6 to Seek Out in 2021

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What I love about social media is that every year I discover new people that I learn from and follow. Then, what I like to do is to share them with you all. In fact, I take 6 people or groups and highlight them once a year, usually at the end of December or early January. To find out my lists from previous years you can just like the year (2016, 2017 2018, 2019 and 2020).

While 2020 was challenging, the reality is, if you were following any of the digital ministers I have shared about in the past, like Ben Stapley, Dave Adamson, Jeff Reed, Katie Allred, Jeanette Yates, Seth Muse, just to name a few, you would have gotten a lot of great encouragement and help in 2020, especially with the onslaught of COVID.

Well now we are into 2021. And with the new year I have 6 new ones to follow. These may already be people you know and follow, but if not, I hope you discover them to be as helpful as I do.

The criteria that I have is that they are involved in Church Communications, Social Media, Student or Family Ministry or Online Ministry. They also need to be producing great blogs, vlogs or podcasts on a consistent basis. If they do not post regularly, they aren’t one the list. I am not going recommend you follow someone if they aren’t being consistent in their postings, no matter how great their content is. And that’s it. It’s pretty simple but those are the two important aspects of my criteria.

So, in NO particular order, here are the top 6 to seek out in 2021:

Rey De Armas. I met Rey a few years ago from a mutual friend, Jeff Reed. Rey is the Online Pastor at Christ Fellowship in Miami, Florida. Rey is very active on Twitter posting on a variety of topics such as Miami sports, comics, movies and Jesus, just to name a few. He is passionate about people coming to know Jesus and mobilizing others to minister to their friends and family (I have had him on the podcast before talking about this).  He also co-hosts the Church Digital Podcast with Jeff Reed.

Tyler Samson. Tyler is the Lead Pastor at Church Anywhere. He is also an Admin for the Online + Digital Church Leaders Facebook Group. The group is designed for Online and Digital Minsters looking to learn from each other. It’s a great group with tons of help. In addition to this, he is an Admin for the Online  has his own YouTube channel as well. On this channel he has devotionals, short films and covers of other songs in hopes to reach people for Christ. It’s a great idea.

Digivangelism. I first discovered Digivangelism on TikTok in 2020. Their goal is to help “church leaders reach people with the love of Jesus ONLINE”. And, they do just that. What I really appreciate about what they do is that they are very active on TikTok which not a ton of minsters are at the moment. But, with their encouragement for ministers and this very helpful TikTok guide for Churches, hopefully more Churches and minister will get on TikTok this coming year.

Brianne Fleming. She may not be a minister but she is someone who has so much great content about brands and marketing. She hosts a very popular #PopChat on Twitter every Friday and Making the Brand podcast. Her questions and thoughts about brand and marketing are very insightful and helpful for any minister or Church looking to make an impact and reach more people. She is very active on Twitter and you can find great insights on her website.

Jate Earhart. Jate is someone I worked with for a few years at New Life Christian Church. He is extremely gifted in digital media and motion graphics. However, he has a higher calling to reach the gaming community. He uses Twitch to stream and chat with people while he plays. But, he also created Loveclan on Discord to have real conversations and help people answer questions about God and life. It is a true gaming life group community.

D.J. Soto. D.J. is the first person people go to for VR Church questions and thoughts. He is the Bishop of Virtual Reality Church. While VR is still developing a lot, it has come a very long way since its inception. D.J. is using VR to minster to people who wouldn’t ever step foot in a Church building. It’s a great ministry and great opportunity to help many people come to know Jesus.

So, those are my 6 to seek out in 2021.

ACTION STEPS:

• Share your thoughts! Those are my 6 to seek out in 2021, but I know there are other out there. Who are you following in 2021? Share your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick.
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