To run a Minecraft Church you need to choose a game version and set up a server. You also need to decide which devices you’ll allow people to play on, and make sure you have enough of those devices available for newcomers to use – or allow people to bring their own. This section covers these topics.

Devices

BYOD

If you’re welcoming experienced Minecrafters they’re likely to have their own devices. Having people Bring Your Own Device can be a good way of them getting started quickly. It can also be a techie nightmare!

📱 Android tablets or smartphones

These all run Bedrock, so this limits the game version you can use for the server to only Bedrock. The advantage is that Minecraft Bedrock is cheap on tablet/Android.

Playing on a tablet or mobile can be tricky if you’re used to playing with a mouse or joystick.

To connect to a server they’ll still need:

1. Their Microsoft account – if they haven’t got b) then they’ll need the Microsoft password for the account they’re playing on.
2. Permission for their Microsoft account to join third party servers. This is done on the Xbox account linked to their Microsoft account, so you’ll need the Microsoft password to set it. If the Microsoft account is managed by a parent then the parent will need their own Microsoft username and password to log in and change their young person’s Xbox settings.

💻 Laptops

Able to run both Minecraft Java and Bedrock, playing Minecraft on a laptop is easy with the mouse. To connect to a server they’ll still need:

1. Their Microsoft account – if they haven’t got b) then they’ll need the password.
2. Permission for their Microsoft account to join third party servers. This is done on the Xbox account linked to their Microsoft account, so you’ll need the Microsoft password to set it. If the Microsoft account is managed by a parent then the parent will need their own Microsoft username and password to log in and change their young person’s Xbox settings.
3. Power – think extension leads!

🎮 Switch

The Minecraft version Switches run is also Bedrock. With real joysticks they’re slightly easier to use than a tablet or phone. To connect to a server they’ll need:

1. An active Nintendo Switch Online subscription linked to the Nintendo account they’ll be using, or linked to a family member’s account who has the family subscription. If they haven’t got this when they arrive it’s unlikely they’ll get it set up during a Minecraft Church session as it needs:
   1. Their own Nintendo account or a parent’s Nintendo account
   2. Payment
   3. Time! It takes a while to purchase Nintendo Switch Online
2. Changes to the DNS settings of the WIFI network they’re on – see this guide.
   1. Note that if your server’s IP address changes then switch players will need to edit the server in their server list.
3. Their Microsoft account – if they haven’t got 4) then they’ll need the password.
4. Permission for their Microsoft account to join third party servers. This is done on the Xbox account linked to their Microsoft account, so you’ll need the Microsoft password to set it. If the Microsoft account is managed by a parent then the parent will need their own Microsoft username and password to log in and change their young person’s Xbox settings.

🔒 Xbox settings for joining third party servers

Microsoft’s gaming network has parental controls that intertwine in mysterious ways with Minecraft. It is fiddly to sort out but possible! Refer to this document: XBox Settings for Minecraft Church. As noted above, you’ll need the parent’s Microsoft account details to complete this.

📱 Stock of devices

Having a stock of devices such as Android tablets already set up and ready to go makes it very easy for newcomers to arrive and feel included.

✋ Admin required

Someone will need to take responsibility for charging and updating the Minecraft version on devices you own ahead of each Minecraft Church service.

Server and control laptop

You’ll need a device to act as the server. A laptop is best for portability, and even the Java server will run comfortably on a laptop.

It seems inevitable that one player or another ends up in the wrong place (“woops, I didn’t mean to go into the nether!”) so having an experienced player with the ability to teleport people out of trouble is useful.

You’ll also need someone to take screenshots or record their screen to share with the other congregations.

Some churches have found it helpful to combine these tasks and have a team member (or experienced teenager) do both on a control laptop.

If this is the same device that will run the server, bear in mind the minimum requirements for your chosen game version:

Java

It is recommended to ensure it has a graphics card and plenty of memory.

Vanilla bedrock

Optimized for Windows, Vanilla bedrock doesn’t need loads of RAM but does need a fairly good CPU.

PocketMine

Following PocketMine’s setup requirements, a machine with higher CPU speed but fewer cores is best.

📥 Updates

Game developers would hope that people keep their clients up to date, but this isn’t always the case!

This means that whichever devices you’re using may need an update before they can join the server, which can take time over a slow WIFI connection.

If this happens, they’ll get a message “Outdated client.”

When you own the devices you’ll need to update them just before running Minecraft Church… then hope Microsoft doesn’t release an update before Minecraft Church!

Game version

Minecraft churches run a variety of versions of Minecraft. While reading what Minecraft churches use below bear in mind that young people can have strong opinions about which is the “better” or “best” version.

