For Such a Time as This: Preaching in the Phygital Public Square

Blair Thompson

Five hundred years ago, when the printing press began to hum across Europe, the gospel began to move in new ways. Sermons once heard by a few could suddenly be read by thousands. John Foxe observed, “God hath appointed the Press to preach.” What had once been limited to pulpits and parchment was set loose into the public square—and the world changed.

Martin Luther recognized the moment. He didn’t just use the press; he reshaped his message to meet it. Writing prolifically, in the language of the people, he became what some call the first great journalist of the faith. The Protestant Reformation was not only a theological movement; it was a technological one.

Today, we stand at another inflection point. The “press” of our time is digital: artificial intelligence, social media, storytelling platforms, podcasts, and crowdsourced creativity. These are our new printing presses, our new town squares, our new pulpits. And so the question before us is this:

If the church does not embrace the printing presses of our age—AI, social media, digital storytelling, and crowdsourced creativity—will the next great awakening pass us by?

When the Public Square Moves, So Must the Pulpit

The spiritual hunger of our time is deep and growing. People are searching for meaning, purpose, and belonging—and they’re searching online. The public square has shifted from sanctuaries to screens. The Church’s absence from this space has not made the hunger go away; it has only made room for other voices to fill the void.

The pandemic accelerated the church’s digital awakening, but many congregations stopped short. Once the livestream was running and the Zoom small groups were set up, experimentation largely ceased. Preaching remained confined to Sunday mornings, even as fewer people showed up to hear it.

But what if technology is not the enemy of tradition, but its continuation? What if the Spirit that inspired Luther to print sermons and Wesley to publish hymns is calling us again—to inhabit this “phygital” world (physical + digital) with creativity, courage, and grace?

The Phygital Preaching Fellows: Liberating the Pulpit

This work is already underway. The Phygital Preaching Fellows—a cohort of 19 innovative preachers—are exploring how the gospel can flourish in the new phygital public square. They are pioneers in the spirit of Luther and Wesley, already experimenting with new technologies, new audiences, and new forms of proclamation.

Together, the Fellows are asking:

• How can emerging technologies best serve the gospel?

• How might preaching be crafted for digital attention spans while retaining depth and integrity?

• What ethical boundaries must guide digital ministry?

• How can proclamation become multi-directional—an act of community rather than performance?

• And how can these tools amplify marginalized voices and create more just, generous, and loving communities?

Like the early Methodist societies that spread through printed tracts and personal connection, this initiative is already creating ripple effects—small experiments leading to a larger movement of Spirit-led innovation.

Innovation as an Act of Love

John Wesley once declared, “The world is my parish.” He meant that the gospel could not be contained by walls or geography. Early Methodists took up that charge by embracing the technologies of their day—using print to share the good news, organizing small groups for accountability, and sending preachers on horseback to meet people where they were.

That same spirit drives this work. We innovate not for novelty’s sake but for love’s sake. As theologian Kenda Creasy Dean reminds us, we innovate because we refuse to stop reaching people with the message of grace.

At TMF and Wesleyan Impact Partners, we’ve seen how “yes, and” spaces—where imagination and experimentation are encouraged—free leaders from what Ed Friedman called “the treadmill of trying harder.” When we free preachers to experiment, the gospel itself is set loose to find new life and new listeners.

For Such a Time as This

Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Miller has shown that humans are born with a spiritual core—and that much of the despair in our culture stems from neglecting it. She urges faith leaders to reenter the public square and speak words of life and hope. That public square now lives both in the physical and digital realms.

Our calling, then, is not to retreat but to reimagine—to see in digital tools the same kind of divine opportunity that Luther saw in movable type and Wesley saw in the printed word.

The Spirit still blows where it will—through presses, through people, and yes, through pixels.

The question is whether we will have the imagination to follow.

A Personal Word

For me, this work feels both ancient and brand new. It’s deeply Wesleyan—rooted in grace, imagination, and the relentless belief that God’s love is for everyone, everywhere. When I listen to the Fellows dream aloud, I feel hope rising. It reminds me that the gospel has always found its way into new spaces. Our job is simply to keep saying yes—to the Spirit, to the moment, and to one another.

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Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson is chief learning and innovation officer at Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, where she and her team lead the organizations’ three Lilly Endowment-funded initiatives: Courageous Congregations Collaborative (C3), Courageous Leadership Imperative (CLI), and Phygital Preaching Fellows. She also leads Wesleyan Impact Partners’ Locke Innovative Leader Award process and cohorts of spiritual entrepreneurs. Blair is the creator and producer of the Igniting Imagination® podcast.