‘God Planted the Seed’: TikTok Star Talks About ‘Divine’ Israel Docuseries to Reach Gen Z

TikTok star Allie Schnacky — one of the influencers at the center of a new social media docuseries about Israel — is calling her recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land a product of “divine intervention.”

Schnacky, 23, recently told CBN’s Faithwire it had been a longtime dream of hers to go to Israel. But after years of failed attempts to travel there, it wasn’t until 2023 the trip actually materialized. Now, she said, she can see the Lord’s providence in orchestrating the timing.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast

The opportunity came after Bishop Robert Stearns of Eagles’ Wings, an organization dedicated to advancing peace and stability in Jerusalem, visited the Schnackys’ church and connected them with SoulShop Studios CEO Dan Luxenberg, who wanted to film a social media-driven documentary, “Walking the Word,” about Israel.

“I remember getting on the first phone call with Dan … and we started a ton of different meetings just brainstorming about how do we tell the world and, more specifically, our generation about what is going on over there,” Schnacky said, noting there was “nothing that reached the need of our generation” online.

“So when we connected with Dan and he thought about this series where we could go over there and find new archeological finds or be standing in the place that these biblical stories happened, it was the most incredible opportunity of my entire life and I am so, so, so excited for this series to come out,” she continued, “because it fills that need for the first time ever.”

At the center of both Luxenberg’s and the Schnackys’ motivation for the docuseries was a desire to be wise stewards of the platforms they have developed. Schnacky, for example, has four million TikTok followers.

Luxenberg said his hope is this new series about the Holy Land — all built around social media stars — will reach a younger generation in ways traditional documentaries and interviews about Israel might not.

“I’m so happy for that one kid who’s on YouTube and TikTok and Instagram who’s gonna search something about Israel and not be so bored but be inspired, laugh, cry, continue to be immersed in the Schnacky world and feel a deeper connection,” he explained. “So when they open their Bible, it’s not this faraway, distant land of Israel, but it’s somewhere you can literally go online and book a flight.”

Scripture calls on believers to be wise with what they have been given.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

– 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

Schnacky said she and her family have made it a purpose to use their platforms to reach people with the Gospel.

“Anything that does not have eternal value is pointless to us,” she said. “We can’t bring anything with us when we die; the only thing that we leave is the legacy that God has given our family of who are we bringing to heaven with us. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Everything, too, that we’ve built in our own strength, we’ve seen crumble,” Schnacky continued. “I’ve tried to do it myself. I’ve tried to do things in my own strength. You look at all of these stars across the world who try to do things in their own strength and cannot stand. Jesus, God, that is the only foundation that you can actually build things on to last — not just in this life, but for the live that outlasts it. That’s what really motivates us to really root [what we do] in something bigger. We want something that’s gonna make an impact.”

The docuseries, “Walking the Word,” will debut Sept. 6-10 on the Schnackys’ social media pages.