How Can Digital Evangelism and Influencer Missions Be Impactful?
Summary:
Michael, founder of The Way, shared insights at our conference in London about building a Christian influencer ministry, the challenges of working in the digital space, and the importance of support systems for young Christian creators. He explored the role of social media in spreading the Christian message, and navigating the ethical challenges of digital content creation.
Christian Influencer Ministry and Social Media
Michael begins by reflecting on the powerful role social media plays in shaping culture and influencing people. He stresses that while it offers incredible opportunities to spread the Gospel, Christians need to be intentional about how they use these platforms:
“Social media is such a big deal now. Christian values are being pushed down, so we need to push those values through our content. We must be intentional about how we use these platforms to share the gospel. It’s not just about the followers or views. It’s about authentic impact — living out our faith and setting an example for others.”
He discusses the need for Christians to embrace the digital space, not as a means of self-promotion, but as an opportunity to highlight Christ in every interaction:
“The goal isn’t to grow your following or gain popularity; it’s about setting an example of faith. If we are authentic and faithful, our ministry will grow — and so will the impact. Social media shouldn’t be about building an audience for ourselves, but for Christ.”
This truth guides The Way as they build a ministry that reaches young people globally. Michael points out the importance of presenting an authentic message, even in the world of influencers, where fake personas are often prevalent:
“It’s tempting to create a curated image of yourself that aligns with what people want to see. But authenticity is key. You can’t grow if you’re not real. Our message is what’s important, not our image or brand.”
Building Sustainability and Support Systems
Michael shares the financial challenges of running a Christian influencer ministry. Despite the global reach The Way has developed, the ministry is still in its early stages and funded mainly through sponsorships with Christian charities. He explains the process of seeking long-term sustainability:
“We don’t get much funding from ad revenues yet. We rely heavily on sponsorships with Christian charities to stay afloat. The goal is to make it self-sustaining, but we’re still in the process of building that foundation. It’s difficult, especially at first. But God’s been faithful, and we continue to work hard to make sure we’re doing it in a way that honors Him.”
Alongside financial sustainability, Michael also stresses the importance of support for young Christian influencers who are navigating the pressures of the digital world. He reflects on how critical it is to provide accountability and mentorship for creators:
“The challenge is not just creating content, but staying grounded. Social media can put pressure on influencers, so accountability is key. You need a community to support you. It’s easy to get caught up in the fame and success, but that’s where mentorship comes in. It’s about helping creators stay focused on their mission, not just their popularity.”
Michael shares that the ministry has fostered a culture of accountability, where young influencers can find guidance and spiritual support:
“We need spiritual and practical support. Without that, it’s easy to compromise your values. Accountability and mentorship are crucial in this space. Without the right support system, it’s hard to stay on track with your calling.”
Ethical Challenges in Digital Ministry
As an influencer ministry, The Way has to navigate the ethical dilemmas of the digital world. Michael points out that the temptation to chase fame or success can cloud judgment:
“It’s easy to focus on fame and success, but we’re not here to chase that. We’re here to point people to Christ and build something about God’s Kingdom, not about us. The digital space is full of distractions, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that likes and views define your worth. But that’s not what our calling is about.”
He also addresses the moral responsibility of Christian influencers when facing moral failures, emphasising grace, accountability, and redemption:
“If a creator falls, we offer grace, but we also have to hold them accountable. That doesn’t mean they’re done, but it does mean there’s a system in place to help them recover and grow. We want to support them through their struggles but also make sure they understand the importance of integrity.”
Prayer and Discernment for Christian Creators
As the conversation wraps up, Michael shares his prayer request for wisdom and discernment as the ministry grows:
“We need to stay spiritually sharp. Listening to God’s voice in every decision is key. It’s easy to get distracted by the noise of the world, but we need to stay focused on what God is doing. We pray for discernment in every choice we make, especially when things get busy or stressful.”
He emphasises the importance of keeping Jesus at the center of everything they do:
“There’s constant pressure, but we have to stay focused on the Word. Every decision, every post, every action needs to reflect our commitment to Christ. We need to continually ask: ‘Is this bringing glory to God?’”
