Your congregation is already forming deep, emotionally significant relationships online, with influencers and creators who have no idea they exist. Dr. Larry Witzel completed his PhD in Strategic Media, studying exactly this, and his conclusion is clear: if pastors are not consistently showing up online, someone else is filling that space. In this episode, we unpack the research and what to do about it.

00:00 Welcome and Larry's PhD journey

03:00 What parasocial relationships are and why they matter

07:00 Real-life examples, Technoblade, Taylor Tomlinson, and a daughter at Starbucks

14:00 What separates successful creators from wannabes

16:00 How pastors can harvest parasocial relationships evangelistically

20:00 Larry's personal social media shift and the research that triggered it

26:00 Why Larry l ...