 00:27:17.360 --> 00:27:17.640 Willing. 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:25.260 Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:26.640 I love this. 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:28.560 The reason I put this in was because of the gifts. 00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:29.940 All right. 00:27:30.080 --> 00:27:35.460 So, can you use great gifts at a connection level through reading a blog? 00:27:35.860 --> 00:27:38.200 I mean, yes, the person writing the blog can do that. 00:27:38.260 --> 00:27:41.780 But can the person reading the blog, are they using their gifts? 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:44.020 They're consuming content. 00:27:45.300 --> 00:27:48.420 Content's important, but it's superficial. 00:27:50.540 --> 00:27:55.800 At the community level, you know, there were some people that actually would challenge me. 00:27:56.060 --> 00:27:57.700 Let's call it for what it is. 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:02.160 There are some people that would say, Jeff, at a digital community, you can't really show gifts. 00:28:04.840 --> 00:28:09.820 I would argue if you don't believe that you can show gifts digitally, then you can't. 00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:11.740 And in your context, you're not wrong. 00:28:12.280 --> 00:28:15.200 You can't show gifts at that level. 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:21.700 My understanding and what I've seen in Discord, I disagree. 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:23.460 I think you can. 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:26.020 Virtual reality? 00:28:26.580 --> 00:28:27.560 I think you can. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.220 Inside video games? 00:28:30.300 --> 00:28:32.100 Of what I've seen of MMO video games? 00:28:34.080 --> 00:28:34.440 Rust? 00:28:34.980 --> 00:28:36.400 Black Desert Online? 00:28:36.840 --> 00:28:37.540 Final Fantasy? 00:28:37.760 --> 00:28:38.000 Yeah. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.680 All right, so some of you gamers. 00:28:41.840 --> 00:28:44.180 Can you show spiritual gifts in Grand Theft Auto? 00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:44.740 GTA? 00:28:47.860 --> 00:28:48.460 Maybe. 00:28:49.100 --> 00:28:50.100 Actually, you can. 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:51.560 Very much so. 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:59.580 It looks, it looks, I actually would be intrigued if somebody wanted to show, create a church environment 00:28:59.580 --> 00:29:00.820 in Grand Theft Auto. 00:29:01.280 --> 00:29:03.220 There were some experiments that were done historically. 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:08.460 But that would be an incredible experiment. 00:29:09.340 --> 00:29:10.840 To be the love of Christ. 00:29:11.780 --> 00:29:17.580 To show, to live the Beatitudes in Grand Theft Auto. 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:19.140 To show the fruits of the Spirit. 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:23.700 To exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in front of others in Grand Theft Auto. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:27.240 It's community. 00:29:30.780 --> 00:29:35.700 By doing community, I'm highlighting really what connection is not. 00:29:36.280 --> 00:29:37.440 Galatians 6.2. 00:29:38.560 --> 00:29:40.120 Carry each other's burdens. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:43.900 And in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 00:29:45.800 --> 00:29:47.480 Can you carry burdens? 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:48.680 No. 00:29:50.120 --> 00:29:51.360 But you can connect. 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:53.060 You can engage. 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:53.740 You can dialogue. 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:54.780 You can meet new people. 00:29:54.860 --> 00:29:55.960 You can target focus. 00:29:56.100 --> 00:29:58.520 And you can listen to people in those environments. 00:29:58.520 --> 00:29:59.820 And you can learn from them. 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:02.140 And by learning, you can establish trust. 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:08.280 And you can start to, with that trust, funnel them into a relationship to strengthen, to deepen those relationships. 00:30:11.280 --> 00:30:12.660 We need to connect. 00:30:13.080 --> 00:30:14.700 We need that superficial engagement. 00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:25.240 But without, with only that superficial engagement, without community, we have no power at that superficial level. 00:30:27.840 --> 00:30:36.960 So, really think about digital missionaries that are out there, people that are interested in digital church, digital ministry in general. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:40.700 Even if you're at a physical church hanging out with me. 00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:45.320 What are you doing with these people digitally? 00:30:48.100 --> 00:30:50.540 What's the end game? 00:30:50.600 --> 00:30:51.320 What's the purpose? 00:30:52.360 --> 00:30:55.200 Getting them to consume a church service content? 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:59.600 Or is there an opportunity to do something more? 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:01.640 Is it a superficial? 00:31:02.260 --> 00:31:03.840 Or is there longevity? 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:07.320 Is there discipleship happening? 00:31:07.580 --> 00:31:08.340 Disciple making? 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:11.600 Is there multiplication happening up here at the connection level? 00:31:11.840 --> 00:31:15.400 Or do we need to challenge to do more? 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:29.540 The flywheel, in order to see this thing even reproduce, to get off spiritual milk and to get on solid food, I would challenge your ministry to take the four approach, where you need connection. 00:31:30.560 --> 00:31:32.500 You need to be connecting with people. 00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:44.880 But through those connections, you need to get them in a community, establish trust, build relationships, take relationships deeper, digital evangelism, digital discipleship, all happens in a digital community. 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:53.520 From there, you get down to where now some of these people you're discipling, you're helping them find what God's calling them to do, and you're equipping them on how to do that. 00:31:54.120 --> 00:32:01.120 And once they find their purpose, you're mobilizing them and sending them out and seeing their mission work happen. 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:04.900 This is really nothing to do with a sermon. 00:32:05.580 --> 00:32:07.080 This has nothing to do with a service. 00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:11.020 This is leaning into the relational aspects of digital. 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:12.080 Yes, there's teaching. 00:32:12.320 --> 00:32:13.020 It looks different. 00:32:13.520 --> 00:32:14.640 Yes, there's worship. 00:32:15.520 --> 00:32:16.280 Yes, there's prayer. 00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:20.200 Yes, there's following before God and saying, God, I need you in this space. 00:32:20.340 --> 00:32:21.060 God, use me. 00:32:21.140 --> 00:32:22.260 God, I'm a broken vessel. 00:32:22.820 --> 00:32:25.040 And heal me and use me. 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:28.260 Rebuild me and use me for your purposes. 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:31.580 But it looks different. 00:32:31.580 --> 00:32:36.260 And by doing something different, we can reach someone different. 00:32:36.260 --> 00:32:37.980 I want to wrap up with this. 00:32:38.860 --> 00:32:49.660 As we're talking about the flywheel this week that my good friend here, Leonardo da Vinci, my twinsie, built, I want us to think about this. 00:32:51.340 --> 00:33:01.360 If our ministry we're connecting with, but we're not inviting, we're not including in community, we're not utilizing digital community, we're connecting digitally, but we're not using community. 00:33:01.820 --> 00:33:14.660 Our digital mission work, our digital connections, our communities, if we don't have some sort of equipping and a purpose overall to it, then our community is pointless. 00:33:15.300 --> 00:33:25.300 And if we're equipping people without mobilizing, without helping them, or without holding them accountable to what God's calling them to do, then our ministry is reckless. 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:28.080 That's the scope. 00:33:28.220 --> 00:33:30.380 That's the focus of where we're going to church digital. 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:39.400 And I got to tell you, friends, as excited as I am about where we are today, I cannot wait to see what God has next in store for us. 00:33:39.460 --> 00:33:43.980 So come back to us, episode 323, coming up right around the corner. 00:33:44.100 --> 00:33:48.720 We're going to be digging into community and what's even next here at The Church Digital. 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:49.220 All right. 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:50.060 Thanks, everybody. 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:50.740 Y'all have a good one.