Frequently Asked Questions about Minecraft Church
Do you need to be a tech genius to run one?
No! But you will probably want to have a team with someone who can do the tech stuff for you. But teamwork is needed in whatever endeavour we do in the church. Often, we seek people with craft skills or catering ability to help us run innovative services (for example, Messy Church!). With Minecraft church, we need people with technical skills and/or a passion for gaming. Experience has shown that they are already out there waiting for someone to say, “Hey, could you help me do this?”
Does my church need internet to run one?
It does, but it can be much easier than you imagine. We have designed Minecraft church to use just a mobile phone’s internet connection, at least so that it covers almost all of the UK. You can have a wifi set up you can carry from church to church if you need to do so in an isolated region, such as a rural area. More information is available here about WiFi.
I don’t know anything about Minecraft. What use would I be?
Many of the key people running a Minecraft or Block church are not players of the game avid gamers at all. What is more important is to be able to enter into the culture of the young people and their gaming world. In fact, it is really useful to be a bit “powerless” and allow the gamers to have the power of understanding. Then an exchange of faith can flow between those organising and those who are a part of the service.
Mostly, though we need a TEAM to run a Minecraft church. Technical folks, people who can lead and create vibrant spiritual spaces, people who can get alongside people and chat, people with the skills and ability to talk to people of all ages.
Grandparents are supremely valuable at a Minecraft church. Either accompanying their own grandchildren or being a pseudo-grandparent to other people. Many grandparents are aware of their grandchildren’s passion for Minecraft and should be welcomed to come together with them to a church service. The grandparent offers wisdom and insight into their own faith and can co-create with a young person something in the game during a service.
What about intellectual property? Can I use the name “Minecraft”?
Minecraft is owned by Microsoft through the company Mojang. They have very clear and generous intellectual property usage guidelines, which we have linked here.
- Some key principles are to be clear you are not an official product or service (and put a disclaimer of a webpage for example).
- To be fair and generous and not to diminish the Minecraft name
- To use Minecraft in a secondary sense: For example, “St Whatsitsnames Block Church: Minecraft and more”
- Please consult the guidance.
Should Parents and Carers stay or should they leave young people with us?
Minecraft church strives to be intergenerational, which means all ages learning, growing and worshipping together in faith. This is not easy to achieve in a regular church service and we often “outsource” children’s faith nurture to specialist groups at a Sunday school. However, in Minecraft church we want to aim for something richer. By insisting that adults stay as carers in a Minecraft church, various things flow:
- We are able to run as a church service rather than a Sunday school or youth group. This changes the dynamic with regard to safeguarding in some contexts, which can make it more possible for churches to run it if they have a shortage of capable volunteers: parents and carers are at all times responsible for their own children. They are also gathered in the same space and not dispersed into smaller rooms. Always consult your safeguarding team for best practice!
- We need to become better at welcoming in parents who may not be believers themselves. We do this by chatting with parents, involving them in tasks, and ensuring plenty of tea and coffee are available. We see parents gradually make their own steps of engagement into Minecraft church like this.
- Some children with special needs or neurodiversities find their parents a support at the start as they engage.
- There is the opportunity for shared learning and growth in faith.
- It is a lot of fun too!
Why should it be a church service? Would a Minecraft club be better?
Depending on how you call it, a Minecraft church can be an alternative church service, a new worshipping community or a fresh expression. There are lots of different terms, but all with the same thrust: to help people who love gaming follow Jesus more deeply and keenly.
- It is primarily for those who are not yet members of any church or active in a Christian faith.
- It is fully sacramental – both baptism and communion can be shared in a Minecraft church.
- It is focused on the Bible. Each service has a Bible passage at the centre of it. Mostly a story of Jesus or about Jesus, but also drawing deeply across the Bible. At least 40 minutes are spent thinking and reflecting on the Bible.
- It is outward-focused, as what is gained in the service through play should be tested and practised in real life.
- Elements of prayer, confession and creed are all part of a Minecraft server. In Anglican terms, we hold a form that follows a Common Worship Service of the Word.
This is what we are all about. A club or something that is a bridge to a real church service is not of great interest to us, which is why we are not able to help you run a Minecraft club (but you may find things here useful all the same!)
Is it suitable for the Neurodiverse?
Yes! Very much so.
Our experience has shown that many neurodiverse people love Minecraft and games with a passion! The familiarity with the game gives a point of connection and confidence to initiate social interaction. Many of our Minecraft churches can be noisy or active spaces, which might not be expected to be ideal. Experience has shown that it can work really well. Depending on the mix of people coming, some activities may need to change, and other non-gaming activities may need to be included too (one group has an ‘icebreaker’ style high energy game in the middle to help with young people whose attention span has ebbed and then regained focus through the change of activity)