Brenton Balvin posts this thought on his blog:

I am a high tech kind of guy. I love blogging, emailing and podcasting. Its probably why I like Mark Batterson’s digital discipleship concept so much. But the downside of loving high tech is that it pulls me away from being high touch. I have a tendency to email instead of call, blog instead of converse.

High touch (which should read ‘high face-to-face relationship’) stretches me, but it is what I am called to do. I am a pastor of the QCC community, which makes me some sort of a shepherd of people, people who need to feel known, loved, celebrated, and served. Emailing and blogging are not enough. They are wonderful supplements and they can help people grow, but they are not stand alone elements of becoming more like Christ. They must be ‘linked’ to community and relationship.

That’s the one problem I see with blogs, podcasts and more. They can’t replace the relationships. It’s easy to feel close and productive online, when the truth is we need to get out and talk to someone. Life change happens through relationships. From learning, laughing and living together.

But it’s easily overcome with intentionality and balance. When Christians (both church leaders and people whose ministries are their jobs) can combine ‘digital discipleship’ with real relationships, it can be a powerful combination.