Digital Global Evangelism and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

The figures are staggering. The task seems overwhelming. The mission before us appears to all human thinking — impossible. The world’s population is approximately eight billion and growing. Currently, there are more than one billion people in China and India. The continent of Africa has just topped the one billion mark. Of the eight billion plus people on the face of the planet, according to worldometers.info, only approximately 30 percent, or 2.1 billion, are Christian, and Seventh-day Adventists are just a small fraction of the total. There are 1.6 billion Muslims, 1.1 billion secular agnostics and atheists, 1 billion Hindus, and 500 million Buddhists, plus thousands of other religious groups.

This leads us to some thought-provoking questions. How will the work of God on earth ever be finished? Is it possible for the gospel in the context of the three angels’ messages to circle the globe in a relatively short time? When will we see the fulfillment of Jesus’s words, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14, NKJV)?

New Methods for a New Generation

Digital technology has made the seemingly impossible much more possible. The internet is accessible in almost every country. Once again God has united the world. Through the internet, the message of Christ knows no boundaries. The gospel spans oceans, leaps across national borders, penetrates unentered countries, and reaches earth’s millions in gigantic apartment complexes as well as primitive villages. “Digital evangelism is the systematic and intentional use of internet platforms to spread the gospel to the online population. The goal is to introduce people to Christ and then connect them to a church family. You may see the terms digital evangelism and online evangelism being used interchangeably. Both cover various evangelism strategies that require the use of the internet, cell phones, laptops, video cameras, and other modern technologies” (Center for Online Evangelism).

Recently I realized anew the amazing impact of digital evangelism. I conducted an evangelistic series in Kenya uplinked by Hope Channel to 20,000 sites via satellite. The programs were broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, radio, and television. The messages were streamed to churches, apartments, private homes, business establishments, bus stops, prisons, and outdoor venues in villages. People watched on large screens, televisions, computers, tablets, and cell phones. We received an interesting message from three shepherds in a very remote area with scattered villages. They viewed the programs on their solar-powered iPhones in the evening while they tended their cattle. These bushmen accepted Christ and desired to become His disciples as the result of the message of the gospel they heard on their cell phones.

In contrast to these bushmen, well-educated young professionals, employees of the largest bank in Kenya, watched the Christ-centered biblical messages beamed from one of our Nairobi Adventist churches directly into their bank in the evenings. The East-Central African Division reports that there were 197,000 baptisms as a result of this massive evangelistic outreach. They attribute more than 100,000 of these baptisms to our digital evangelism satellite series.

On another occasion, I shared messages from the book of Revelation from my office at the Living Hope School of Evangelism in Haymarket, Virginia, via a Chinese translator to Chinese people worldwide. Ten million Chinese-speaking people downloaded our messages. Our prime digital communication platform is YouTube. Our prime digital platform is our YouTube channel “Hope Lives 365.” We have 247,000 subscribers and have reached nearly 30 million people in every country where YouTube is not banned. Christ’s end-time message can be rapidly spread around the world in seconds.

God has made it possible that through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Savior’s promise, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world … and then the end will come” will be fulfilled (Matt. 24:14). The earth will be lightened with God’s glory (Rev. 18:1), and the gospel will be proclaimed to every “nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6, NKJV).

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit is using digital technology powerfully as one way of making disciples. The possibilities are enormous. “The landscape of evangelism has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, propelled by rapid technological advancements and the widespread adoption of digital platforms. As society becomes increasingly connected and reliant on the digital realm, ministries and pastors must adapt their approach to sharing the gospel” (“Embracing Digital Evangelism,” preaching.com).

If we want to reach a global audience and penetrate previously unreached peoples, global technology provides a powerful platform to accomplish God’s mission. By embracing digital platforms for evangelism, we recognize the profound impact they can have on reaching a global audience. “By harnessing the power of technology, we can overcome physical limitations and barriers, amplify the impact of the gospel message, and build online communities that foster genuine relationships and spiritual growth. It is time to embrace digital evangelism and discover new avenues for sharing the timeless message of hope and salvation” (“Embracing Digital Evangelism,” preaching.com).

Digital evangelism beams the message into people’s homes wherever they are, in whatever country they are in, in the context of their own language and culture. It is not limited by a specific time frame. They can access Bible truth twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Pastors and local congregations can have a local presence with a global reach as they establish an online audience. Let me be clear, digital discipleship and evangelism do not replace the traditional evangelistic methods that the Christian church has used for two thousand years.

Ellen White encourages us to use every means possible to reach lost people with the gospel. She urges us to “reach the people where they are.” Here is an enlightening statement on creatively developing new methods of reaching people: “New methods must be introduced. God’s people must awake to the necessities of the time in which they are living. God has men whom he will call into his service,—men who will not carry forward the work in the lifeless way in which it has been carried forward in the past” (Review and Herald, Sept. 30, 1902). 

Online evangelism plays a crucial role in sharing the gospel and connecting with people in the digital age. It is a superhighway of communication. It provides unique opportunities for discipleship and evangelism. Never in human history could we share the gospel with so many people in so short a time.

The original version of this commentary was posted in the Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries November 2024 newsletter.