Forming Disciples or Just Consumers?

If you work in church communications, you know the pressure. You stare at the blinking cursor, knowing the algorithm is hungry. You need engagement. You need reach. You need to stop the scroll.

But recently, a deeper anxiety has started to creep into the minds of pastors and creative directors alike: Are we actually making disciples online, or are we just entertaining goats?

Social media platforms are designed, by default, to create consumers. They train users to be passive, reactive, and addicted to meaninglessness. Discipleship, however, trains us to be active, reflective, and attentive to the presence of God.

If we aren’t careful, our “digital ministry” can accidentally work against our actual ministry. Here are seven diagnostic questions to ask your team before you schedule your next post.

1. The “Pause” Test

The Question: Does this post encourage a moment of silence, or does it demand a reaction?

The currency of social media is speed. The faster someone reacts (likes, shares, comments), the more the algorithm rewards you. But spiritual formation rarely happens at high speed. It happens in the quiet.

Try creating content that acts as a “speed bump” in their feed. Post a prayer that requires 30 seconds to read. Post a piece of art that requires study. It might get fewer likes, but it may actually touch a soul.

2. The Community Check

The Question: Are we facilitating “one-anothering,” or just broadcasting a monologue?

The New Testament is full of “one another” commands—love one another, bear with one another, confess to one another. True church is reciprocal.

If your social media is just a megaphone for the stage, it isn’t a community; it’s a broadcast. Use your captions to ask genuine questions. Use the comments section not just to say “Thanks!” but to connect people to each other.

3. The Fruit Inspection

The Question: Are we measuring success by “Reach” or by “Transformation”?

It is tempting to bring a spreadsheet of vanity metrics to the elders’ meeting: “Look! We had 10,000 impressions this week!”

But you can have high reach with zero fruit. A consumer watches a reel and keeps scrolling. A disciple watches a reel and closes the app to pray, forgive a spouse, or open their Bible. We need to value stories of offline obedience more than stats of online views.

4. The Theology of “Snippets”

The Question: Are we stripping context to make the Gospel “trend”?

There is a danger in the 15-second sermon clip. To make a clip go viral, we often remove the nuance, the tension, and the wider biblical context. We reduce the Ancient of Days to a trend.

Be brave enough to post “boring” content if it preserves the integrity of the text. Link to the full sermon. Provide the verses in the caption. Don’t sacrifice theology on the altar of brevity.

5. The Idol of Celebrity

The Question: Does this feed elevate the personality of the leader or the person of Christ?

Social media naturally forms parasocial relationships—where followers feel falsely intimate with a public figure. If 90% of your graphics feature the Senior Pastor’s face, you aren’t building a church; you’re building a personal brand.

The Fix: Highlight the hidden heroes. Interview the nursery worker. Show the setup team at 6:00 AM. Show the Body of Christ, not just the Mouth.

6. The Call to Sacrifice

The Question: Is our primary call to action “Subscribe” or “Serve”?

If we only ever ask our online audience to click, like, and watch, we are training them to be passive. Every once in a while, your content should challenge them. Ask them to put the phone down. Ask them to fast. Ask them to give to the poor. A gospel that never inconveniences us is no gospel at all.

7. The Reality Check

The Question: Does our online highlight reel match our offline reality?

We all curate our lives online, and churches are often the worst offenders. We post the packed room, the perfect worship lights, the smiling faces. We rarely post the messy prayer meeting or the grief of a funeral.

When we present a flawless, filtered church, we alienate people who are hurting. Authentic vulnerability online creates a bridge for broken people to walk across and find the real Jesus.

Conclusion

Social media is a tool. It is like a printing press or a microphone—it amplifies whatever is poured into it. If we pour in marketing fluff, it will produce consumers. If we pour in truth, beauty, and intentionality, it can aid in forming disciples.

Let’s stop feeding the algorithm, and start feeding the sheep.