SCIENTOLOGY’S PIVOT TO VIDEO

An aging church seeks out youth online.

- THETAN KIDS Anna Merlan

IF YOU GO ON TikTok looking for information about Scientology, you'll likely encounter a young man named Gunnar Scharf leading impassioned tours of church buildings and holding holy texts aloft.

Scharf has blue eyes, spiky dirty blond hair, a trim black vest, and an abiding passion for explaining just how cool, normal, and approachable his faith really is.

“Inside Scientology,” one video begins, with Scharf leaning against a set of swinging doors. “What do we have that benefits all religions? Come with me.” He leads viewers in, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

Scharf is just one of the young people at dozens of Scientology centers around the world who have begun making social media videos, often using popular songs and trending audio, thirstily presenting a more approachable, amiable, and youthful face for the church. Many of these Instagram and TikTok accounts became especially active in early 2025 and have kept up an intense pace since.

A TikTok account for Scientology's San Francisco chapter offers tours. An account called “Life Improvement Centre” shares TikToks from a mission in London, where youthful staff members brandish copies of the core Scientology text Dianetics to the camera or answer questions while standing near informational displays. In Las Vegas, an account presents two beaming, long-haired women who promote Scientology books with synchronized dances.

A Los Angeles mission offers pop psychology-flavored videos about how Dianetics can support readers through self-discovery, mental health challenges, and even breakups. “Stop stressing, you silly little goose,” one of the mission's posts declares, over a video of three female Scientologists jumping around a kitchen. “Scientology exists. The universe is on your side.”