In September 2025, Apostle Emmanuel Iren made a post on social media hinting on his coming song, “Anointed” featuring Pastor Godswill Oyor. The post was a photo of Pastey, as he is popularly called, with oil dripping from his head down his body.
Apostle Iren made the post only in anticipation of the music released. It was in such innocence because was not originally intended to be a trend as he later shared in another post. But there was more. Followers already picked in on it and reverse-engineered a prompt that would change the whole story and help them recreate the same photos.
It sparked conversations on X (formerly called Twitter),
Pastor Daniel Olawande and the New Army
Now in October, Pastor Daniel Olawande
Beyond the Trends
As we analyze beyond the trends, one question is - what exactly is the Spirit saying?
When the sacred meets the algorithm: spiritual virality in 2025
It started with oil dripping. A crown. A hashtag. A song.
In October 2025, when Apostle Emmanuel Iren released his single “Anointed” (featuring Godswill Oyor) on 10/10, something clicked.
Prior to the drop, believers (and yes, some fans) started posting photos of themselves with oil pouring down from the crown of their heads to their feet. The “Anointed Challenge.”
This isn’t just a gospel song release. It’s a culturally-engineered moment: the intersection of worship, visual social media, AI-enabled trend-creation and spiritual identity.
And other ministers are riding the wave. From Dunsin Oyekan to P Daniel, the motif is clear: leverage AI, prompts, hashtags, social media rituals to awaken spiritual identity while promoting the gospel in a digital age.
The question: What does this mean for the Church, for believers, for culture?
What’s the mechanics behind this new kind of trend?
There's honestly not much
1. Prompting the algorithm
Instead of making random posts, using prompts (AI-driven creative tools such as Gemini AI and others) + aesthetic visuals + trending date formats (10/10, etc.) to seed virality.
Imagine: “Oil on head to feet”, crown drip, share with #Anointed. Social media picks it up. The feed becomes a worship collage.
2. Spiritual identity meets social identity
The message: “You are anointed. You carry oil. You are chosen.” That’s a powerful identity for young believers who also scroll TikTok, Instagram and X. The visuals matter. The movement becomes participatory.
For example: The “Anointed Challenge” got people posting bold visuals of oil and crown.
3. AI + creativity + spiritual narrative
AI tools reduce the cost of creating sleek visuals, social prompts, even interactive bots or content pieces. Pastors can imagine a campaign built around a worship release, then deploy multimedia via AI tools.
4. God + brand + movement
We live in a time when everything is branded, streamed, shared. Churches and ministers are recognising that spiritual power needs to show up in the feed. So these trends, hashtags and challenges are visual metaphors.
There’s risk, sure—does the symbol overshadow the substance? But there’s also opportunity: to mobilise a generation.
Why it’s resonating (and why it matters)
• Visual culture: Young Africans—especially Nigerian youth—eat visuals, memes, trends. When your gospel fits into this ecosystem, engagement rises. The “crown with oil” visual is instantly scroll-stop.
• Sense of belonging & ritual: In a time of spiritual hunger, these campaigns create micro-rituals everyone can join: post the oil-drip photo, tag your friends, join the wave. You’re not just a listener; you’re a participant.
• Amplification of message: When a trend goes viral, your ministry message goes global. What might have been confined to the church building now lives in hashtags, feeds, stories.
The theology of this trend: anointed, oil, digital church
Let’s unpack the language:
• Anointed: Biblically, being anointed means set apart, empowered by God’s Spirit. In the campaign, it means “you carry power, purpose”.
• Oil: In scripture, oil often symbolises the Holy Spirit (see Isaiah 61:1, “the oil of gladness”), healing, sanctification. In the “challenge”, the visual-oil becomes a metaphor for divine empowerment.
• Digital participation: The believer isn’t passive. They post. They tag. They underscore their identity. The online feed becomes altar, the hashtag becomes declaration.
• AI as tool, not replacement: These ministries aren’t replacing the Spirit with AI. Rather—they’re using AI to amplify the message of the Spirit. It’s tool-utilisation, not substitution.
Risks & considerations (because we keep it honest)
• Surface over substance: When your worship moment doubles as a marketing moment, the risk is shallow engagement. The oil drips, the photo posts—then what? Are hearts transformed?
• Trend fatigue: Social media loves novelty. If every campaign tries to “go viral”, authenticity might suffer.
• Digital exclusion: Some believers may not have access to high-end visuals or AI tools. The risk is creating a divide: high-tech ministries vs grassroots.
• Theology meets hype: We must ask: Does the medium enhance or distort the message? Is the anointing merely symbolic or experienced? The church must guard the substance.
