The nay-sayers aren’t wrong. There. I said it.
And honestly? If you’re doing Church Online, you need to hear it before you dismiss it.
Dave Adamson Just Put It on Fox News
Dave Adamson — the YouTubing Aussie who’s been one of Church Online’s loudest and most thoughtful advocates — dropped an OpEd on FoxNews that made waves. The headline alone was enough to send church leaders scrambling: Church, As We Know It, Is Over.
He’s right. And the critics are right too. Hold both.
Dave’s breakdown of single-channel, multi-channel, and omni-channel church engagement is sharp. Churches that broadcast one service on one platform and call it “digital ministry” are single-channel. Churches with a website, a YouTube stream, and a Facebook page are multi-channel. Truly omni-channel churches meet people where they already are, integrate those touchpoints seamlessly, and create consistent experiences across all of them.
Churches have always been slow to adapt to new communication channels. The printing press. Radio. Television. The internet. Every single time, the church dragged its feet, then caught up, then eventually led. We’re in that awkward middle phase with digital right now.
But here’s where I push back a little — even on Dave.
Content Is Not the Endgame
So much of the Church Online conversation gets hijacked by content strategy. Better thumbnails. Optimized sermon clips. Instagram reels with the pastor’s best one-liners. Engagement metrics. Watch time.
And look — none of that is inherently bad. But here’s the trap: we start treating content creation like it is the ministry. It’s not.
James 1:22 doesn’t say “be a good content creator.” It says do the word. In the real world. Among real people.
The nay-sayers who push back on Church Online are mostly worried about one thing: the loss of genuine, embodied, relational community. They see churches chasing views and followers, and they ask the uncomfortable question — where’s the discipleship?
They’re not wrong to ask.
The Real Problem Isn’t Technology
Here’s what the critics are actually saying beneath all the noise: technology can’t substitute for transformation.
They see Church Online and they imagine people watching a service in their pajamas, clicking away after the sermon, consuming spiritual content the same way they consume Netflix — passively, alone, uncommitted. And honestly? For a lot of “online attenders,” that’s exactly what’s happening.
That’s not a technology problem. That’s a discipleship model problem.
The question was never “can we use digital tools?” Of course we can. The question is “are we using them to actually make disciples, or just to deliver content?”
Those are very different missions.
What Discipleship Actually Looks Like in Digital Spaces
If you’re an online pastor or church leader, here’s what closing the gap looks like in practice:
Start with intentional follow-up. Every first-time viewer should get a real human response — not an automated email, not a bot. A person. Within 48 hours. This is table stakes for online community.
Build groups, not audiences. Audiences watch. Communities belong. If your digital ministry is all broadcast and no two-way interaction, you’re running a media company, not a church. Launch small groups on Zoom, Discord, or Facebook Groups. Put a real leader in every one.
Create on-ramps to commitment. Online attenders need the same invitations physical attenders get — to serve, to give, to be known, to grow. Build pathways that move people from passive watching to active participation.
Measure discipleship, not just reach. How many people are in a group? How many had a spiritual conversation this week? How many served somewhere? Those numbers matter more than views.
Train your online volunteers like ministers. The host in your online service chat isn’t just a moderator. They’re a frontline pastor. Treat them that way.
The Digital Mission Field Is Real
Here’s the thing the nay-sayers sometimes miss: there are millions of people in digital spaces who will never walk into a physical church building. Not because they’re hostile to God — but because of anxiety, disability, distance, shame, past church hurt, or plain old life chaos.
The digital mission field isn’t a backup plan. It’s a primary field. And it is ripe.
But a mission field demands missionaries — people with the relational presence and intentionality to actually make disciples, not just distribute content.
Dave Adamson is right that church as we know it is over. The nay-sayers are right that something sacred gets lost when we chase reach over relationship. Both can be true.
Our job is to hold the tension and build something better.
Your Next Step
Audit your digital ministry this week — not your content calendar, your discipleship pathway. Can you draw a clear line from first-time online viewer to committed, growing disciple? If you can’t, that’s where to start. Map the pathway. Fill the gaps. Then build toward it.
The goal was never a bigger stream. It was always more disciples.
