A men’s group discusses sports — and scripture — via a WhatsApp group chat. A pastor posts viral dance videos — and sermon recaps — to TikTok. A congregation explores the themes of the Advent season through worship — and through the congregation’s podcast. Each is an example of a congregation doing digital ministry as a fresh expression of church. Each is an illustration of a mixed ecology where one experiences the co-existence of inherited and emerging forms of Christian communities.
Not all of the church’s online activities are fresh expressions. Many of the church’s online activities are oriented towards the membership of the existing church. Content and communications that only reach established members are expressions of the inherited institution. When we send email newsletters, for example, they are almost entirely read by an established community. It is only when our online action reaches beyond the boundaries of conventional membership that digital ministry becomes part of the mixed ecology. Digital ministry represents a fresh expression of the church when it connects with those beyond the traditional reach of inherited forms of church community, while simultaneously remaining connected to the institutional church through a networked structure. Church online becomes a fresh expression when it facilitates presence and relationships beyond the membership rolls.
Digital ministry is a useful means of cultivating a fresh expression because it is so effective at forming new ties. During the pandemic, many church leaders connected to community members outside of the established congregation through livestream worship. As people stayed home and increased their internet usage, some found new church communities while browsing YouTube or Facebook, drawn to a congregation for a particular style of preaching, of music, or of shared theological commitments or affinities. When asked to describe their involvement, they would remark, “We don’t live nearby, but we really like your organist’s music,” or, “We heard your pastor in a video clip and found her preaching to be electrifying. We now try to listen in most weeks.” Some connected to a congregation, nearby or across the country, to discuss a shared affinity, experiment with a spiritual practice, or take action on a common cause.
Online forms of church are equally useful to reigniting past connections. During the pandemic, many church goers re-connected with congregations from past seasons of life. Snowbirds in Florida and Arizona re-joined their upper midwestern congregations. Residents at nursing homes re-connected to churches they hadn’t visited in years. Whether forming new ties or reigniting dormant relationships, online worship remains a viable method for reaching people beyond the inherited church. However, church leaders would do well to recognize that online services are hardly the only method for creating a digital fresh expression.

In the post-pandemic church, many have returned to the physical sanctuary. Digital content has replaced online worship as the core activity of online ministry. In this model, a church creates content. The content ignites conversations. The conversations lead to the formation of communities. To borrow from the language of the Fresh Expressions movement, we would see in this model the emergence of a “podcast church,” a “subReddit church,” or a “groupchat church.”
When it comes to digital ministry as a fresh expression, we may overlook that the content we produce is just as important, if not moreso, than our worship services streamed online. According to a 2023 Pew survey, 30% of Americans search for religious content online. 20% of American adults use apps or websites for scripture reading. 14% use apps or websites to support habits of prayer or other spiritual disciplines. Those who “search for God with Google” report a high level of engagement and satisfaction with faith-based digital content. That’s why digital content can create a fresh expression of church.
This content-supported model of digital ministry uses experiences in apps and websites to extend invitations to new audiences and to equip people for lives of faithful service. With the content-supported model, liturgy, prayer, and preaching extend into videos, blogs, podcasts, and messaging, reaching a broader following than the inherited church. A congregation that uses this model might use a blog or podcast to introduce new lenses on preaching or liturgical themes for the week. It might use a newsletter to relate scripture readings to events in the church’s life, or messaging apps to engage the community in digital conversation. Content-supported congregations may be the future of digital fresh expressions, as digital content tends to be less resource-intensive than the streaming of a 60-minute service. Digital content, whether as a blog, podcast, video, or discussion thread, aligns to a growing cultural expectation of connecting with God – and with faith communities – in online spaces.
What might these fresh expressions look like in practice? Rev. Colleen Hetrick from All Places Together uses podcasts and TikTok to create a fresh expression that is joyfully inclusive. The Riverside Church in New York, a New York City congregation that dates back to the early 19th century, uses podcasts and audio to contribute to the mixed ecology. All Places Together and The Riverside Church are, by definition, fresh expressions, in that their work emerges out of an established tradition (Rev. Hetrick is ordained in the ELCA; the Riverside Church’s content is produced by an historic parish). But not every instance of digital ministry has its roots in the inherited church. There are innovative approaches to church in virtual reality, and on forum sites like Reddit (r/Christianity). There are even expressions of ministry in the workplace, where co-workers in the private sector gather on Zoom for prayer and worship. Whether tied directly to the inherited church or emerging organically on digital platforms, these examples reveal how online platforms provide us with the tools to meet, invite, equip, and form people beyond the walls of the sanctuary. They also illustrate the eagerness, even the hunger, that digital spaces have for faith-centered community.
When I think about the Fresh Expressions movement, I tend to think about models that my own congregation isn’t exploring: beer church, yoga church, wellness church. Many congregations won’t start a fresh expression due to lack of interest, resourcing, or expertise. The good news is that digital ministry is something most congregations are already doing. These are programs we have already started. By thinking about church online as fresh expressions, perhaps we may recognize new opportunities to reach our neighbors near and far in the digital spaces where we spend so much of our lives. Perhaps we might find new motivation to invite people into community and form individuals for lives of Christian service. And if so, we might just recognize that fresh expressions of church are well within our reach.