How churches & ministries can wisely engage this trend
1. Start with a strong spiritual foundation: Your campaign must flow out of gospel truth, not just a marketing calendar. Ask: What spiritual identity are we declaring?
2. Use AI/tech as amplifier: Explore AI-driven visuals, content generation, interactive chat prompts—but always tie back to a real-life community (services, prayer groups, discipleship).
3. Create participatory moments: Encourage members to post, tag, share—but pair that with offline reflection: the story behind the oil, the purpose behind the identity.
4. Measure deeper engagement: Not just likes/shares, but small-group participation, spiritual growth, testimonies.
5. Be inclusive: Don’t let tech become a barrier. Offer low-tech options for participation: phone-photos, offline campaigns, community printing.
6. Embed follow-through: A campaign is great for launch, but what happens post-trend? Build the next step: discipleship, service, outreach.
Looking ahead: what this means for social trends & the Church
We’re seeing a pattern: the Church is no longer content being behind the screen—it’s on the screen, shaping trends. The convergence of spirituality + AI + social media means:
• Digital worship experiences will evolve.
• Churches will increasingly think like creative agencies + spiritual communities.
• Believers will expect more than sermons—they’ll expect immersive spiritual-digital experiences.
• Social movements will emerge at the intersection of faith and tech (hashtag worship, AI-prompted devotionals, virtual anointing visuals).
In short: the Kingdom is going digital, but the call remains analog—meet people, minister to hearts, engage communities. The tech is an amplifier, not the core.
Conclusion
So yes—I believe we’re witnessing a shift. When Apostle Emmanuel Iren drops Anointed on 10/10 and kicks off the “oil-on-head” challenge, that’s not just a song release: it’s a cultural moment. When other ministers follow suit (theme campaigns, AI visuals, hashtag-driven identity work), we see the Church stepping into the platform economy of faith.
Yet, at its heart remains the unchanging truth: you are anointed by God. The oil still flows. The Spirit still empowers. The feed is new—but the message is old (but always fresh).
The key? Use AI, use social media, use trends—but don’t become a trend. Let the trend serve the gospel, not replace it.
Picture this: Apostle Emmanuel Iren drops a new song called Anointed on 10/10, and suddenly, your Instagram feed is full of glowing crowns, golden oil dripping down foreheads, and captions like “I am the anointed of the Lord.”
You scroll again. P Daniel is announcing New Army—the 2025 Youth and Young Ministers Retreat (YMR) theme—and his team has turned an AI prompt into a full-blown revival campaign. Dunsin Oyekan’s team? They’re dropping digital teasers that look straight out of Midjourney’s dreamscape, captioned with scriptures that feel like prophecy.
You blink twice and realize something huge is happening: pastors, ministers, and ministries are now trendsetters in the algorithm economy.
And the secret sauce? A little bit of AI magic, a lot of Holy Ghost fire.
Welcome to 2025—the year spirituality met artificial intelligence and decided to trend together.
The New Gospel Strategy: Prompt, Pray, Post, Repeat
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when faith meets the feed, here it is.
Churches and Christian creatives are now blending Gemini AI, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and even Canva’s Magic Studio into their ministry work. What used to be “graphic design for Sunday flyers” has evolved into full-blown AI-assisted revival strategy.
Take Apostle Emmanuel Iren’s #Anointed campaign for example. Before the song even dropped, fans and church members began posting visuals of oil pouring from the crown of their heads—images clearly generated with prompts like “realistic oil pouring from heaven onto a believer’s head, cinematic lighting.”
The result? A trend that looked powerful, prophetic, and perfectly Instagrammable.
When the Church Learned to Speak Algorithm
Let’s be real. A lot of Christians used to believe “AI” meant “Anti-Christ Intelligence.”
But in 2025, pastors are flipping that narrative.
They’re proving that AI isn’t evil—it’s just a tool. The same way the printing press spread the Bible, or the radio carried sermons across continents, AI is now amplifying the message of faith.
Except this time, it’s remixing the entire look and feel of what revival looks like.
The caption game is sharper. The visuals are divine. The hashtags are prophetic.
Case Study 1: The “#Anointed” Wave — Apostle Emmanuel Iren and the Viral Oil
When Apostle Iren dropped Anointed on October 10, it wasn’t just a song—it was a strategy.
Everything was intentional. The release date (10/10). The symbolism (perfection, double portion). The campaign hashtag (#Anointed).
Then came the twist: people started posting AI-generated visuals of themselves anointed.
Gemini AI and ChatGPT prompts flew across church group chats:
“Create a hyper-realistic portrait of a young believer with oil dripping from the crown of their head, glowing light above them, serene background.”
Suddenly, the feed looked like a digital altar call. Every post screamed “I carry the oil!”
