Common Myths about Digital Strategies
August 2023
My nephew’s school program ended. Our family was gathering to congratulate him and praise his performance. While I stood there waiting, I noticed a woman walking towards me with a big smile on her face, arms opened wide. It happened again. Jackson’s choir director thought that I was my sister. She told me what a joy it was to have him in her choir, and I must be a proud mom. My sister and I are often mistaken for one another, so we have gotten used to the confusion.
It reminds me of situations when a leader will approach me to talk about “digital,” which is one of my favorite missional topics. But sometimes, they mistake digital strategies for something it is not. At first, it feels awkward, yet I am seeing it as an opportunity. I can respond to these misconceptions in a way that helps them understand digital strategies better so that we can maximize our effectiveness in the Great Commission. Let me share some examples.
Myth #1: DS is only for younger generations
“I am so glad that our ministry is doing digital strategies! I have no idea what you all do, but it works with young people.” Younger people are not the only ones turning to digital for answers to their questions, staying up on current events, or building relationships. Almost 64% of the world’s population is accessing the internet. Having a digital component to your plan doesn’t mean that you are going to reach young people any more than assigning a team to a university means that you are reaching the students there. Teams have to know and understand their audiences. They use that insight to plan strategies, try new approaches, and evaluate their work to determine what to stop, start, and change. The same is true for digital. If a leader doesn’t understand how DS contributes to their priorities and plans, then DS is not doing everything it can to further the Great Commission in your nation.
Myth #2: DS is just for techies
Everyone can increase their ministry effectiveness with DS. Yes, you too! You don’t have to understand how it works to use it any more than you have to understand how a plane flies to travel across an ocean. We need people with deep knowledge and expertise to develop digital strategies and keep them working effectively. For those of us who struggle to understand how they work, we praise God for our brilliant brothers and sisters in Christ who do, and we honor their missional contribution by using these tools for the mission.
Myth #3: We need separate strategies for in-person or digital lives
Digital is integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. While they can distract during face-to-face meetings, they can also be a powerful tool. Last week my family used a phone to make a video call so family members far away could participate in a birthday celebration. My friend and I looked up the original language of a verse in the Bible on an app to help us understand the heart of God during our Bible study. In a meeting with a pastor, I showed him the GodTools app because he needed a way to train his congregation in evangelism without scheduling another event in their full schedules. In each of these situations, face-to-face engagement was enhanced and improved using DS.
Myth #4: Digital ministry isn’t effective
Yesterday I had 3 different meetings where I heard stories that disprove this myth. A team in Asia used DS to reach students from another faith background. Over 300 were baptized as a result of this strategy! In the Middle East, people are joining staff after trusting in Jesus through DS. In East Asia they see people join local churches every month after engaging with DS online. Spiritual Multiplication through DS is happening every day, reaching people more people than we could have ever imagined reaching without it.
Myth #5: DS is more about technology than people
We are called to love Jesus and love people. DS will never be effective if we abandon this commitment. DS enables us to love people better. We use DS research to understand them so that we can reach them, serve them, and love them. We are content with clicks and downloads. We are focused on changed lives—helping people take their next step in knowing, loving, and following Jesus. Technology will come and go. The souls of people are eternal. That is why go where they are—online. We steward our time, talent, and treasure to understand and reach them. We won’t stop until the mission is accomplished.
Which myths have kept you from using DS to accomplish the Great Commission? How can we work together to reach more people than ever before with the gospel?
