When we start communicating with churches to see about starting up gaming groups in their congregations – we have a litany of reasons why this sort of group is useful in a ministry context. Whether your church is in a center of nerd culture or the geekiest thing you’ve done is read the Narnia books when you were a kid, here are ten reasons why you should consider implementing active gaming into your ministry efforts.

1. It reaches those who don’t fit elsewhere

Churches are about the business of meeting the specific needs of those in their congregations. As such, there is a degree in which ministries are born to target these unique needs through programs and groups. There’s nothing wrong with targeted efforts to impact people, but what about those that don’t fit the traditional concept?

Not only do games provide a wide variety in and of themselves, but it is a way to connect and minister to those who probably don’t have an outlet in any other program. You may even find that playing together can forge relational bonds that encourage people to try new things and step out of where they’re comfortable.

2. There are folks in your church who can’t/won’t communicate well with people they don’t already know

There are a number of words we use to express it. Shy, introverted, quiet – we use them when describing why an individual, even ourselves, is not always up for participating in what the larger group is doing. Whether it’s the person’s disposition or a simple lack of people skills, there are those who steer clear of church activities because they can’t or won’t communicate with large groups of strangers.

The most popular player count for a board game is three to four at most, and there has never been a shortage of two player only games. In recent years there has even been an upswing in the number of games that are designed to be played solo. Being able to take larger groups down to smaller numbers, even providing solitary experiences on the edges of the event as a momentary breather from socializing, allows these folks to build foundational relationships that will help them feel at home.

3. There are folks in your church who feel alone

Sometimes it’s built on assumptions of what people in the church think and care about. Sometimes it’s because they’ve attempted to communicate what they love, and they’ve been made to feel weird or ‘other’ because of it. Either way, there are people in your congregation that feel like they are alone. Playing together provides as easy connection. A phrase I use regularly is that it creates a common history. Long before you’ve started communicating who you are and what you’re passionate about with the other players, you are connected by that time they made a great play or you made that funny joke. That connection can be built on. A seed that grows. And that common history can be more important to somebody at your table than you may ever realize.

4. It brings people together who wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards each other

I’ve yet to be in a church leadership team that hasn’t eventually asked “How can we get different generations interacting with and learning from each other?” The reason the question continues to get asked is because bringing together these folks can often feel forced. I’ve known many individuals who have crossed the age divide, but it’s rare that I’ve seen it on a large scale. Yet I’m quick to say that I was brought into gaming by someone thirty years older than me. I’ve shared the same table with ten year old kids and seventy year old retirees. Gaming is a natural, easy social activity that can bring people together without pretense.

5. There are people in your community that have been hurt by a local church

Every time we’ve run an event in a local church, we hear the same thing. Some variation of “I never thought a church would do something like this.” Several joke about how they were worried that they’d catch on fire the second they crossed the threshold. I’ve heard horror stories of people being cast out of churches, disowned by families, and generally wrecked by congregations or church leadership. The idea that someone in the church would want to share a table with them, doing something they love, and ask nothing of them in return is an eye-opening experience.

6. It’s getting together in a way that isn’t connected to a lesson.

Since we started InnRoads, I’ve done a number of highly informal, but still fairly informative, surveys about the nature of church programming. The primary question(s) involve asking people if their church (or any church in their area) organizes a regularly meeting event for people in the church to get together that does not involve a Bible study or lesson of some sort. I’ve received descriptions of annual or quarterly events – usually around food, and always involving the entirety of the church. When narrowed to events that happen once a month or more that was a smaller group where people could grow deep relationships – the response is next to zero.

Bible studies are important and powerful aspects of growing your faith. But when the only outlet we have for people to get together in intentional community is tied to a lesson plan, it fosters the misconception that things that aren’t active study are of little to no value. A regular game night with the same, small group of folks create space for a broader concept of how faith interacts with daily life.

7. Mars Hill and the interaction of faith and culture

The Church at large has been infamous for making sweeping statements that this or that is evil without first attempting to understand exactly what it is or what it is attempting to accomplish. We have become so concerned about “not being of the world” that we forget we are in it.

Referencing Paul’s visit to Mars Hill is often used when discussing cultural interaction and faith. He spends the day with them. Interacting in their temples. He approaches them from an informed perspective, evaluating what he has seen and heard. Gaming, and the greater community around it, opens up these discussions and provides communication touchstones.

8. Sharing games provides ready-made illustrations that speak to life and develop skills

The gaming world is so full of themes, methodologies, and moments that speak to the greater human experience – and that doesn’t even touch the simple experience of playing together. We literally have an entire category of articles on this site dedicated to cultural and theological observations from gaming, and others are actively exploring therapeutic implications.

9. Gaming is a lens that exposes our character

The way we choose to play, the way we lose, and the way we win all speak to a person’s mind and character. It’s possible that this can be even turned in on ourselves. Communal play allows us to see aspects of our own character that we may be otherwise blind to. Stepping into that moment provides an opportunity to process things we never even knew we needed to process.

10. It’s just fun.

Because if there’s anything I need to remind all of us of – it’s ok for something just to be fun, and getting folks to have fun together. Sometimes “being fed” is best served in belly laughs, exciting moments, and unstructured time spent with others.