The brilliance? It wasn’t just marketing. It was ministry.
It made people see themselves as anointed. The same way a worship experience makes you feel something—this visual revival made you declare something.
That’s what made it powerful.
Case Study 2: P. Daniel’s “New Army” — Prophetic Strategy Meets Prompt Engineering
If you’ve followed P. Daniel’s YMR (Young Ministers Retreat), you know the energy—vibrant, prophetic, fiery.
Now imagine that same energy, but on AI steroids.
For YMR 2025, the theme New Army dropped with futuristic visuals, battle armor aesthetics, and ethereal light—clearly built from prompts like:
“Heavenly army marching with divine fire, glowing swords, and angelic presence, cinematic art.”
Gemini AI helped the creative team turn prophecy into pictures. The “New Army” wasn’t just a spiritual metaphor anymore—it was a movement with visuals, hashtags, and AI-fueled hype.
And you know what? It worked.
Thousands reposted. Hundreds joined the pre-camp prayers. The awareness grew faster than any paid campaign could’ve achieved.
Case Study 3: Dunsin Oyekan
Dunsin Oyekan’s team, too, has entered the chat.
Instead of waiting for album art, they’re experimenting with AI-assisted worship visuals—angelic scenery, floating fire, glowing light over oceans. Each piece looks like the Book of Revelation reimagined by a creative director at Marvel.
In his words during a recent livestream:
“If God gave us creativity, why not use every tool possible to reveal His glory?”
And that’s exactly what’s happening.
It’s no longer just singing about God’s power—it’s showing it in HD.
The Spiritual Engine Behind the Trend
Here’s the deeper layer most people miss: this isn’t just tech-savvy ministry. It’s theology meeting technology.
1. Identity in the Digital Age
Every AI-generated “anointed” picture reminds believers that they carry something divine. In a world obsessed with filters and perfection, this is a new kind of filter—the anointing.
2. Revival as Culture
What used to happen on revival grounds is now happening on timelines. The Holy Spirit still moves; He’s just got better Wi-Fi.
3. Creativity as Worship
When a believer crafts a prompt to visualize a prophetic theme, that act itself becomes worship. It’s the modern-day equivalent of building an altar—except now, your altar is a Midjourney dashboard.
The Blessing and the Burden: AI in the Church Space
Let’s not pretend everything is smooth sailing.
With great creativity comes great confusion.
The Blessing:
• Accessibility: Any church, regardless of budget, can now create stunning visuals for outreach.
• Reach: AI content travels faster than regular flyers ever did.
• Representation: Young Christians see faith represented in modern, trendy ways.
The Burden:
• Superficiality: If we’re not careful, the visuals might overshadow the message.
• Discipleship Gap: A viral post doesn’t equal a transformed life.
• Ethical Boundaries: Using AI to “create” God-like images can raise theological questions if not guided by wisdom.
But maybe that’s the beauty of it: this tension pushes the Church to ask better questions about purpose, balance, and authenticity.
Faith Meets Feed: Why This Moment Matters for Africa
African Christianity has always been creative—dance, art, music, drama.
Now, we’re exporting digital revival. The same continent once labelled “mission field” is now influencing global ministry culture.
These AI-powered gospel movements are proof that Africa is not just consuming trends—we’re creating them.
And for young believers, this is validation.
You can be Spirit-filled and tech-savvy.
You can preach and prompt Gemini.
You can worship and design your way into the world’s heart.
Because in this new era, innovation is intercession.
Meta Description:
Discover how pastors like Apostle Emmanuel Iren, P. Daniel, and Dunsin Oyekan are blending spirituality, artificial intelligence, and the power of God to spark viral movements across social media in 2025.
Social Share Caption:
The Church just broke the algorithm and this time, the Holy Ghost was in the prompt. Read how pastors like Emmanuel Iren and P. Daniel are using AI tools like Gemini to start spiritual trends that shake the Internet. 🔥 #Anointed #NewArmy
Conclusion
The church has broken the algorithm again and it is glaring that the digital landscape of Christianity is evolving. So if you’re a Christian creator, pastor, or digital disciple who is asking “what now?”, here’s your cue: don’t fear the tools. Instead, you should redeem them by
- Starting where you are.
- Playing with prompts.
- Turning your sermons into stories, and
- Turning your revelations into reels.
Because somewhere out there, a soul will meet Jesus through a well-timed post and a Spirit-inspired prompt. The algorithms may change, but the Anointing doesn’t.
From #Anointed to #NewArmy to #WorshipTech, this is what happens when the sacred meets the algorithm.
Post a Comment
Please drop a comment and use the Social Media Buttons below to share to friends and family.