Growing up, we often had missionaries visit our church on Sunday nights (always Sunday nights for some reason) to present a slideshow of the people group they had devoted their lives to serve.

They would always follow the same format. Introduction. Personal testimony. Accepting the call. Snapshots of life in the field. Success stories. At the end, they always made one last request (aside from financial support).

They would ask for prayer.

Mentioning not only specific ways to pray for them as a missionary, but how to pray for those in their mission location as well.

They had spent the last 45 minutes giving us all a crash course into the lives and culture of these faraway people, so we could better understand how to pray specifically for a people group we knew nothing about until that moment.

Those prayers made me feel connected to the missionary and all of those people.

Through prayer, I came to understand those people groups a little better. I was able to put personal requests aside and feel a deeper burden for others in ways I had never thought of before.

A number of months ago, I began thinking about the friends and family of those who consider themselves “missionaries” in gaming circles. Do they have specifics on how to pray for gaming missionaries?

I also wondered about friends and family who don’t understand gaming culture, who have a child, sibling or friend who lives in the gaming world. Would they know how to pray specifically for their gamer?

This led me to conduct a survey among Christian Dungeons and Dragons players and ask for input on what they would want prayer for and what prayer needs those players around them might have.

I compiled the answers, and in true tabletop role-playing game style, I came up with a roll table for non-gamers and gamers alike. I’m encouraging them to roll a D20 (20-sided die) daily and pray specifically for a specific person with that specific prayer prompt in mind.

The Rift burns with aggression. A map that consists of four pivotal roles, all needed to win the game. 

Top lane is an island of chaos, a boxing match between two heavy weights. Middle lane is a battlefield of intellect and strategy, where players test their skill against one another. The jungle is dark and unforgiving, a place of survival with no room for mistakes. Bottom lane is a synchronized duo of players, carefully positioning until the opposing pair makes a mistake.

The jungler sees an opening in the bottom lane and commits. The play fails. The opposing team counter attacks, and the jungler is killed. In an instant, the chat erupts. Teammates lash out criticizing the mistake, assigning blame, and piling on insults that extend far beyond the game itself. In hyper competitive gaming environments, this response unfortunately is expected. Anger is normalized. Abuse is exchanged like currency. Grace is rare.

Yet, this is often where the Lord chooses to work.

This is where a voice enters chat, “Hey, we’re okay. We’ve got this. You’ll get it next time. Let’s run it again”.

My experience of living out the kindness and grace that Jesus calls us to show others often shows itself in moments exactly like this. Choosing encouragement when frustration would be easier, choosing patience and understanding when anger and aggression would be easier.

Ping… You received a friend request… You received a message.

In this highly competitive gaming environment, the main reason someone sends you a friend request and message after a match is to yell, challenge you to a One on One, and tear you down through a post game message. This message was different. . . 

“Why were you nice to me?”

If you are looking to learn how to connect with people in the gaming space, this moment matters. This is the digital equivalent of someone approaching you in person and asking why you are a Christian. It does not happen often, and it should never be taken lightly.

Digital spaces offer unique opportunities for connection. They are low-pressure environments where simple acts of kindness stand out sharply against the norm. Treating others with dignity and respect, especially when it is unexpected, creates room for trust. When grace replaces hostility, people begin to lower their guard, and genuine conversations can begin.

If your desire is to bring Christ into your gaming and foster relationships that allow space for conversations about faith, consider these simple, practical steps:

• Go beyond pings and quick commands. Take the time to type encouraging messages, especially when others are tearing someone down.

   

• Instead of ending the match with a simple “GG” (good game) invite people to continue playing together, regardless of skill level.

• Be intentional in small moments. A “good job” or “we’ve got it next time” can have a lasting impact.

• Celebrate victories, no matter how small. Objectives secured, close escapes, or well played moments. Be vocal and affirming.

• Remember, YOU set the tone for fostering conversation.

Living this way in hyper competitive spaces creates opportunities for others to ask why. One important reminder: if your only goal is to win, these practices will be difficult to sustain. Winning must be secondary. Creating a safe and welcoming environment must come first.

So what happened after the friend request?

We continued playing together. Over the next few months, we talked and shared parts of our stories. Trust grew naturally through time spent together. Eventually, that relationship opened the door for an invitation to church.

Their personal journey is not mine to share, but this was someone who never imagined stepping into a physical church. Yet they joined the church Discord community and eventually participated in their very first church service.

This serves as a reminder that just as Christ meets us where we are and walks alongside us, we are called to do the same for others. Ministry does not always begin with preaching or handing out pamphlets. Ministry can sometimes begin with patience, kindness, and a willingness to remain present.

