One Voice Student Missions ministry founder Brian Barcelona is pushing the bar on traditional evangelism and reaching Gen Z and younger through something that almost every young person has... a phone.
"I mean, what do most kids do in church now? They're on their phones," Brian explains. "I think if preachers and pastors continue to preach and not speak, it's like me going to China and I preach in English. How ineffective is that? We need to learn the language. Why do we not have that same expectation for generational barriers?"
Barcelona has released a book, Don’t Scroll: Evangelism in the Digital Age, where he explores how his initially small ministry gained a social media following of over 1 million. These days, Brian hosts virtual events for healing, baptism, deliverance and salvation through TikTok and Instagram.
"We have seen social media lead to bullying, which has led to suicide," said Barcelona. "If the demonic has the power to move through videos and comment sections on social media, why do we think Holy Spirit is limited?"
Brian hopes that by sharing this new perspective with ministry leaders and pastors, we can change how we evangelize to young people.
“I believe a billion-soul harvest will start in Generation Z,” says Brian. “Who would have guessed that Jesus would make a triumphant entry to this generation not on a donkey but through a phone? He will come riding on the words of humble believers who faithfully share the Gospel every day through their social media platforms.”
Today on Connections, Brian shares how we can spread the Gospel in a way that speaks to the generation that lives online.