With our inaugural post two weeks ago, we have officially launched ourselves into the world of nerd ministry. Did you learn more about nerdy ministries than you ever thought that you would? Were you surprised by anything? I would be lying if I said it didn’t throw me for a loop regularly that this ministry exists and is being done. And that it is being done so well. These are intended to be brief ventures into the world of other ministries, so I will end my waxing poetic here

Watch Episode Two: Or Subscribe to our Podcast: TRANSCRIPT: NATHAN: Welcome to the Nerds of Pray. We are bridging the gap between faith and fandom by introducing you to the leading folks on the front lines of nerd ministry, these are the people I have met as I plant a church for nerds, geeks and gamers. I found them. So you don't have to... I am nerd pastor Nate, and this is a check point church podcast that wasn't gonna be dropping twice each month, but as you've seen, this

Between writing an article for Rethink Church on Shaman King, binging like three new anime, and attending the Queen City Anime Convention, my otaku heart could have only been happier in Akihabara itself. Aside from the myriad of Christian conferences, this was my first ever real convention and I learned quite a bit from it, so I thought I would share some of my findings here in the newsletter. First off, people are amazing. The sheer amount of people dedicated to their craft

Nerd Pastor Nate is a featured writer for Rethink Church writing on gaming, anime, and other pop culture topics. In this inaugural post, he discusses the new Netflix anime Shaman King and what we can learn from the themes presented by the show. Here's a highlight: "Yoh’s story in Shaman King can teach us as Christians (or just as plain old human beings) to learn from the history that has come before us. We can allow it to teach us, mold us, and hopefully make us into better

Look - I hear you. Should we really be starting another new project? If you haven't learned by now, I (Nerd Pastor Nate) am an unabashed visionary. I have too many ideas and concepts to even begin to focus on just one thing. In fact, that's partly why our new LVL2 program is so vitally important, I need all the follow-through help that I can get. I felt compelled to start this new blog series because, to be frank, it just isn't being done anywhere else. In my past year of ner

I’ve been doing nerd ministry for a little over a year now and I’ve found that, given the vastness of the World Wide Web, there are so many more of us out there that aren’t being discovered. In order to combat the reality of the algorithm, I am going to compile creative works every other week on the blog so that the community might get to know itself that much better. These will be specifically related to nerd ministry, so be aware that these are not the be-all, end-all of re

In this sermon from Nerd Pastor Nate, delivered at Royal Oaks United Methodist Church in Concord, NC, on July 25th, 2021, he discusses the freedom given to us from sin in faith and what we should do with that freedom. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 New Revised Standard Version 19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one un

Time to trade in some of those experience points, folks. We're stepping up the game and introducing LVL2 - this is our first 'level up' for our community members. Remember when I mentioned a few newsletters ago all of the game-changing moves we're going to be making? This is another of those big steps. But what does it actually mean though? I go over all of these in greater detail in the announcement video for LVL2, but I'll cover them quickly here in the newsletter. Essentia

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): Q: Do I *have* to do this? A: No, it's completely and totally optional. You will not have to be a LVL2 member to receive any of the content that we are creating. Q: Do I have to tithe or give money? A: No, this isn't a Patreon or a payment plan. It's important that we establish stewardship and generosity as vital expressions of worship, not as expected pay-to-play measures to participate in the life of the Church. You should tithe if you feel

Did July even happen? Between the heat waves and splashing ones, it feels like the past month was just a blur in the rearview mirror. But, rest assured - plenty happened in the month of July! Between the release of a new Pokémon entry toward the release of the latest Marvel flick, it’s been a quick one filled with plenty of excitement. Here are just a few (seven to be precise) of our favorite things from the month of July 2021: 1. Pokémon UNITE Consumed Our Time MOBAs are cer

One year. One whole year of Checkpoint Church. I need to pinch myself, because I must be dreaming. How has a year already gone by? It's fascinating how it has flown by and yet gone slowly at the same time. Funny how time does that to us... I can't imagine how I'll feel by year five (Lord willing). Checkpoint really is the dream mission and I'm so thankful for each day of work. As I reflect on the year, I would be remiss to not hit some of the high notes. We've had some great

Watch Episode One: Or Subscribe to our Podcast: TRANSCRIPT: NATHAN: Hello and welcome to the Nerds of Pray podcast. We are bridging the gap between faith and fandom by introducing you to the leading folks on the front lines of nerd ministry. These are some of the people that I have met as a church planner planting a church for nerds, geeks, and gamers. I found them... so you don't have to. I am Nerd Pastor Nate and this is a Checkpoint Church podcast that drops twice each mon