The Great Commission in the Age of the Great Connection: A Theology of Digital Mission
The final words of Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, have echoed through the centuries as the defining mandate for the Church:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)
For two thousand years, this Great Commission has sent missionaries across oceans, into dense jungles, and to the most remote villages on the planet. It has been the fuel for kingdom expansion. But in our generation, a new, uncharted territory has emerged—a vast and populated continent that exists not on a map, but on our screens.
This raises a critical theological question for our time: Does "all nations" include the digital world? The answer is not just yes; it is a resounding, biblically-grounded, and urgent yes. The digital world is not merely a set of tools; it is a legitimate and necessary "place" for the mission of the Church.
The Unchanging Mandate in a Changing World
First, let's affirm that the core commands of the Great Commission are timeless and non-negotiable. The mission has not changed.
We are commanded to GO. This is a verb of movement, of initiative. It requires us to leave our places of comfort and enter the spaces where people live, work, and gather.
We are commanded to MAKE DISCIPLES. This is more than conversion. It is the holistic, ongoing process of helping people become more like Jesus. It involves relationship, mentorship, and deep community.
We are commanded to BAPTIZE and TEACH. These are the tangible acts of bringing people into the covenant community of the church and grounding them in the truth of God's Word.
For centuries, the primary obstacle to "going" was geography. The missional goal of centuries past was to reach people, particularly native people, where they lived. The mantra that fueled the 20th century Church was to reach people “where they are!” The challenge was physical. Today, the challenge is often cultural and technological. Now the natives are not cultural or primitive natives but digital natives, the most recent generations that have only known a digital world.
From the Areopagus to the Algorithm
The Apostle Paul is perhaps our best model for a missionary who understood the principle of going to where the people are. When he was in Athens, he didn't set up a synagogue stall and wait for people to come to him. He went to the center of Athenian life and thought—the Areopagus (Acts 17). He observed their culture ("I see that in every way you are very religious"), found a point of connection (the altar to an "unknown god"), and proclaimed the Gospel in their language and context.
Paul used the best communication and transportation technology of his day—the Roman roads and the shipping lanes—to carry the message of Jesus across the known world. He didn't see these secular tools as worldly compromises; he saw them as divinely provided pathways for the Gospel.
The digital world is our generation's Roman roads and Areopagus, combined into one. It is the global public square where billions of people gather every day to discuss ideas, share their lives, ask their deepest questions, and express their pain. To ignore this space is to ignore the largest mission field in human history.
A Theology of "Going" into Digital Spaces
To see digital mission as legitimate, we must understand the digital world as a genuine place. It's a location where culture is formed, relationships are built, identities are shaped, and people experience real community and real loneliness. Therefore, "going" into this world means more than just broadcasting our services or posting scripture graphics. It requires a thoughtful, incarnational presence.
Digital Mission is about Presence, not just Proclamation. Being "incarnational" online means listening before we speak. It means entering comment sections not as debaters, but as pastors. It means celebrating with those who celebrate and weeping with those who weep, even if it's through a screen. We must be present in the digital lives of others.
Digital Mission Affirms the Goodness of Connection. God created us for connection (Genesis 2:18). While digital relationships can be fraught with peril, the human desire to connect that drives social media is a God-given impulse. Our mission is to show how the deepest form of that connection is found in Christ and his Church.
Digital Mission Recognizes the Limitations. Let us be clear: a digital connection cannot replace an embodied, in-person community. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper are tangible, physical acts. A hug cannot be digitized. The goal of digital mission is not to create a purely online church, but to use digital tools as a bridge to deeper community, whether that community continues online in a small group or leads to a person walking through the physical doors of a local church.
The Unavoidable Mission Field
We no longer have a choice about whether to "do" digital ministry. The moment we gave our congregations smartphones, we sent them out as digital missionaries. The question is not if we will be present in the digital world, but how we will be present.
Will we be present with the grace of the Gospel? Will we be present as listeners, as servants, as bearers of hope?
The Great Commission has not been altered; the world has. And the call to "go" now leads us not only to distant lands but also through the glowing screens in our hands and on our desks. This is our Areopagus. Let us go, therefore, with boldness and wisdom, and make disciples.
