Podcast episode
Episode 369 – If Gen Z Won’t Come to Church, Meet Them Online Instead | Sean Dunn
Host Justin Forman sits down with Sean Dunn, CEO and founder of GroundWire, for a conversation that reframes how entrepreneurs think about ministry, marketing, and mission. Sean has spent decades as an evangelist, speaker, and author — but in 2017, he made a radical pivot: going 100% digital to reach the generation that has stopped walking through church doors. The result? Over 2 million people raised their hand to receive Christ in 2025 alone, at a cost of just $2.30 per commitment.
EPISODE NOTES
What if you could reach someone for Christ for $2.30 — and watch that number keep dropping? Sean Dunn, CEO and founder of GroundWire, built a digital evangelism machine that reached over 2 million people with the Gospel in 2025. His secret? Stop asking people to come. Go to them.
Sean shares how GroundWire uses data-driven interruption marketing — short-form video, targeted URLs like JesusCares.com and IFeelBroken.com, and real-time dashboards — to meet a digitally addicted generation in their brokenness. From a $6.51 cost per commitment in 2023 to $2.30 in 2025, the numbers tell a story that even skeptical investors had to believe.
Justin and Sean unpack the entrepreneurial mindset behind ministry innovation: why spirit-led must also be data-informed, how businesses can partner with GroundWire to “champion a day,” and what the next frontier looks like when 13% disciple retention becomes 36% in a single year.
Chapters:
00:00 The message has to be in the URL
01:09 GroundWire origin story video
02:13 Called to ministry at 14 — but assumed the wrong model
04:14 The pivot: Stop saying “come,” start going to them
05:23 The five-fold digital strategy explained
06:17 Meta, Instagram, TikTok, anime — meeting them in their feed
07:16 Discord, online community, and connecting new believers
07:56 2 million professions of faith in 2025
09:01 From 13% to 36% follow-through in one year
09:48 Blue Trust and corporate giving partnerships
10:17 The urgency: A window that is closing every day
11:19 Sean the entrepreneur — copying vs. being Spirit-dependent
13:48 The first iteration is never the best iteration
14:13 We’ve got to stop saying “come” — meet them in brokenness
15:53 What does digital interruption actually look like?
16:26 Targeting those showing signs of depression and isolation
17:25 The customer journey: Different URLs for different pain points
17:54 JesusCares.com, WhenLifeHurts.com, and geographic iteration
19:15 INeeda Win.com — sports-space evangelism launch
19:55 Spirit-led and data-informed: A new horizon for ministry
20:32 When your innovation becomes your rut
21:34 Measurement gives credibility — a financial planner’s challenge
22:06 Validated metrics and the sophistication of Kingdom investors
24:04 Driving costs down: Better than linear ROI
25:08 $6.51 → $4.08 → $2.30 per profession of faith
26:19 Ways for businesses to get involved — Champion a Day
26:57 Partnering tangibly: Watch souls come to Christ in real time
28:32 The next challenge: From decision to discipleship community
29:01 21-day challenges, three-day modules, and what’s next
31:13 Motivation vs. access: The framework for disciple-making
32:39 Core value — celebrate, but never satisfied
33:03 Collaborative giving at solving.org
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