Here’s a challenge seminaries did not prepare pastors for a decade ago (but which they should probably prioritize for students today): How do you shepherd a flock being effectively discipled by addictive online algorithms? 

As Patrick Miller writes in the article featured below, “Pastors need to be aware that every day of the week their church members are being instructed—and, most likely, their mentor is an algorithm. Is it any surprise that the human shepherds are losing to the digital ones?”

I recently had coffee with a thoughtful Christian who works in the tech industry, and he told me he thinks it’s not enough to compare the revolutionary effect of the internet to that of the printing press (a comparison I’ve made myself). “It’s bigger than that,” he said. “In terms of re-shaping the world, the internet is on par with the invention of language itself.”

I suspect he’s right. And the scary thing is we’re only 30 years in to the internet age. It’s still so new. If we’re already observing the profound effects of this tectonic shift, imagine the challenges to come. Pastors need to get ready. Christian leaders need to think well, and pray. The challenge of discipleship in the digital age is only just beginning.