Note that Bedrock clients usually can’t connect to Java servers (although with enough mods it’s erratically possible) and Java clients can’t connect to Bedrock servers – although if you buy Minecraft Java for PC you’ll generally get Minecraft Bedrock free.

Java

The original version of Minecraft, Java version runs only on PC and has a massive online following and many free to use mods (modifications) that can be very helpful when running a server, or indeed can add items or textures that can be useful for certain themes.

Java server runs on Windows but runs really well on Linux. If you have someone familiar with Linux then buying a laptop without Windows and using it to run the Java server will save a lot of money.

Can you run Minecraft Java on a Raspberry pi? There’s enough memory for a single player on a pi, but most versions of the Raspberry Pi to a halt with more than two players.

Which version of Java should you choose?

There are many different versions of Minecraft Java, from the vanilla version to ports like Spigot which lends itself better to mods.

Bedrock

Originally created for mobile devices then Windows 10, Bedrock is optimized for low memory environments, so runs well on tablets and mobiles. Until recently, you couldn’t mod the “vanilla” bedrock server, and you still can’t mod bedrock clients.

“Vanilla” bedrock

The server software for “vanilla” bedrock is available from the Microsoft website and runs comfortably on a laptop, but only on Windows.

Recommended mods:

• logrief (coded by Mark from Emmanuel Church) which can help avoid things in Minecraft that can damage others’ builds and/or the server:
  • (Optionally) Prevents the use of Lava buckets that can end up causing griefing.
  • (Optionally) Prevent the placement of mob_spawners.
  • (Optionally) Prevent use of potions (such as invisibility).
  • (Optionally) Limit the rate at which mobs may be spawned by spawn eggs or disable their use entirely.
  • Provides an operator only UI for in game configuration of the restrictions.
• tpwand (coded by Mark from Emmanuel Church) which allows you to name a stick and turn it into a teleport wand, so is useful for quickly going between players and places:
  • Teleport to another players location by selecting their name. This can be helpful when reviewing builds – no need to memorize commands.
  • Teleport to locations previously created by yourself. If you bookmark known locations, for example, to tell different parts of a story, you can teleport yourself to these quickly then teleport everyone to you (“/tp @a @s”).
  • Teleport to well known locations as previously created by an admin (e.g. “everyone go to today’s place for prayer”).
  • Teleport to the current world spawn point.
  • User UI for in game configuration of named locations.
  • Admin only UI for in game configuration of well known locations.

PocketMine

A PHP-based highly customized version of Bedrock with a rich ecosystem of mods. While it is not “vanilla” so may frustrate purists the mods allow a rich, performant server out of the box. The server and client are available here.

The server software runs on Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

⚙️ Recommended server settings

Since we’re using our creativity to worship we usually keep Minecraft in creative mode. The following optional settings can help avoid distractions when building:

• /gamerule do weathercycle false. This turns off the weather so it’s always sunny when you’re building.
• /gamerule do lightcycle false. This ensures it’s always day.
• /gamerule do pvp false. This stops people taking damage when hit by another player.
• /gamerule tnt explodes false. This prevents TNT exploding, which can be a source of griefing.
• /gamerule respawnblockexpode false. This also prevents explosions.

💰 How will my choices affect my budget?

If you choose Java as your version then:

1. You’ll only be able to support laptops as client devices, which are expensive (💲💲💲)
2. You’ll need a Windows (💲💲💲) or Linux (💲) laptop for the server

If you choose Bedrock vanilla then:

1. You’ll be able to support the following client devices:
   1. Tablets (💲)
   2. Smartphones (💲💲)
   3. Switch (💲💲)
   4. Minecraft for Windows (💲💲💲)
2. You’ll need a Windows (💲💲💲) laptop for the server.

If you choose Bedrock PocketMine then:

1. You’ll be able to support the following devices:
   1. Tablets (💲)
   2. Smartphones (💲💲)
   3. Switch (💲💲)
   4. Minecraft for Windows (💲💲💲)
2. You can have either a Windows (💲💲💲), MacOS (💲💲💲), or Linux (💲💲) desktop for the server.

In all cases, the server software is free.

Finally… Tech preparations

If you keep the same world, you may want to find a fairly flat area of the world before each week. To avoid unintentional griefing (destroying previous builds) it’s best to find an area from of previous builds.

You may choose an area or areas that lend themselves well to the Bible story e.g. a desert for Jesus’ temptation or the Israelites’ wanderings under Moses.

The server and any devices you own will need to be charged and Minecraft updated prior to each meeting.