Closing Thoughts
Michael’s insights provide a clear roadmap for Christian influencers who want to navigate the digital space with integrity. His emphasis on authenticity, financial sustainability, accountability, and prayerful discernment serves as a guide for those in Christian digital ministry. As The Way continues to grow, Michael’s approach demonstrates how the digital world can be used to further God’s Kingdom by staying rooted in faith.
To summarise:
Using social media for good: Social media is a powerful way for us to share the gospel and live out our faith. We must ensure that we are authentic and intentional in what we post.
Support networks are needed: Christian influencers, especially young ones, need strong support systems to help them stay grounded in their faith and avoid the pressures that come with fame.
Facing ethical challenges: It’s important for Christian influencers to prioritise values over fame. When moral failures happen, grace and accountability are essential to help creators bounce back.
Staying spiritually focused: In the busy world of content creation, it’s crucial to stay rooted in faith and seek God’s guidance, even when things get hectic. Prayerful discernment is key to navigating tough decisions.
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Michael 00:00:00:
I'm here today because I'm super passionate about using those 80,000 hours — all the time that we spend in our workplaces — for Jesus. Making an impact where we work is so important. That’s why I’m here. Now, why did I start The Way? Well, it all started back in 2018. A friend of mine, Mark, and our friend Kaye, they just started filming YouTube videos on their couch in London.Michael 00:00:42:
I became their videographer, and over a few years, we decided to create these youth resources, which we thought were amazing. We were seeing loads of interaction on YouTube from young people, but we had one problem: it was only reaching Christians. We loved discipling young Christians in this country, but one thing we were really passionate about was reaching young people who didn’t know Jesus. So, after a couple of years, MarkMichael 00:01:16:
and Kaye decided to take a step back and start pursuing their own careers. Mark is now the CEO of an innovation agency, which is one of the biggest in London, and Kaye is a youth worker in her local town. But I still felt called by God to continue with The Way, even though the two presenters who were in front of the camera were leaving, and I was left there with just the camera. So, I felt God telling me to build a team, so IMichael 00:01:51:
reached out to a bunch of Christian TikTokers back in 2019. There were a lot of young people who realized they could go viral online and started putting themselves out there. I ended up pretty much stalking them online, trying to find some to get in front of my camera, and one of them was actually Jesse, who’s in the room right now. The first time I met Jesse was actually one of the first times we decided to just go out on the street and start asking random peopleMichael 00:02:27:
what they thought about faith. I think it’d be a good time to show one of the videos from one of those first outings, where Jesse just started asking random young people about their faith.[Music and video plays]
Michael 00:03:47:
So, about three years ago, Jesse and I were on the street interacting with young people, and there are actually some amazing stories from back then. If you want to hear them, chat to Jesse and even Xenia afterwards about theMichael 00:04:21:
impact of some of those conversations that we had in person. What was really amazing about that time was that we were learning what it actually looked like to share our faith with people face-to-face. We were so used to, during the lockdown, speaking to our cameras and being isolated in a room. But getting out there and engaging with people about faith was a big jump for quite a few of us. However, we found it incredibly impactful to our lives.Michael 00:04:55:
After about six months, maybe even longer, of filming those videos and putting them online, no one was really engaging with them. It was nothing like our current following, which was about 7,000 at the time. Nothing had really blown up massively until around May 2022. One of our videos went viral, and it was just a really simple question: “If you had a friend who was Christian, how would you want them to share their faith with you?”Michael 00:05:31:
What happened was that a bunch of non-Christians jumped in, and a bunch of Christians started chatting in the comment section about their experience of hearing the gospel and the story of Jesus for the first time, and what way they would actually want to hear it, rather than how they had received it in the past. So, that was amazing, and that kind of marked the start of a journey.Michael 00:06:03:
It was a journey of us not just reaching the small community that had been following us for a few years, but actually reaching millions of people. In fact, the video you just watched has around three million views, the one before it has about five million views. I think there are a lot of ways to measure this kind of impact, but we can come back to that in a bit. I think the most amazing thing is just seeing how many young people are actually open to this, and aMichael 00:06:35:
