Why the Local Church Still Matters in an Age of Celebrity Christianity

by Dave Jenkins

We live in a time of unprecedented access to Christian content. Sermons, podcasts, articles, conferences, and social media posts are available instantly and endlessly. Many of these resources are helpful. Some are faithful. God has used them to instruct, encourage, and warn His people. And yet, alongside these benefits, a subtle but serious shift has taken place. More and more Christians are being formed not primarily by the Word of God lived out in the local church, but by personalities, platforms, and online influence. Authority is increasingly detached from accountability. Visibility is mistaken for faithfulness. Popularity is confused with spiritual maturity.

The question before us is not whether online ministry can be useful. The question is far more foundational: what does God use to shape, shepherd, and sustain His people?

Celebrity Christianity and the Drift from Biblical Discipleship

When we speak of celebrity Christianity, we are not merely describing well-known teachers. Scripture itself acknowledges that some servants of Christ will be more widely known than others. The problem arises when influence is separated from shepherding, and authority is assumed without accountability. Platforms reward what is engaging, shareable, and affirming. Scripture, however, prioritizes faithfulness, humility, and fruit. The Apostle Paul reminds the church that ministers are servants through whom God works, not figures to be elevated or followed as ends in themselves (1 Corinthians 3:5–7). Again, he writes plainly, “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

When Christian formation is shaped primarily by online voices rather than embodied church life, discipleship subtly shifts from submission to consumption.

Submission to the Word of God Is Total, Not Selective

One of the clearest dangers of platform-shaped Christianity is selective submission to Scripture. We are tempted to embrace the parts of God’s Word that comfort us while resisting those that confront us. We may celebrate biblical truth in theory while bristling at it in practice. But submission to the Word of God is never partial. Scripture is not a reference we consult when convenient; it is the final authority over every area of life. God’s Word is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” so that the believer may be thoroughly equipped (2 Timothy 3:16–17). To hear the Word without obedience is self-deception (James 1:22).

If we submit to Scripture only when it aligns with our preferences, we are not submitting to Scripture at all.

God’s Design: The Centrality of the Local Church

God has not left His people to grow in isolation. From the earliest days of the church, believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). The local church is not a human invention or a pragmatic arrangement; it is God’s ordained means for the spiritual care of His people.

In the local church, believers are known, loved, corrected, and encouraged. We are called to gather regularly, stir one another up to love and good works, and walk together in faithfulness (Hebrews 10:24–25). Through the church, Christ builds up His body so that it grows into maturity, grounded in truth and protected from error (Ephesians 4:11–16).

Online content can inform us, but it cannot embody the life God intends for His people.

Biblically Qualified Pastors and Real Shepherding

Scripture is clear that God gives male, biblically qualified pastors to His church for the good of His people. These are not self-appointed leaders, but men who meet biblical qualifications and who shepherd real people with real lives (1 Peter 5:1–4). They are charged with watching over souls and will one day give an account to God for their care (Hebrews 13:17).

A platform can gather an audience, but it cannot shepherd a flock. Online teachers cannot know your life, pray with you in suffering, lovingly correct you in sin, or walk beside you through seasons of hardship unless you share with them what is going on in your life. The point is this: God has designed pastoral care to be personal, accountable, and embodied within the life of the local church.

To reject that design is not freedom; it is spiritual vulnerability.

Online Resources: Helpful Supplements, Dangerous Substitutes

We should be clear and charitable here. Online resources can be gifts from God. They can deepen understanding of Scripture, expose error, and encourage perseverance. Many believers have benefited greatly from faithful teaching delivered through modern means. But these resources were never meant to replace the local church. They cannot administer the ordinances, exercise church discipline, or provide ongoing shepherding. Scripture consistently ties spiritual oversight to local, identifiable leadership (Titus 1:5). When online content becomes a substitute rather than a supplement, something vital has been lost.

This is why, in our statement of faith here at Servants of Grace, I wrote very clearly: “We reject the modern obsession with platform-building and influence-chasing that prioritizes branding over biblical fidelity. Ministry is a stewardship to serve the church, not a means to gain fame or celebrity. We affirm the necessity of humility, integrity, and faithfulness in all who serve (2 Corinthians 4:1–5; John 3:30; 1 Peter 5:1–6).” Everything we do in our ministry at Servants of Grace is aimed at being a resource to the local church—not a replacement, but a supplement to what the Lord is doing in the local church.

God’s design has not changed, even if our access to content has.

Discernment Is Formed in Community, Not Consumed in Isolation

Biblical discernment is not something we download; it is something that is cultivated over time. God uses community to expose blind spots, refine judgment, and sharpen wisdom. “In an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). “Iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). When discernment is shaped primarily by algorithms and isolated consumption, it becomes fragile and often reactionary. In the local church, discernment is practiced in the context of relationships, humility, and mutual submission under God’s Word.

A Call Back to Ordinary Faithfulness

The answer to celebrity Christianity is not louder platforms or better branding. It is quiet, ordinary faithfulness. It is a life submitted fully to the Word of God. It is commitment to a sound local church under biblically qualified pastors. It is humility that welcomes accountability, care, and shepherding. It is discernment grown slowly in community, prayer, and obedience. This is not glamorous, but it is God’s way. And it is still the surest path to spiritual health in every age.

So let us commit to returning daily each day to God’s Word, to our local church, and to doing life with God’s people.

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