EP265: DJ Soto and Churches Inside Video Games
Through The Church Digital Podcast’s Season 4: Jesus, Gamers & Church,
we have been exploring how engaging in gaming and nerd culture digitally allows us a huge missional reach. We’ve talked mostly about Twitch being the avenue that we engage in, which is cool. But, to effectively reach gamers, what if we actually did “church” in video games.
Novel concept, but that’s exactly what DJ Soto and VR MMO Church are doing.
As lead pastor of VR Church, DJ saw a huge opportunity to reach people via virtual reality back in 2016. DJ and VR Church is taking that same pioneering, innovative spirit by planting churches inside video games like “Rust” or “Final Fantasy”!
What does church look like inside a video game?
Let’s talk with DJ, as well as Pastor Koko (who pastors the Final Fantasy campus) and discover what church, and discipleship, look like inside video games!
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ON THE SHOW
Host: Jeff Reed
THECHURCH.DIGITAL
& DigitalChurch.Network
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Guest: DJ Soto
Bishop of Virtual Reality Church
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TikTok
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ABOUT DJ SOTO
Believing that faith is renewed as people engage with the good news of God’s love on new technology platforms, D.J. Soto began preaching in the metaverse in 2016. Originally thinking they would plant physical churches, they soon realized a new vision to plant churches in the metaverse. He is now the Bishop of Virtual Reality Church and MMO Church, which are futuristic church expressions that is intended to be radically inclusive and consistent with Christianity’s long history of adapting to new forms of media.
ABOUT ALEATHA SINGLETON
Koko (aka Aleatha Singleton) is an elder pastor at VR MMO Church, and pastor of MMO Church in Final Fantasy 14 hailing from Southeast Texas. She’s also an author, teacher and consultant for VR shops and teams, and mentors UX professionals, in order to enable them to create more compelling and user-friendly immersive experiences for their clients. In her free time, she likes to play video games, design and build furniture, and study the Japanese language.
RESOURCES
- Download or Buy Jeff's Book, VR & the Metaverse Church - http://thechurch.digital/vrbook
- Download or Buy Jeff's and Dr. John Harris' book: Sharing Jesus Online - http://SharingJesusOnline.com
- Give to Digital Church Network - http://digitalchurch.network/give
- Digital Church Network Community - https://digitalchurch.network/joinfam
- Best Evangelism Opportunity the American Church - http://thechurch.digital/hegetsus
- Exponential Conference - http://exponential.org
- Digital Church Network Leadership Opportunities - http://digitalchurch.network/events
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Love you all! Praying for your Churches and your Ministry Online.
Jeff Reed
THECHURCH.DIGITAL
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