piece of research recently identified ‘the open generation’ because they found out that 70% of young people across the Western world are open to spirituality, and that's really encouraging for us.Alex 00:06:51:
That's amazing. So, do you find on the streets that the statistics actually play out when you go and ask people? Are they really open to talking about Jesus, maybe even going to church?Michael 00:07:08:
Yeah, I would say in the UK, 70% is probably pretty accurate. The majority of the young people we speak to — I mean, I’m in a really strange position right now, where I no longer go on the streets. It’s actually Tom, Jesse, and Xenia here who are usually on the streets chatting. But I imagine they would agree that it’s probably about 70% of young people who are just completely open to it. In terms of not having any strong opinions about it, to be honest, I think the biggest thing that a lot of young people feel is that there isMichael 00:07:41:
probably a God. “There’s probably something out there, but I don’t like the idea of that being something that humans have come up with.” So whether that’s Christianity or Islam, I don’t think they view it as one of the institutions that already exists. So, I guess what we’re trying to provide is a way for them to explore the story of Jesus through conversation.Alex 00:07:54:
Yeah, so thank you. Do you think the impact from The Way comes mostly from creating new Christians, or helping Christians deepen their faith? What would you say the split between that is?Michael 00:08:16:
Well, we have two ways of measuring our impact. It’s super important that we measure it because, as a limited company, we have to be self-sustainable in many ways. We get a lot of funding from the Church of England, which is great, and I think we’ve got Justin Welby coming later. Yes, he gives us lots of money, which is amazing. So, we have to measure that impact, and we do it in two ways. One is through stories. A really big thing for us is making sure that we’re collecting stories from our community. We actually have someone on our team, Michelle, who goes through our comment sections, goes through our messages and replies, working out what the actual impact is here. And we have some amazing stories. I remember about a year ago, I was replying to a message from a guy in Birmingham who basically said, “Hey, I’m an atheist, but I’ve just come across your content and I really want to start exploring.” After some DMs, I just sent him to a local church in Birmingham and encouraged him to join an Alpha course.Michael 00:09:15:
There, we could probably do more follow-up, but the problem is that when our community has actually reached over a million followers across all our platforms — Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube — trying to follow up with every single young person that messages is quite hard. But we like to see that we’re just sowing seeds in that way.Michael 00:09:49:
So then, the second way we measure impact is by looking at those numbers. Especially one of our biggest metrics is engagement — who’s commenting, who’s messaging, who’s liking videos, and so on. The average we get is about 900,000 engagements each month, which equates to around 10 million a year. That’s a really important stat for us. I think we’ve actually just reached over 3% of 13 to 17-year-olds in the UK, so based on a number of 3.4 million 13-17-year-olds in the UK, we’re reaching about 100,000 of those, which is amazing.Alex 00:11:11:
That’s incredible. I don’t know if you’ve talked about this, but the cost of running The Way is less than 1 million pounds a year, right? That would mean it technically costs under 10 pounds a year to reach each viewer who sees your content regularly.Michael 00:11:47:
Yeah, it’s a lot less than 10 pounds. To be honest with you, it probably costs around £330,000 to run The Way each year, including the social media side of it. We focus on engagement, not just views, because views can go crazy. We get around 20 to 40 million views a month. So, if you focus on actual engagement, that’s 10 million a year, which means it’s like 3p per engagement. That’s crazy, right? If that were a church, imagine how much money you’d be paying to engage your church. We go to an amazing local church in Hammersmith, and I think it costs around a million a year for them to run — actually, just over a million right now. If it were purely based on those stats and money, I think Justin Welby would much rather kick them out than us!Michael 00:12:22:
But in truth, that’s not the right way to think about it. That’s why we also have the story element. But when we talk about the impact we’re having as Christians, that’s really important to understand because there’s definitely a cost-benefit analysis here. Spending more money does mean that you can reach more young people, especially in this space.Alex 00:12:56:
Yeah, okay, thank you. So, is what you're doing scalable?Michael 00:13:30:
Yeah, it is definitely scalable. Maybe not in the way that you would think. Like, we don't think we’re going to reach, well, we could — and I'm sure Jesse and Z would love for us to reach 80 million followers or something like that, yes. But I think the way this is scalable is more in terms of being able to create lots of different Christian influencers. In my mind, it would be a creative fund for young people who want to share their faith online, because obviously, we’re going to reach a very specific demographic. For instance, if anyone wants to listen to Taylor Swift, they will, but she will only reach a certain number of young people. That’s obviously millions and millions of young people, but in terms of actual demographics, she’s still going to hit margins where some people just won’t like her music. Similarly, some people just won’t like our content. So for us, it’s about how we make sure we’re also encouraging other creators and helping out people who are trying things in completely different ways. There’s a guy here today from Wooden Spoon Ministry, which is such a cool name, and he’s an amazing content creator we love to support financially. To be able to help him do what he’s doing as well, so there are loads of them in the States.Michael 00:14:35:
But I think the UK is quite unique, and we definitely need more people in the UK who feel confident enough to share their faith. So we’re looking for more interviewers on the street. I think we’re looking for more young people who just want to do it in their own way. There’s another girl — I’ve totally forgotten her name, I feel really bad — a YouTuber who’s here this weekend. Deborah runs a phenomenal YouTube channel, with more subscribers than us. It’s absolutely phenomenal. People like that are just creating vlogs and podcasts, trying to engage a completely different audience. Jesse was basically the face of The Way for a long time — he probably doesn’t like me saying that — but then when we brought Xenia in, it brought a completely different audience.Michael 00:15:42:
If you play this video here, which is this one... yeah.[Music and video plays]
Michael 00:16:38:
I love that, yeah, that’s great. Well done. So, having Xenia come in with her amazing communication skills was phenomenal for reaching a completely different audience that we didn’t really have before. Over a million people engaged with that one video, so that’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?Alex 00:16:50:
So, you’re kind of touching on this topic, but more around bottlenecks for more organizations. Like you mentioned, just more young people doing different things, but are there other bottlenecks that you can think of?Michael 00:17:38:
I think money is a big one, and there are some problems with scalability as well. Financially, it’s really hard because trying to convince donors to give to a project like this is quite difficult. One of the things we find difficult is being able to quantify the impact of things like engagement on a video or follow-up stories. But I think as media is changing — like TV is just completely dying at the moment, the amount of investment in live TV is just crazy — it’s one of those things where I don’t understand why people don’t know about things like EA. So, there’s this new media, and I think as the money starts going down the generations... there’s a book by Ken Costa called The 100 Dollar Trillion Handover, which talks about how Gen X will start handing over their wealth to Millennials and Gen Z. So, what impact will that have on raising money for this kind of thing? Because there’s going to be a whole generation — I meet people all the time who are in their 70s or older, like my father-in-law, who totally get this type of ministry and will give. But I think it’s really about getting them passionate about it as well, which is really hard.Michael 00:19:09:
But it is happening slowly. Like, we managed to convince the Church of England. That’s pretty crazy, right?Alex 00:19:29:
Yeah, this might be a bit of a bold question, but if you had all the money you could ever need, what would you do with it?Michael 00:19:44:
Oh, yeah, I would just start a creative fund — that’s the dream. We want to start a creative fund for young people who are passionate about creating online Christian content. Whether it’s sharing their faith regularly or not, I think we want to create a system where we’re able to support those young people. That would be amazing. We went out to LA in March and met, probably, the top five Christian influencers in the world — let alone the US — and we were just chatting to them, and they lack community. They’ve got friends and family who are super supportive, but they lack support in other ways.Michael 00:20:18:
That’s what we want to create — a system that we’ve kind of created naturally because we’re a team, but we’re able to help already with situations that can be hard sometimes. But I think it’s about supporting Christian creators around the world. I mean, we’ve seen so many pastors burn out in crazy ways, and we wouldn’t want to see that. Especially if you can imagine one of those Christian influencers overseeing moral failure, it’d have massive repercussions for a lot of young people who rely on that person as their discipleship tool. So, we really want to support those young people as well, and I think, yeah, a creative fund is needed for that.Alex 00:20:20:
That would be amazing, yeah. Well, we can talk to Justin Welby later about this idea. Okay, so what other missional ventures are you most excited about?Michael 00:21:35:
I'm really sad to say that they're all digital, so if you're not interested in that, I’m really sorry. But I think the film space at the moment is really exciting. You have something like The Chosen, which has had a huge impact. It’s super universal, though. I chat with my friends who own film companies, and most of them don’t like it, funny enough, just because it's so cheesy. The writing’s just super simplistic, and the reason for that is because they’re trying to reach literally the entire English-speaking world, which makes sense. If you’re trying to be cross-cultural, it needs to be simplistic. But as English people, we find that really cringey. We love the nuance. Filmmakers can sometimes be really judgmental, but what I think we need to see is more money put into Christian films that are actually going to have a huge impact.Alex 00:22:30:
