Listen to this article:
"If we knew there was a mission field made up of almost 50% of the world population, why *wouldn't* we be doing all that we can to reach them?"
In a world where digital landscapes are as populous as physical towns, there's a stirring—a call that resonates through pixels and across broadband connections. Over the course of three warm November days in Marble Falls, Texas, nearly 100 nerds of various backgrounds, denominations, and countries of origin met at First Baptist Marble Falls to learn how to share the loving embrace of Jesus with other nerds.
I was one of those nerds. I am hot off the heels of the first (as far as I know) Nerd Culture Ministry Summit. It was hosted by Love Thy Nerd, a nerd culture ministry with a focus on bringing together various ministries, Lux Digital Church, an all-digital church plant on Twitch, and a myriad of well-known sponsors, including Gloo, the brand behind the He Gets Us ads from the Super Bowl.
Day One Recap:
Day one set the stage with Matt “Souzy” Souza’s opening keynote, which housed a clarion call to digital and nerd-focused ministry. He broke down the basics of “why we should do digital ministry.” He appealed to the common sense argument that the digital space is and should be seen as a mission field.
Souzy’s arguments were then continued boldly by the first breakout speaker Kiran “Skar” Skariah, hailing from Australia, who exemplified the global reach of this new era of ministry, transcending physical borders and cultural barriers.
Once the opening keynote and breakouts wrapped, the afternoon brought about a panel of speakers from throughout the event. Hosted by Mark Lutz, the Pastor of Lux Digital Church, this panel featured a diverse lineup: Amanda Souza from God Squad Church, MammaLlamaFace from Twitch, Kiran Skariah, and Johno, an eSport-focused streamer and community builder. They explored the nuances of nurturing digital congregations, fostering communities, and innovating ministry within virtual realms.
Following the panel, the breakouts continued, with the second one of the day being led by Mark Lutz. He shared his insights into church planting in the digital mission field, something very close to my own heart. As he spoke of his joys and frustrations, I found his words were a balm, affirming the shared trials and triumphs encountered in pioneering this sacred digital space.
While a typical Love Thy Nerd event is filled with gaming into the night, this event happened to fall on the same night of the week where Lux Digital Church usually streams, so they invited all those present to join in on the recording. This evening service showcased the paradox of modern worship: a congregation sharing the same space while primarily interacting through digital chat.
I also found myself humbled by the display of the dichotomy between Lux's extensive resources and my digital church’s one-person-led adventure. Their crew and suite of equipment made me thankful I only had one bright red record button to worry about in my context.
Day Two Recap:
The second day kicked off with Mike Erre of the Voxology podcast, who delivered an unexpected yet poignant message emphasizing love and grace. As a proud Methodist, I was glad to hear some grace offered in the space, but especially with such fervor.
As on the first day, the group then broke into breakouts, beginning with PlainJoe Studios presenting on the power of storytelling in ministry while highlighting their work with major brands like Disney. This session was arguably one of the most practical, with the company providing examples of how to make your community on par with major brands.
Then we got to hear a keynote from our other host and CEO of Love Thy Nerd, Bubba Stallcup. He introduced the innovative convention-based ministry that they are performing so well, going into detail about how to perform the job so well that it builds relationships just through proclivity. Alongside his story, he also broke down a tangible process by which discipleship could be done in nerd spaces by building trust first and foremost.
The day wrapped with another breakout and serious highlight for this major nerd when Magnus Lehmann, a venerated figure from RIOT Games, shared his vision of infusing faith into the gaming world, aspiring to unite game developers under a banner of shared belief. Lehmann has had a direct impact on the creative vision for the world’s largest eSport game, League of Legends, for over a decade. His mark on the game industry is known, and hearing his faith story was encouraging.
Day Three Recap:
On the final day, I had to fly out to another event, but I was able to catch the recorded videos. During these sessions, Jaclyn S. Parrish of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Steve Valdez of Savepoint Ministry challenged us to leverage our passions for the divine mission. Their calls to action implored us to welcome change and apply our newfound knowledge for a transformative impact when we depart from the event to return to our normal lives.
A Call to Action for the United Methodist Church
The summit was a testament to the power of unity in diversity. Networking with industry leaders, we learned that while our paths are different, our destination is the same: to innovate ministry in ways that resonate with a digital generation. This brings me to a call to action for the denomination that I lovingly call my home.
The time for debate has passed; the digital church is a tangible reality. The United Methodist Church must now amplify the voices leading this revolution, ensuring that future generations continue to find faith in the digital frontier. While I am appreciative and thankful for opportunities like the Nerd Culture Ministry Summit, it should behoove the denomination that boldly declares its Connexion to be leading this way, not trailing behind the networked reality of the Internet.
We need to be hosting at least one, if not many, digital ministry-focused conferences exactly like this one. Nerd ministry is also my personal bias, but even a broader focus on digital ministry should be paramount to our future.
If connectivity is our strength, let us wield it with wisdom and courage.
Nathan Webb is a major nerd in just about every way. He loves video games, anime, cartoons, comic books, tech, and his fellow nerds. Hoping to provide a spiritual community for people with similar interests, he founded Checkpoint Church--"the church for nerds, geeks and gamers." Nathan can be found lurking on some visual novel subreddit, reading the latest shōnen entry, or playing the newest Farm Sim. Nathan is an ordained provisional elder in the United Methodist Church in the Western North Carolina Conference. He hosts a weekly newsletter podcast: To The Point.
