Something pretty special is brewing in leaders here in Tennessee as three strands of ministry and advocacy are coming together to lead the Church in a 28-day digital fast from smartphone distractions in 2025. THINQ Media, Pastor Darren Whitehead (Church of the City), and Aro (a screentime wellness solution) have partnered together to resource churches to come together as congregations and turn down digital distraction in order to turn up devotion to the Lord.
Y'all. We are so excited about this.
After 10 years of working in this space, we too have begun to focus more intently on the spiritual health impact of technology, not just for kids, but adults too. We can't let all of these external distractions suck away our time, joy, and peace. And to go to war against these distractions, we need to partner together. This is an opportunity for the Church to assess and overcome the temporal trappings of personal devices and renew a sense of delight in and dependence on the Lord, so we can focus on our Kingdom mission: to reach our world with the Gospel.
It's true, church communities have a head start.
We've been so encouraged by the statements Jonathan Haidt has made about the opportunity the Church has to lead a movement to give kids a more protected, healthy, and purpose-driven childhood. Though he is not a believer himself, Haidt has studied religious communities extensively as a researcher and found that we already have a strong foundation on which to build pillars of value-centered families that approach technology differently.
Tell everyone.
Get this information to pastors and leaders. Whether or not your church participates formally, our hope is that many people will find groups of friends and families who are willing to take the plunge. As Christians, we have a tremendous opportunity to live out Romans 8:13...
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13)
Let's quiet the noise to hear God's voice more clearly and focus on His plan for our families and our purpose in this world.