Hospital visits are routine for pastors. However, members are facing a public health crisis that might not land them in the hospital.
Church members are facing hidden threats in digital environments that are introducing disorders that are bankrupting the soul.
Instead of pouring value into building a solid relationship with God. Many believers are addicted to scrolling habits that are causing them to waste time, abandon growth potential, and feed unhealthy appetites on smartphones.
If the church fails to take the lead in providing cybersecurity for the soul, believers will nurture habits that undermine their Authority to Grow™.
Our research reveals the three layers that make up the Authority to Grow™. The second layer identifies six critical areas of human existence. This layer has a dual function that's governed by purpose, and when human agency is not activated through purpose, Existence Vitals will become smartphone and social media habits that undermine the Authority to Grow™. (See chart below)
In every generation, we are losing the Authority to Grow™ because purpose deficits in human agency fuel the habits listed above. Digital environments multiply these habits and turn the Existence Vitals into disorders that are road blocks in discipleship. (See chart below)
The above chart is a reflection of what I coined as Purpose Deficit Disorder™ (PDD) long before the rise of AI. At first, preachers looked the other way and I had to show empathy because I knew how the perception of a disorder was going to look in church circles. No one wants to hear about
confronting disorders.
This blog is not about introducing a threat you don't want to hear about. It's about facing the reality that
AI and smartphones have already introduced PDD to your church.
Below are three truths you cannot ignore:- AI and smartphones are here to stay
- AI and smartphones have created digital environments that exploit deficits in purpose
- 92% of believers do not have a heart for transformation because of deficits in purpose
You have a right to ignore the truths listed above. However, doing so will cause you to miss one of the most important ministry obligations in the age of AI and smartphone technology.
As ministers of the gospel, we are
obligated to make sure believers preserve their Authority to Grow™.
AI has been a subject of conversations and movies for years, but it didn't become a consumer tool until around November 2022.
Prior to launching the Purpose Development Institute (PDI), I programmed robots in the manufacturing industry. Now the same technology that fueled the robot takeover in manufacturing is being used in smartphone technology.
Seeing the writing on the wall inspired me to coin the term Human Generate Data (HGD) in 2017. It was clear that machines were outgrowing people. Today, HGD is driving Pattern Recognition Technology and social media platforms are pushing voices that's speaking louder than the Bible.
The church has always been called to confront sin, brokenness, and cultural idols. But PDD is a silent epidemic that is eroding discipleship.
PDD is not a medical condition. It's a condition of the soul that doesn’t announce itself in church bulletins or prayer requests.
It shows up in:
- Members scrolling during sermons.
- Families fractured by digital distraction.
- Youth who are influenced more by algorithms than scripture.
What was once just a lack of purpose has become a spiritual health crisis.
Our proprietary Intuitive Growth Performance Assessment (IGPA) exposed how 92% of people lack the heart for self-transformation. This lack of developed human agency is fertile ground for digital environments to exploit.
In spiritual terms, this means:
- Identity (who I am in Christ) gets replaced with online search for identification.
- Integrity (walking upright) gets compromised by hidden scrolling habits.
- Intention (living out God’s will) is hijacked by cultural trends.
- Insight (spiritual discernment) dulls under constant noise.
- Influence (kingdom impact) is outsourced to followers and likes.
- Impact (fruit that remains) becomes shallow, measured by metrics not disciples.
When members scroll on their smartphones, each bullet becomes a data point that's scrutinized by pattern recognition technology to attack the Authority to Grow™.
Most preachers classify attacks as spiritual wickedness in high places. However, the new threat is both spiritual and Cyber. Members normally communicate what kind of attack they are experiencing, but Cyber attacks are all around you.
The next time you see someone scrolling on their smartphone in public, think about the hidden Attack Zone™. This is the behavioral environment where Purpose Deficit Disorder (PDD) exploits undeveloped human agency, turning purposeless habits into profit for digital systems.
Look at it this way. Your members spend more time selling their soul to the AI-ecosystem than they do in church.
We’ve entered a time where pastors are competing with pattern recognition technology. If sermons fail to show strength in the Attack Zone™, social media platforms will rob members of value that should be dedicated to God.
- Instagram feeds appetite for validation.
- TikTok disciples attention into 30-second soundbites.
- Facebook replaces fellowship with echo chambers.
- YouTube offers endless sermons but no accountability to obedience.
Without intervention, PDD will keep
draining the Authority to Grow™ from your members.
For the first time in the history of preaching the gospel, preachers must know the strength of their sermons in the Attack Zone™. Remember, there's a price to pay for being in the Attack Zone.
CLICK HERE to explore how your church can be on the cutting-edge of minimizing Cyber Attacks on the Soul.