These steps may seem simple. The ideas may feel obvious. Without intentionality and without a commitment to walking with people over time, they rarely bear fruit. Faithful presence, even in something as ordinary as a game, can open doors we never expect.

In spaces where anger and aggression is assumed, grace becomes a testimony. And sometimes, all it takes is one question, “Why were you nice to me?” to remind us that God is already at work.

Missionary work doesn’t need to be as complicated as some people make it out to be. Sure, there are those who trek into jungles and learn new languages; there are those who move to different countries and change cultures; there are even those that risk their lives in countries unwelcoming to missionaries.

But when Jesus said to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19), surely he meant this nation too, right? Certainly, we aren’t required to create some sort of missionary exchange program so that every missionary travels to a foreign country.

So, what does local mission work look like? 

For most people, it means to live the gospel where they’re at. That could mean being in their place of work, or with their non-believing friends, or even with a local missionary organization. But I think we all recognize that those in nerd culture don’t often match the “most people” moniker. We are unique, and proudly so.

So, what does local mission work look like for a nerd?

It’s an important question, particularly for those of us who want to share the Gospel but also work from home and our circle of friends are all Christians. Is there a place where we can serve others, introduce non-believers to Jesus, all while proudly upholding our passion for nerd culture?

Allow me to reintroduce you to your local game store (LGS).

I know, a lot of you just hit a speed bump, but let me be clear. I am not suggesting that you stand in front of your LGS with Dark Dungeons Chick Tracts and try to save these heathens from their evil ways. I am not saying that you should sit at a table in your LGS and tell trading card gamers “the only thing I trade is my life for Christ.”

I am, in fact, begging you to not do these things. Like, for real. Please don’t do these things.

But if not these things, what does a ministry to a local game store look like? While it may seem hard to fathom at first, there are various ways you can serve your LGS and its community.

It begins in the simplest way: be present. Simply be there to get to know people, learn their names, and show a genuine interest in their lives. Attend events, not to win (though there’s nothing wrong with that) but to build relationships with the people in that community. Show genuine compassion for them, show that you care about their life, love them as Jesus would.

For so many people who frequent a local game store, it’s the only place where they feel seen and validated. Their love for games is how they connect with others, but then the games can become the only way they connect with others. When we regularly show up and enjoy the game, but to love the person, it reminds them that they are valuable beyond the trading card game deck they’ve constructed or the roleplaying game character they’ve built.

Remember that, for so many of these folks, they think that church is a place where they will not be welcomed. Unfortunately, this is a mindset we have created in the church. Decades of the Satanic Panic and saying that games are something children do have sent a message to nerds that is ostracizing, at the very least, if not outright condemning. 

Being someone from the church and being someone that plays games with people is how we combat that message. It’s how we begin to heal the hurt that the church has caused to so many people who frequent local game stores. When we play games with them, we aren’t just saying that games are welcome, but that they are welcome as well.

Be present for the games, but also be present beyond the games. Love these people, invite them to your church, invite them into your home, invite them to enjoy games with you and your Christian friends. See them, serve them, and be the gospel to them.

In truth, this is just the beginning of how we can make our local game store also our mission field. There is so much more we can do to serve the gaming community. But start here. Start by seeing people the church has overlooked for so long. Start by seeing people who are used to only being seen over a hand of cards or behind a set of dice. 

Begin by being the light of Christ in your local game store.

After 11 years in ministry, it’s easy to take the memories you’ve made for granted. You can start to question the impact you are having on the people you’re trying to minister to. A few months ago, our volunteer team had a conversation in a Discord channel we use for our writers. One person mentioned they were inspired to write for us because of someone who had written a piece on our site. The author of that article went on to say they were inspired because of a person’s work that had come before them. This pattern continued. A crew of volunteers who often wonder if their work is more than clicks and numbers, found themselves inspiring each other, going all the way back over a decade to a few writers who also had wondered just how much impact they’d had. It’s their stories that keep mine going.

Ministry doesn’t happen without stories. Even Jesus used the power of story in the form of parables. Paul would often tell his own story to bring people closer to God. The Bible, seen as a whole, is God’s story. In the same way, our stories as people bring us closer together. Practically, your ministry needs to harness the power of story to bring people closer to your mission.

You may not always see it, but your ministry has an impact. The easiest way to discover that impact is to simply ask the people on your staff, volunteer team, and in your community. Don’t just put up a public call. Get personal. Ask specifically, “Has this ministry impacted your life in some way? If so, I would love to hear more about it.” Not only will it inspire you, but it will also inspire others.

