Date of Publication

7-31-2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Communication Major in Applied Media Studies

Subject Categories

Mass Communication

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Communication

Thesis Advisor

Miguel Q. Rapatan

Defense Panel Chair

Jan Michael Alexandre C. Bernadas

Defense Panel Member

Anne Frances N. Sangil
Fides A. del Castillo

Abstract (English)

This study examines how discipleship relationships are established, maintained, and negotiated in a digital environment, through a case study of Skypleship, the online discipleship program of Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF), a Philippine evangelical megachurch. As religious life moves onto networked platforms, discipleship, the sustained process by which believers are formed, has received less attention than online worship or evangelism. Guided by Heidi Campbell's theory of networked religion and anchored in Filipino scholarship through Agnes Brazal and Jayeel Cornelio, the study uses qualitative digital ethnography of eight observed sessions and semi-structured interviews with twelve leaders and members, analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that Skypleship exhibits all five characteristics of networked religion and brings into view a sixth, which the study names relational pacing: the tempo at which a person is drawn into, disclosed within, and made responsible for a discipleship relationship. Relational pacing unfolds through three movements: the tempo of entry, disclosure, and responsibility, the last being the slowest because leadership is the fullest exposure of the self to the group. These tempos are set by three forces: CCF's cultural script, in which hiya and kapwa make graded entry a form of decency; its replicable organizational architecture, which scaffolds members toward leadership; and the uneven digital infrastructure, which conditions who participates and for how long. Naming relational pacing as a characteristic that interacts with the other five, the study contributes a temporal dimension to networked religion and a culturally grounded account of digital discipleship in the Philippines. Keywords: Relational Pacing, Digital Discipleship, Networked Religion, Digital Ethnography, Philippines

Abstract Format

html

Abstract (Filipino)

n/a

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Christian life; Digital ethnology

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Embargo Period

8-11-2026

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