Hybrid Discipleship: The Current Reality of Student Ministry

In many ways, we are all reliant on digital technology. Most, if not all, of us carry a smartphone around with us each day. If we watch television shows or movies, they stream through one of the myriads of online streaming platforms. How many of you have connected with a student today through digital technology, such as text, social media, or a gaming platform? Covid caused many churches that had never considered the utility of using digital tools to engage in discipleship using these digital tools. Many people rejected digital technology out of hand as a means of ministry. However, let’s consider some Biblical examples of the Godly use of technology to carry God’s mission forward. Moses used technology delivered by God to build a boat. Paul used his day’s technology, such as pen, paper, sailing ships, and Roman roads, to engage in discipleship with far-flung churches around the Roman Empire. Technology, as a common grace gift from God, can and should be used to deliver content that shapes people into the image of Christ.

            Most students engage with digital technology every day in schools. They use smartphones each day and play on computers and gaming devices. They also listen to streamed music instead of tapes and CDs, as I did in middle and high school. Because of this native use of technology, the shift to digital tools for discipleship was easier to make in some ways. Being a member of Gen X has allowed me to see giant leaps in digital technology in my lifetime. However, our students have been saturated with technology since their birth. This technological saturation leads students to turn to digital means for finding truth and wisdom without much consideration of the veracity of the source. This is why digital content encouraging spiritual formation is crucial for this current generation of teenagers. 

            Digital discipleship should still go hand in hand with face-to-face ministry. This hybrid approach to student ministry should include a mixture of discipleship using digital tools and content alongside life-on-life contact to disciple volunteers, students, and parents. In The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture, Shane Hipps defines technology-mediated discipleship as how the church interacts with and uses technology to deliver spiritually formative content to those inside and outside the church. However, this delivery of spiritual content means nothing if we do not consider how to measure our ministry efforts’ success effectively.

            There is a difference between creating content to be consumed and content that can potentially connect people to your church and form them into Christ’s image. The difference between consuming and connecting is measuring discipleship growth in people’s lives. Let’s be honest; the church has a problem with measuring discipleship without throwing digital tools into the mix. Deuteronomy 6 tells us that parents carry the lion’s share of discipling their children, with the church as helpmeet in that process. The church should deploy digital tools that help parents and students engage with spiritually formative content outside the 1-3 hours they spend at church each week.

            How do we know if these digital efforts are successful? Numbers and Stories. Researchers call this quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (stories) data. Numbers, or content engagement numbers, help us understand how many people are engaging with digital content that is spiritually formative. Most digital content creation tools, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, have a dashboard to see age, geography, and other statistics about those reading your content. However, this only tells your part of the spiritual formation story for digital discipleship. The other piece many of us miss is the story behind people’s growth through this content. If you read the Bible, you find a series of stories about people and the degree of life change (or lack thereof) through interacting with God. Stories of life change help us to understand how our digital content is helping to draw people toward Jesus and change them into the image of Christ. You can not rest on one or the other of these data types. Numbers and stories both matter in successfully understanding how discipleship is happening in your ministry. 

            How do you feel like you are doing in creating spiritually formative digital content? You never know how God can use even one piece of digital content to change a life or family for God’s glory. If you feel like you need to improve in digital content creation, keep moving forward. Find numbers and stories that show success in digital efforts toward spiritual formation. Celebrating those successes will spur others to connect more with your digital formation efforts outside the few hours they spend in the church building each week.