The digital revolution and the rise of social media have proliferated hundreds of thousands of subgroups or tribes, each with its own distinctive characteristics and culture.
Seth Godin, in his book Tribes, defines these groups as “people connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.”1
He goes on to dispel the myth that leadership of these subgroups requires a formal position, authority, or charisma. Instead, he argues that it is now easier than ever to “find your people” and lead them where you want them to go. This mindset has profound implications for pioneering leaders who are willing to step out and reach new groups of people with the gospel.
Nerd Culture Missionary
Bubba is a self-described nerd culture missionary. Five years ago, God called him to launch a ministry called Love Thy Nerd. He uses thoughtful content to engage nerd culture and builds bridges through articles, podcasts, and blogs. His articles range from nostalgic posts like “10 Fan Favorite WrestleMania Matches” to deeper topics like “Guardians of the Galaxy: The Damage of Grief and Trauma.”
Bubba and his team are also reaching nerds through in-person events and online platforms like Discord, Twitch, X, Tik-Tok, and other social channels. Playing games, watching movies, and discussing the latest comics provide the relational connection for discipleship. Nerds often feel uncomfortable and marginalized in the established church, and Love Thy Nerd is finding new ways to reach them with the gospel.
Bubba has found his tribe.
Salt-Water Surfer
Ryan grew up on the beaches of Orange County, California, surfing waves, drinking coffee, and hanging out with friends. He was serving on staff at a large church when God prompted him with an idea, “What would it look like to launch a ministry that intentionally reached surfers?” A few months later, Ryan started OCNWTR to reach the salt-water culture of surfing, provide clean water to the underprivileged, and then offer the living water of Jesus to his friends and neighbors.
Today, OCNWTR is a growing network of 47 local churches that meet in locations like Sur Coffee, Fight Strong MMA, and Los Molinos Brewery. The pastors in each of the churches are co-vocational, and all the funding for water filtration systems comes from corporate sponsors. The ministry is also engaged in seven countries and has currently produced more than 75,000 liters of clean water through three water projects in California, El Salvador, and Indonesia.
Ryan has found his tribe.
Nomadic Wanderer
God called Shane to take a radical step of faith and obedience. He stepped down from leadership at a local ministry, sold his spacious home along with most of his possessions, and bought a 400-square-foot fifth wheel to travel the country. God called Shane and his family to reach the RV community, a group of people who self-identify as nomads.
The growth of the RV community is astounding, nearly doubling every year for the last few years. With rising home prices and interest rates, more families are exploring the idea of a small and mobile lifestyle. Shane travels most of the year, mobilizing chapter leaders at RV sites around the country. In the first year of their ministry, Shane and his family visited 20 campgrounds, ministered to more than 500 people, and established nine committed chapters of what is now called the Gathering of Nomads.
Shane has found his tribe.
What about you? Who is your tribe?
Examples of Tribal Affiliations
In his book Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes2, Mark J. Penn describes patterns and shifts in behavior, preferences, and attitudes among a relatively small segment of the population that often ripple through society and culture. A quick search on ChatGPT netted hundreds of growing tribal affiliations, some stranger than others. Here is a small sample:
- Urban Explorers – A tribe that explores and documents abandoned man-made structures such as buildings, tunnels, and factories, often photographing their findings.
- Esports Fans – A tribe that follows online professional gamers and esports, a 1.5-billion-dollar global market with new arenas being built in Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Cryptocurrency Enthusiasts – A tribe that invests in or uses cryptocurrencies, reflecting the growing interest in decentralized finance and blockchain technology
- Millennial Minimalists – A tribe of Millennials who intentionally adopt a minimalist lifestyle and downwardly mobile life to reduce stress and environmental impact.
- Furries – A tribe interested in anthropomorphic animals, often dressing up in animal costumes and creating animal personas while emphasizing creativity, inclusivity, and expression.
- Pet Parents – A tribe that treats their pets like children, spending a large portion of their income on pet care, products, services, and diet.
- Otherkin – A tribe that believes they are spiritually or metaphysically connected to a non-human entity, such as an animal, mythical creature, or inanimate object.
- Preppers – A tribe that actively prepares for emergencies, disasters, or societal collapse and often stockpiles supplies such as food, water, and medicine.
- Steampunk Enthusiasts – A tribe that is inspired by the aesthetics and technology of the 19th century Victorian era, mixed with elements of science fiction and fantasy.
- Extreme Commuters – A tribe of nearly 4.6 million people in the United States who travel at least 90 minutes to work one way.
- Virtual Reality (VR) Enthusiasts – A tribe that engages with VR technology for gaming, social interaction, and even professional training.
- Freegans – A tribe that employs alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.
- Moderate Muslims – A tribe that practices a moderate form of Islam and advocates for integration, modernity, and inclusivity.
- LARPers – A tribe that participates in live-action role-playing (LARP) games and acts out characters and scenarios by dressing in elaborate costumes, creating detailed character backstories, and engaging in immersive storytelling and combat.
- Gig Economy Workers – A tribe that works freelance or short-term jobs rather than traditional full-time employment, facilitated by platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Fiverr.
Who is Your Tribe?
Who are the tribes of people God is calling you to reach? While most of you are probably not going to reach Steampunk Enthusiasts or Furries with the gospel, the best place to look for unreached tribes is wherever you work, live, play, and eat.
I recently interviewed dozens of pioneer leaders for a research project and found that incarnational ministry was a hallmark of effectiveness. When asked, “How do you feel uniquely equipped to reach this group of people?” the most popular answers were, “I identify with these people,” or “I am one of them.”
One pioneer who reaches a tribe of workers at Disney World called cast members wrote, “I’m a cast member and work on the inside. Nothing else equips me better than this.”
Where has God placed you? What potential do you have to influence the tribes around you? Those tribes might be a specific geographic group of people. Perhaps God is calling you to reach your neighborhood, apartment complex, coffee shop, restaurant, nail salon, local park, athletic club, or fitness facility. It might also be that God is calling you to a specific demographic. Perhaps God is calling you to minister to dancers, bikers, construction workers, code writers, single mothers, athletes, or a host of other groups.
When speaking of pioneering something new, Godin writes, “The easiest thing to do is to react. The second easiest is to respond. But the hardest thing is to initiate.”3
Effective pioneer leaders take action and find innovative ways to reach new groups of people with the gospel.
Bubba, Ryan, and Shane were each invited to participate in our annual Shark Tank event through Next Ventures. Next Ventures is a program of Exponential Next that seeks to foster innovation by making a significant Kingdom investment in ministry practitioners committed to shaping what’s next for the future church. If you have an innovative ministry you would like to share, please let us know.
Notes
- Godin, Seth. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. Portfolio, New York, NY, 2008, p.1.
- Penn, Mark J., and E. Kinney Zalesne. Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes. Twelve, New York, NY, 2007.
- Godin, p.86.
