Real Pastor Opens Virtual Church

When social distancing became a necessity worldwide, many started using VR to continue hosting their events, and some of them, as it turns out, even have something to do with religion.

According to some, this isn’t the only church in VRChat, however, as of today, the most popular place for religious events in VRChat appears to be PastorBrock’s church in the world called “Faith Lutheran Church,” originally built by The Architect. According to PastorBrock, he’s a Lutheran Pastor in Western Michigan, and he has been in VRChat for about a year.

“The reason I am on [VRChat] is [that] I stumbled upon a YouTuber named Syrmor,” he said, “and he was having the most profound and deep discussions about all sorts of topics.”

Although religion is an extremely touchy subject even for VRChat, regardless of the visitors’ beliefs, PastorBrock welcomes everyone as long as they don’t disrupt the peace in the church.

Pan Diman: "How would you describe your experience of being a pastor in real life?"

PastorBrock: "That's a big question. In the interest of brevity, I would say I'm a Lutheran Pastor in western Michigan. My IRL congregation is predominantly older, though it's trending younger. I love my job, I get to bring hope and peace in a world that often lacks it. It's among life's greatest gifts to enrich the life of another. I'd like to think I do some of that. Preaching is an art form and I'm really grateful to have the chance to have a creative outlet that hundreds encounter each week. And I get to serve God. If you believe he exists there is no higher calling."

Pan Diman: "What are the main aspects that made you choose VR as the medium for your church?"

PastorBrock: "I want to clarify though I often use 'church' to describe my events. I prefer the language of our community being a Christian fellowship. A church is bound by a doctrinal statement, [whereas] our community is comprised of Christians from many different Christian denominations. Also, things like Baptism and Holy Communion are not possible in VR in my opinion. Those are paramount to the life of the church. Though some of the leaders of my fellow VR Christian communities feel differently.

The reason I am on [VRChat] is [that] I stumbled upon a YouTuber named Syrmor and he was having the most profound and deep discussions about all sorts of topics. I thought, 'Christianity has the true source of hope for life's darkest moments I want to share that hope with these hurting people I saw in his videos.'"

Pan Diman: "For how long have you been known as a pastor in VRChat or VR in general?"

PastorBrock: "I've been in VRChat [for] about a year. First in desktop. I got VR in January."

Pan Diman: "Religion has been a somewhat controversial topic for moderation in VRChat, especially due to the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines (https://www.vrchat.com/community-guidelines) stating that things viewed as inappropriate content include 'Political & Religious figures and symbology. Civil discourse is permitted in private spaces where all participants consent to [the discussion].' Do you find the guidelines challenging for your events in public instances or would you rather say that they don't cause any trouble at all?"

PastorBrock: "I imagine the developers are concerned with what kind of content [their] service becomes known for. Religion is controversial, but so are many of the topics discussed in VRChat. If this is a medium where we 'chat' about the human experience religion can't be left at the door. I'm grateful that I've had no problem with the developers yet. My events are largely held in private [worlds]. Though I do talk to people in public [worlds] my discussion always begins with philosophy, not religion. I estimate I've asked over a thousand people in the last year the question, 'What is the meaning of life?' Only if someone is willing to engage in that question does the discussion [ever] get to the realm of religion. I try not to be pushy or anything reassembling an 'angry street preacher'. If you talk to the people I've talked to I think you'll find many thought the discussion I had with them was respectful and enlightening even if they did not agree. One video comes to mind... http://www.twitch.tv/pastorbrockvr/v/648460778?sr=a&t=11s"

Pan Diman: "What kind of people usually go to your church? How would you describe them generally?"

PastorBrock: Younger, 16–25, majority male (but not by much). We have [skeptics], Muslims, Buddhists, everyone is welcome.

Pan Diman: "Is there anything specific you'd like to see or, perhaps, even request from VRChat that would ensure a positive experience and help you with your activities?"

PastorBrock: "I would love to see event scheduling like [AltspaceVR] does. Also, we've had problems with hackers/trolls/client users, so greater security would be welcome. Maybe an invite your whole friends list button would be nice. That would save me some time."