From Church to Movement: The Silent Rise of Mobile Fellowships and The Crisis of Spiritual Formation

Adeyemi I. Bello

doi:10.56201/ijrcp.vol.11.no4.2026.pg86.90

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From Church to Movement: The Silent Rise of Mobile Fellowships and The Crisis of Spiritual Formation

Adeyemi I. Bello

Abstract

There has been a silent but significant shift in ministry practice and organization in recent years. This is typically among young ministers as they glide from traditional church structures to ministry models organized as "movements." These movements operate as fellowships that meet at intervals in different locations, usually on a region-by-region basis, with little institutional structure. They often leverage social media to reach scattered audiences across locations. While this ministry model comes with flexibility and relevance, especially with the younger generation, this paper argues that if the trend becomes the new normal, the spiritual formation of young Christians and the biblical concept of the church as a spiritual family may suffer. Drawing on biblical theology, ecclesiology, discipleship, and digital religion, this paper examines the rise of such a ministry model, assesses its impact on spiritual formation and community, and suggests ways to regain rootedness without rejecting missional mobility.

Keywords

ChurchSpiritual formationEcclesiologyDigital religionMovementDiscipleshipMinisterReligionYoung adults

References

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From Church to Movement: The Silent Rise of Mobile Fellowships and The Crisis of Spiritual Formation

Abstract

Keywords

References

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