Presence Over Platforms: Wrestling with Influence in a Social Media Age

by Dave Miller

Paul’s final words to Timothy carried a weight that still rings true today: “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” (2 Tim. 3:14). 

Paul grounds leadership not in charisma or reach, but in the deep, lived reality of knowing and being known. His instruction, if we listen closely, is a warning against disembodied influence divorced from presence, proximity, and patience.

This strikes at the very nerve of our current culture. In the social media economy, success is measured by visibility, speed, and scale. Platforms reward quick takes and viral reach. 

Leadership is substituted for influence from a distance. Podcasts, reels, talking heads, and clips of “famous” voices often replace the slower, quieter work of life-on-life discipleship. 

The danger is real: leadership without proximity is leadership without discernment. We’ve seen the consequences play out repeatedly, even in, if not especially in the church, when leaders are elevated by platform but not grounded in presence.

Here lies the tension. On the one hand, the kingdom economy insists that success is measured by presence with people, the steady patience of proximity, and the humility of accessibility.

On the other hand, ignoring the digital world altogether risks silencing the voice of those trying to call people back to a truer way. 

The polycentric vision of Sentral hubs is designed to cultivate leaders through shared responsibility and incarnational-community-life fractal by fractal starting with the family and church—but how does such a model translate credibility into a world dominated by likes, clicks, and followers?

If we reject the trappings of the “influencer” mold entirely, do we also limit our ability to connect with those who are searching, scrolling, and longing for something real online? 

But if we embrace the platforms on their own terms, do we not risk undermining the very fabric of kingdom leadership that is built on patience and presence?

The question hangs heavy: How do we connect without compromising? 

How do we speak into the noise without being consumed by it? 

How do we resist the allure of speed while committing to the long obedience of discipleship?

Jesus’ own ministry reminds us of the scandal of slowness. Crowds came and went, but He chose the few, poured Himself into proximity, and allowed many to walk away disappointed by His refusal to be the kind of leader they wanted. The “many are called, few are chosen” reality was not failure—it was fidelity to the kingdom’s pace and way.

Maybe that’s where we must live: in the unresolved tension. Refusing to baptize the influencer economy as kingdom leadership, but also refusing to retreat into irrelevance. Holding space for the slow, proximate work of discipleship while asking hard questions about how to faithfully inhabit the digital square.

Perhaps success will always look like failure to the world?

Maybe that’s exactly the point.