Yeah, so true, because a series like The Chosen reached tens of millions, probably over a billion people, and that’s telling the story of Jesus. Imagine the amount of other stories you could tell.Michael 00:22:43:
As a studio, we’ve really gotten into starting to film short films and narratives, so we’re trying to explore what that looks like. Can I show one?[Music and video plays]
Michael 00:24:17:
We were out in West London shooting a short film, and it’s all because we really want to explore what it looks like to use drama as a way of impacting people and telling gospel stories.Alex 00:24:32:
So, yeah, are you seeing similar engagement from that?Michael 00:24:51:
More engagement, but it’s those videos that are harder to make. They take more effort, so we can’t put them out as much, which is, again, a financial issue, right? But those are the videos that always pop off. I think the average engagement on a video like that would be around 20,000, maybe even more — 20,000 people engaging with the video. I mean, the views are like hundreds of thousands, but in terms of actual engagement, that’s amazing. Yeah, this is so exciting. So, what would you encourage us to start or fund to help scale? Either if someone is wanting to start something or maybe they have loads of money and want to fund something else, what would you encourage?Michael 00:25:25:
I think if you want to start something, it’s just a case of creating a plan. I saw something this morning — someone had posted a 12-month plan for creating your first short film, and I thought, "I need to look at that because it’s really good." Having a plan is key. It’s hard, because financially, I’ll be really honest: when I started The Way, my wife’s parents were quite well off, and they bought a house for us. We were living in it rent-free, so I didn’t need an income for a while. It was a nice situation, but it wasn’t my background. I was in a very lucky position where I could really focus on The Way, and I know it’s hard to pitch that to others. But you need to write down a plan and figure out how to make it work. Work backwards from your goal and figure out how that’s going to play out step by step. These things can really work, and I think it’s worth it, especially when you consider the alternative — would you rather work a 9-to-5 job that you hate or do what you love for the rest of your life?Alex 00:27:04:
Yeah, I think it’s more than worth it. So, thank you. Do you have any advice for someone who’s actually wanting to start something? What would be your advice to them, other than creating a plan? Maybe how to go about it?Michael 00:27:44:
I think picking up a few skills really helped me early on, especially how you communicate what you’re passionate about. If you want your plan to work, you have to convince others that it’s going to work — whether that’s clients or people who are going to give you money. You need to figure out what your vision is and really sharpen it, because that’s so important. You also need to work out your values and just do it. Just keep cracking on. I think the team probably hates it when I use the phrase "let’s just crack on," because I say that way too much, but actually putting it into practice is so important. Also, if you have any of your own money, no one’s going to invest in your business unless you are. Whether that’s through time or your own money, people aren’t going to see your passion unless you’re putting into it too.Michael 00:28:16:
So yeah, those are the two things I’d say.Alex 00:28:50:
Yeah, that’s a good point. Can people come and chat with you during this conference if they have questions?Michael 00:28:50:
Yeah, of course! Also, we’re so disorganized, so we didn’t sign up for the whole Swap Card thing. These guys over here, Joel and Tom from the Way team, feel free to chat with them. Just go up to them and grab them!Alex00:29:33:
Okay, nice. Thank you. So, do you guys have any questions? Oh, I see some questions already. Okay, feel free to keep adding questions, but I’ll start with the ones that are already here.Audience:
Thank you, by the way — that was really good. One question is: what role do you see for long-form content in engagement?Michael 00:29:33:
It’s a good question. I think long-form content is really about making cultural changes. Especially with films and podcasts. I think it was Joe who told me that there was a Trump podcast that went out last week before the election with Joe Rogan. Imagine the effects that had on the election. That one podcast. It’s funny how long-form content can really impact a lot more than these 30-40 second videos we put out. That’s why we do our podcast, so that’s super important. As for film, I think series can really have a huge impact. When you talk about The Chosen, you’re talking about being able to engage a completely different audience. I was at a premiere for a film called Sam Hope... it wasn’t marketed as a Christian film, but it had a really great impact.Alex 00:37:42:
Nice! That must be very encouraging.
