Building a Bible study for digital culture

On this episode of “Pastoring in the Digital Parish,” we welcome back Rev. Nathan Webb to discuss the innovative approach to bible study outreach being employed by Checkpoint Church. Nathan shares the inspiration behind their unique bible study curriculum, “Jesus Loves Nerds,” hosted on Substack, which draws on trending video games and anime to engage the church community in a fresh and unconventional way. We’re going to get into the reasoning behind the subscription model, the delicate balance of content monetization, and the practical considerations of delivering and processing the material. 

Our guest for this session, Rev. Nathan Webb, is the founder and lead pastor of Checkpoint Church, an all-digital expression of church primarily focused on nerd culture and the gaming community. 

This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative and strategic process behind building a relevant and sustainable Bible study for the digital culture. So let’s get into it on Pastoring in the Digital Parish!

In this episode:
(00:00) Nathan Webb discusses innovative bible study approach.
(06:29) Creating weekly digital bible studies for nerds.
(09:28) Church leaders considering monetizing content, facing pushback.
(14:17) Churches seek new revenue sources amid scarcity.
(17:41) Connecting with diverse interests, reaching new demographics.
(21:14) Delivering weekly content, guiding youth leaders effectively.
(23:12) Guided questions, activity, spiritual practice, closing prayer.
(27:05) Seeking affirmation for successful usage and expansion.
(29:41) Exploring online ministry and community building resources.

For more episodes and notes: www.resourceumc.org/digital-parish

Pastoring in the Digital Parish is hosted by Rev. Ryan Dunn. It is a production of United Methodist Communications.