Last September marked the 15th anniversary of my first blog post on Beneath the Tangles, which in that time developed from a “Christian aniblog” to a full-out “anime ministry.” Over the years, I learned so much about ministering to otaku and other nerds in the digital space—more often than not through my mistakes and errors! I’d like to share 15 of the things I’ve learned—many of which I’m still learning today.
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People Matter More Than Opinions
We nerds love to share our interests—and our opinions about them. But when we nerd out, our passion sometimes becomes more about “winning” than sharing Christ’s love. It takes practice to determine when to go all out and when to pull back, when to share and when to listen.
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Don’t Forget the Sabbath
Until recently, I told myself that taking the Sabbath didn’t apply to my ministry—this wasn’t really “work” after all, right? But after being convicted by a sermon, I started to do a weekly ministry Sabbath. No surprise—following what God has instituted was best for me and the ministry. Stepping away once a week left me refreshed and energized for the week ahead, and had a profound additional impact—it increased the quality of the time I spent with family and friends.
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Ministry is a Sacrifice
I used to think that if you hit that sweet spot, when your gifts, audience, interests, and skills all aligned, ministry would be as fun as it is effective. While nerd ministry often is great fun, it isn’t always—in fact, it shouldn’t always be. It’ll sometimes be challenging. It’ll sometimes even hurt. But after all, love is sometimes hard.
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Build a Party
There’s so much truth to glean from the party analogy, including this: You can’t go on this adventure alone. In fact, you may need several parties, and they may change over time. Our ministry is all-volunteer, so I absolutely rely on dozens of adventurers that join me in our “guild.” But a party might also be financial backers, prayer partners, a small group, or a core leadership team. Find your support.
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Find Something to Love
I’ll admit it—I don’t watch as much anime as I used to. But I try to at least read a light novel, watch a fantasy series, or play through a game several times a week. It keeps me connected to the fandom—and gives me energy, too.
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Ministry Takes Time
Many of the friendships I’ve built in ministry are now 5, 10, or even 15 years old. Some of those people have come to Christ or deepened their faith, but others seem as far away from Jesus as ever. That’s okay. Relationships take time—years even. If we love our friends, we’ll stick with them and pray and hope that God is working. The goal is love them as Jesus loves them for as long as they’re in our lives.
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Ministry is Momentary
On the other hand, some people are with us for a quick minute, never to be seen again. But your time is not wasted on them either—who knows how your comment, message, or stream will impact that person? We are often a dot on someone’s timeline of faith—but that dot could be a turning point. Make your time with them count.
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No Salvation? No Problem.
During a conversation a few years ago, a friend and the leader of a large, vibrant nerd culture ministry noted that he couldn’t necessarily point to even one person coming to faith through their work, but that didn’t mean they weren’t being faithful, nor that they weren’t having results—they just weren’t easily quantifiable. Indeed, we can believe that the Holy Spirit is working; our job is to be faithful in whatever we do. Our ministries might not be the ones that bring people home; but God is still working through them in whatever way he desires.
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Thank God
Along the same lines, God seems to send encouragement my way just as I start to worry or feel down about lack of “results”—a timely message, an unexpected donation, a follow back from someone I admire. They remind me to be thankful—and that gratefulness ought to be a greater and more frequent part of my life.
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Wisen Up
Wisdom is developed through years and experience. It doesn’t happen overnight—it takes decades to develop. I wish I had really believed this when I was in my 20s and 30s—I may have been less resolute about advice I gave that in hindsight, may not have been as godly as I thought it was, and I may have cultivated the humility I needed to learn from those with wisdom.
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Squash That Envy Bug
I got a big head early in our ministry when we were the only one in our sphere. Now, there are dozens of otaku ministries, if not hundreds—and many have greater reach than us. For years, I struggled with the envy bug, and I made the mistake of not dealing with it there and then, so of course, it grew over time. I later learned that I could stomp it out, not only by simply knowing and loving Christ more and more, but by getting to know these other fellow laborers and even sometimes partnering with them with their work.
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Build Partners (and Friendships)
One of those ministries I was envious of led to a major falling out. Years later, I met the leader of that ministry in person for the first time, and we just clicked—and why wouldn’t we? We both loved Jesus, and our passions and goals were the same. We apologized and are now friends. There’s too much at stake to let bitterness grow between potential partners—and so much to gain when building friendships in ministry spaces instead.
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Breathe—Then Respond
With the case above, where I sent an email that led to the falling out, it would have done me good to just take a moment, breathe, walk away from my keyboard, and talk to God—and maybe to a trusted friend as well. Since then, I’ve incorporated that approach whenever I get riled up about a comment, an article, or a tweet. I don’t have to answer right there and then, which is such a blessing about digital ministry (live streaming aside!). I can return later and answer in a way that’s maybe more consistent with the character of Christ than the “me in the moment” would have.
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Everyone Is Watching (Or At Least Someone Is)
Speaking of responding to negative or hurtful comments, remember that even if a reply doesn’t reach the person who initially commented, other people will read it. That’s how I approach my responses—the initial commenter may not care about my reply, but others will, and I’m sharing Christ with them, too.
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Don’t Let Ministry Be an Excuse
“I’m doing my streaming ministry” is not an excuse to avoid the other responsibilities God has given you—to your church, family, work, or elsewhere. Nor can you be effective in ministry in the long term if you’re not being faithful to God with your practices of studying scripture, praying, fellowship, evangelism and making disicples. Seek God wholeheartedly, and let that bleed out into your VTubing, online small groups, and tabletop gaming nights.
And since it’s now year sixteen, one more for the road:
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Don’t Give Up
You may need to take a break. You may need to downshift your ministry, change it entirely, or join another. But don’t give up on loving people. Don’t give up on using your skills and passions to reach the lost. Ministry is hard, and the devil is powerful, but God is greater still.
CHARLES SADNICK
Charles Sadnick, known online as Twwk, serves in anime ministry through Beneath the Tangles, exploring how faith intersects with fandom and everyday life. He’s passionate about meeting nerds where they are and having thoughtful conversations about meaning, grace, and why certain stories stick with us long after the final episode.