A good story has three major ingredients: a relatable character, a clear conflict, and a satisfying resolution. In our case, the character is most likely going to be someone within our community and will often have relatable struggles for people in the demographic you are trying to reach. Think about your target audience and what they are going through that your ministry can positively impact. The conflict is that struggle. Was the person feeling loneliness, bitterness, or doubt? Did they need direction, advice, or prayer? Nobody likes to focus on conflict, but as Christians, we are often very good at turning problems into platforms. The solution is the easy part. How did your ministry make an impact on this person’s life? Where are they now as a result?

When you use story as a way to grow your mission, it’s important to leave ego at the door. Not only is pride unhealthy, but it’s a disservice when trying to reach people. Ministries will often, rightfully, point to God and say, “Look at all He is doing through our ministry,” or “We couldn’t have done this without the powerful work of Jesus.” Though this is certainly the right move, it’s also important to remember that it was your community, not your ministry, that made the difference. Say you have 60 volunteers at the ministry you lead. If it weren’t for those 60 volunteers, your ministry still exists, but it does not make an impact. You could stream for ten hours a day, but if all of your viewers disappeared, nobody’s life would change. When telling stories, remember they aren’t yours; they are your community’s. Those stories will help build that community.

You can share stories anywhere. It could be a social media post, a conference, or a one-on-one fundraising meeting. Stories are why we do what we do, and they should be shared in every way you can. Share your stories. The world needs more of them.

Nearly 40% of the world self-identifies as a gamer. Yet very few seem to be present when the church opens its doors.  

Depending on their experiences, we may have made it clear that they were not welcome. Many more don’t see that we have anything to offer them.   

How has the church tried to change this? We just keep waiting for them to outgrow games and then come to us.

But that’s never been how Jesus did ministry. He didn’t build a building and wait for people to show up. He went to where people already were—the wells, the hillsides, the homes, the marketplaces. He met people in their spaces, on their terms, speaking their language.

If we want to reach gamers, we need to do the same. Here are three biblical examples that show us what it looks like when ministry goes to the people:

1. Jesus at the Well (John 4:1-26)

Jesus didn’t wait for the Samaritan woman to come to the temple. He went to her—at the well, in the middle of the day, in a place she already frequented. He met her where she was, engaged her in conversation about what mattered to her (water, relationships, worship), and revealed Himself in a way that made sense in her context.

The lesson for reaching gamers: Don’t expect gamers to show up at your church building. 

Go to where they already gather—Twitch, Discord, VRChat, gaming lobbies, the local card and comic shop, board game cafes, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) nights in someone’s basement. Engage them in conversations about what matters to them. Be present in their spaces, not as an outsider trying to extract them, but as someone genuinely interested in their world.

2. Paul in the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34)

Paul didn’t stay in a synagogue in Athens and hope the philosophers would come. He went to the Areopagus, where ideas were publicly debated and discussed. He observed their culture, quoted their poets, and connected the gospel to what they already valued (“the unknown god”).

The lesson for reaching gamers: Learn the culture. 

Understand what gamers value—community, achievement, creativity, storytelling, and belonging. Games aren’t distractions from real life. They’re spaces where real community happens. Don’t come in with condemnation or judgment. Come in with curiosity and respect. Show them how the gospel speaks to what they’re already longing for.

3. Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-40)

Philip didn’t wait for the Ethiopian eunuch to find a church. The Spirit led him to run alongside the man’s chariot, meet him where he was (literally on the road), and engage him in the Scripture he was already reading. Philip entered into the Ethiopian’s journey and helped him take the next step.

The lesson for reaching gamers: Ministry isn’t about extracting people from their lives and bringing them into ours.

It’s about running alongside them in their journey, meeting them where they are, and helping them take the next step with Jesus—right where they already are. That might mean joining them and letting faith conversations emerge naturally. It will mean becoming a regular in their routines and building authentic relationships. 

Why This Matters

The church has spent decades asking, “How do we get people to come to us?” Jesus lived a different question: “Where are the people, and how do I go to them?”

Not all gamers, whether digital or tabletop, are avoiding church because they hate Jesus. Many are avoiding church because of hurt, feeling unwelcome, fear, or simply because the church hasn’t shown up in their world. But they’re hungry for community, meaning, and belonging—all things the gospel offers.

The local card and comic shop is a modern-day marketplace. The D&D table is a place of shared story and vulnerability. The board game cafe is where strangers become friends. The Twitch stream is a digital campfire where people gather. These aren’t lesser spaces. They’re legitimate communities where real discipleship can happen.

So what if we stopped waiting for them to come to the building and started showing up where they already are? What if we learned their language, respected their culture, and offered the good news of Jesus in the spaces they call home, both online and around the table?

That’s not compromising the gospel. That’s incarnational ministry. That’s what Jesus did. That’s what Paul did. That’s what Philip did. And that’s what we’re called to do.