Maybe you’ve come across Indigitous and wondered if the global movement is right for you. Perhaps you met someone at a conference or saw some content on social media. Maybe someone forwarded a video, or you saw an ad for a hackathon. What is all this about? What exactly is Indigitous?
One way to answer that is to explain what Indigitous is not. A lot of times, it’s easiest to understand things by understanding their opposites. We understand darkness because of the absence of light. We understand what wetness is because it isn’t dry. So here are some things that definitely do not describe Indigitous.
Indigitous tries not to be complacent
More than 3 billion people don’t know Jesus. That’s a lot of people who are separated from the God who loves them and wants a relationship with them. That’s a lot of people who could be eternally separated from God when their lives on earth come to an end. These people are our family members, friends, coworkers, and classmates. Some belong to people groups that have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There’s a lot of work to do. Or, as Jesus put it, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37-38). Our hearts should break for those people, especially those who are part of our lives who don’t know God. And that heartbreak should spur us to action. Indigitous believes it is vital to bring the gospel to new people, places, and spaces so that everyone has an opportunity to be saved.
Indigitous believes it is vital to bring the gospel to new people, places, and spaces so that everyone has an opportunity to be saved.
Indigitous is not about one-size-fits-all approaches to ministry
Indigitous believes that no one approach, tool, website, app, video, or link will connect all hearts to Jesus. Successful strategies should be locally generated and culturally adapted. What works in Sydney, Australia probably won’t work in Manila, Philippines or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. People in different cultures have different ways of communicating, learning, understanding the gospel, and growing in their faith. That’s why people must create or adapt strategies that fit their culture.
Indigitous believes we must communicate the gospel in a way that fits the digital age, when the average person spends more than seven hours a day online. What can we do to bring the gospel to the six-inch screens people have in their hands all day long so they encounter the Good News while searching Google, scrolling through social media, asking chatbots questions, and chatting with friends?
Indigitous tries not to be selfish
Who gets credit if you have a successful campaign that brings many people to Christ? We don’t care. Well, actually, we do: We want to make sure God gets the credit for what He does.
We’re not worried about making sure Indigitous looks good. We’ve partnered with many organizations for #HACK, conferences, Global Outreach, and other events. Sometimes, those partners put on the events under the Indigitous banner; other times, they use other branding. What’s important is that people follow God to take the name of Jesus to new people, places, and spaces. Whether they use the Indigitous name or not doesn’t matter.
Similarly, the projects created during our hackathons should be open-source solutions anyone can join, use, and modify. This isn’t about intellectual property or ownership; it’s about benefitting the global Church.
We also want to be open-handed with our content, resources, training, and other material. If it’s helpful, use it. You don’t need our permission. We hope the things we create can bless the body of Christ.
Indigitous tries not to micro-manage
Indigitous wants to empower local leaders to lead their Indigitous communities in the way they think is best. That’s where the “Indigenous” part of “Indigenous + Digital” comes in.
I’m writing this from my desk in Florida. It would be ridiculous to presume that I know the best way for a leader in Bauchi, Nigeria to lead his community. But Joshua knows his culture and how to make an impact for God there. I would never tell Endz how to encourage his Twitch followers to share the gospel. Endz knows gaming culture, his Twitch followers, and the strategies that work in the online gaming space.
God wants to do amazing things where you are. Indigitous wants to offer partnership you can trust. We will walk beside you, support you, and cheer you on.
Indigitous is not exclusive
There are no member dues to be part of Indigitous. There’s no specific time commitment. There’s no training you have to go through. Aside from agreeing with our statement of faith, which is basic Christian orthodoxy, there are no requirements.
An Indigitous community should be a place to belong. The like-minded and like-hearted people are your people. Wherever you are, whoever you are, if you want to tell others about Jesus, you can be a part of Indigitous.
Indigitous tries not to be stagnant
The world is changing more rapidly than ever before. Advances in AI and VR seem to happen overnight. The algorithms for popular social media platforms change every time you figure out what they’re doing. Online trends emerge out of nowhere and die as soon as they become well-known enough for local newspapers to write explainer articles and Hollywood executives to green-light feature films (coming soon: Skibidi Toilet: The Movie … no, really).
Because technology and online trends are constantly changing, we always need to be exploring. To make an impact for Jesus, we need to continually grow, adapt, learn, explore, and launch mission-focused, fresh approaches to sharing the Good News.
To reach those no one is reaching, we must do what no one is doing.
Indigitous is not individualistic
Whether you’re a college student who wants to make an impact on campus, a gamer who wants to share the gospel while playing your favorite games, an influencer who makes viral TikTok videos, or an online mentor who journeys with people through emails, you’re not meant to do this alone.
Indigitous believes in strong communities of like-minded and like-hearted people because we think we can run farther and faster together. Fulfilling the Great Commission is bigger than any of us. Everyone has finite capacity, skills, and interests, but working with others can increase our reach and make a more significant impact for Jesus.
Collaboration is critical, whether it’s working on missional projects at #HACK, joining a group for a Digital Outreach event, inviting Twitch followers for a digital raid, or working with graphic designers and social media managers to increase the reach of your gospel content. Collaboration with others in the Indigitous community can lead to more fruitfulness.
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Check out our Instagram page and Facebook group to learn more about what Indigitous is and what Indigitous is not.