Yeah, it’s really encouraging.
Nice! There’s one more question, but I’ll give you some time to ask more. How practically would a Creator Fund support creators? Is it the funding they need, or is it more about the support? Are creators usually doing this alongside work or school?Michael 00:38:22:
I think, in some ways, support is probably the first thing they need. What would that look like? I think it’s about creating support systems — whether that’s through an organization or a charity that can actually support these young people. The challenge is, some of them might not want to get into something too organized. So, it has to feel natural. It’s about working with young people who really get it — who understand the need for support — and then figuring out how to help them get their friends, who are also Christian influencers, to understand that they need support too.Some might say, "Oh, I’m fine, I have my friend group," but it’s important to think about how we can prevent them from getting into a situation where they blow up due to a moral failure. Also, it’s about creating systems where, if that happens, there’s something in place to help them afterward. That’s really important. Even if someone blows up on social media due to a moral failure, they’re still making money. In fact, they’ll probably get more views. So, the problem isn’t the views, it’s about how we support them afterward.
Alex 00:39:31:
Yes, I agree.
Okay, does anyone have any more questions? We have two minutes left.
No? Oh, you're gone.Michael 00:39:49:
Moral failure — as Christians, we believe in forgiveness and redemption. Is what you mean by moral failure the end of the road for a creator in the Christian space?
I think, as I just mentioned, it’s definitely not the end of the road for a Christian creator. In terms of what they’re doing, they’ll probably still be able to continue doing it. That’s where creating support systems comes in — making sure we can help them if that happens and they want help.When it comes to moral failure, I think it varies for everyone. I imagine that everyone here has a different view of what a moral failure might look like. For us, at The Way, it could involve things like sexual misconduct. We have clear team values that outline that if you break certain rules a certain number of times, it could result in dismissal. So, it’s very much based on personal values. In the Anglican world, that might look one way, but in Pentecostal or Evangelical circles, it could look completely different. That’s something for you to consider as well.
But for us, we’re looking for young people who are really passionate about sharing Jesus. In the end, the focus is on pushing people toward Jesus, not toward themselves or products. All glory should go to Him, not the creator.
Alex 00:41:21:
Yes, all glory goes to Him and not to the creator themselves.
Well, thank you so much. Is there anything we can pray for you and The Way?
I think the reason this started is because I really felt like Jesus called me to do it. Through prayer and feeling the Holy Spirit guiding me toward it, I just need more of that every day. As we get busier, it's important to stay connected to the Holy Spirit, listening to Jesus through scripture. That’s something we really need as a team — to stay sharp and keep listening to God in every situation, especially when it’s stressful and crazy.One of the biggest challenges is discerning what’s right and wrong, especially when you’re in a stage where there’s so much decision fatigue. Every day, we’re faced with so many decisions as a company, so we really need to discern well with the guidance of the Spirit, making sure Jesus is always at the center of everything we do. Please pray for us in that.
Alex 00:42:39:
Can we pray for The Way?Alex 00:43:08:
Thank you so much for everything. It was great. I’m just going to pray for you guys, and then we can move on to the next talk.Heavenly Father, we thank You so much for this conversation we’ve had. We thank You, Lord, for all the ideas that are bubbling up in people’s minds right now. We pray, Lord, that You would guide them to talk to the right people and help them make a plan.
I want to thank You for The Way, for Mike, for the whole team, and for everything they’re doing. I pray, Lord, for continued impact and engagement from young people in the UK and around the world. I pray that as You continue to guide The Way and Mike in leading this organization, Holy Spirit, You would speak to them. Open their ears and eyes to hear and see what You are doing and help them always be led by You.
Lord, I pray against any busyness or distractions that could get in the way of what You are trying to do. Please keep them and cover them in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Key Takeaways on Impact in Digital Missions:
Building engagement online takes time - the first 6 months of The Way saw little engagement,
Currently, The Way observes 900,000 engagements each month, which equates to around 10 million a year.
The Way has reached 3% (100,000) of 13 to 17-year-olds in the UK.
It costs around £330,000 to run The Way each year, which works out at only 3p per engagement.
