You’ve heard references to the Metaverse, but – like many – you may not have the big picture of what’s going on…and envisioned. I certainly didn’t when I researched this story.
What caught my eye is the experimental efforts of an Ohio church team. Dan Bracken directs communications for Ginghamsburg Church, which has campuses in Dayton and Tipp City.
The church leadership team was sharing mutual interest in virtual reality (VR) and applied for – and received – a denominational grant of $3,000 to purchase 7 VR headsets. That led to asking church members about their interest in this up & coming 3-D interactive Metaverse world, where people use personal avatars for gaming, exploration, and one-on-one experiences.
Knowing some church folks who showed interest in reaching people for Christ in the VR realm probably have little, if any, experience with this tech, an interest session was held with the light-hearted theme, “Virtual Reality Training Experience Kind of Thing,” explains Bracken. “17 different people showed up. And we had a blast!” There were some awkward moments, and that was anticipated.
So far, the main tool Ginghamsburg Church is using in Horizon Worlds, the Metaverse area controlled by Meta, the new corporate name for the creators of Facebook, is a Prayer World location, “that, right now, seems to be one of only four, maybe five, prayer worlds to even exist (there) … and the only one focused on person-to-person interaction.” Bracken adds, “We hope for it to be a safe place for real prayer, with real people,” in VR space.
“I think our primary focus, at least for now, is in relationship building and the discipleship side of things.” Simply put, they want to introduce people to Jesus, and then help them grow in Him.”
Bracken is very aware that some think it’s inappropriate to try and minister in the VR world, since ‘it’s not real.’ But his belief is, “When we encounter people in VR, to remember that – there is a real person. There are real emotions. There are real spiritual and physical needs behind that avatar.”
Just like on the World Wide Web, what’s available in the Metaverse can be useful, educational, and fun – but also dark, dirty, and deceiving. “What makes a technology good or evil always comes down to what you do with the technology.”
“I do see the potential for people to get lost and addicted into the places where they project themselves. In the virtual reality world, time escapes you when you put on a headset and there’s so much to explore. And so I think there is a danger there to get too sucked in – and yet, if this is the emerging reality for all of us, the church needs to be present in both places.”
In our complete interview podcast just below, Dan Bracken shares his hopes for sharing Jesus in VR – and also shares what happened on his first venture into 3-D life that was very uncomfortable.
