Born again meets Second Life

By Carla Hinton

Published: April 6, 2007

A church known for thinking outside the box has made a giant leap outside this world.

Edmond-based Life Church has opened a virtual ministry in Second Life, an Internet-based virtual world where people interact and participate in activities as avatars: 3-D personas they create.

Bobby Gruenewald, Life Church's pastor-innovation leader, said the ministry has been offering its Second Life church since mid-March. He said the church plans to offer "live” Easter services at the virtual church on Sunday.

The increasingly popular virtual world is akin to the Sims computer games — only it's not a game, but more like a culture, he said.

Avatars, controlled by their real life counterparts, can walk into the virtual church and pick up and don a free Life Church T-shirt. They can watch the previous week's sermon by Life Church senior pastor Craig Groeschel on one of several kiosks in the lobby or on a video screen in the auditorium. And like people attending one of Life Church's several Easter worship experiences, avatars can gather at the church for a live holiday worship experience through www.LifeChurch.tv.

Of course, avatars can do other things they can't do in real life, like fly from room to room with the aid of a computer mouse or grab a virtual inner tube to float in the water around the church's island.

It is all part of what he believes is a growing, Net-savvy, social networking culture.

"It's really a mainstream version of what I think is going to happen to the Web in the next 10 years,” he said.

Church leaders said the virtual church is designed to enhance the church experience for people all around the world who are already logging onto the church's Internet campus.

Gruenewald said Second Life has drawn more than 3 million people to its virtual realm, and the number living second lives through their avatars is climbing rapidly.

Second Life bustles with activity — why not add ministry?

"People argue whether or not God is present in the virtual world,” he said. "Our philosophy is that every character is represented by a real person. Each real person has a soul.”

Gruenewald, 30, said nondenominational Life Church anticipates countering evil in the virtual world just as it battles negative elements in the real world. By establishing a presence in Second Life, the church is offering an alternative to pornography and perversion the digital world has already attracted, he said.

"We feel like it's actually unbiblical not to be in places where those things exist,” Gruenewald said. "We want to be present where people need to hear about Christ.”

Leaders already have dealt with crude antics: A female avatar walked into the virtual church naked. Gruenewald said she complied with his request, as site owner, that she leave the premises.

"It doesn't come without its challenges. It's definitely a new frontier, so it's kind of raw,” he said.

The unrefined nature of Second Life didn't deter Gruenewald from exploring its possibilities for ministry back in 2005 when he downloaded its free software and created his avatar, "Bobby Simon.”

A brief Internet search shows that other churches — Pentecostal, Roman Catholic and Unitarian Universalist, among others — also have established a ministry presence in Second Life.

Cory Miller is an Oklahoma City Southern Baptist whose Web site aims at connecting churches with technology. His blog featured on his site, churchcommunicationspro.com, recently mentioned Life Church's foray.

During a telephone interview, Miller said he thinks the Oklahoma church is pioneering a new Internet frontier.

"There is an entire population that is wrapping their world around it,” Miller said of Second Life. "Life Church is totally paving some new ground.”

He said he expects Life Church's latest venture will draw its share of criticism.

"It's the pioneer spirit to say, ‘We want to go into the entire culture and share the Gospel.' As far as technology goes, or anything, it boils down to the particular DNA of your church. A lot of what Life Church is doing fits their DNA, their core, who they are.”

Gruenewald said there are two main areas of criticism.

Some argue that Second Life is a waste of time, he said.

"The argument is because people can hide behind an avatar, they can pretend to be anything and they're not real. What we believe is those same inhibitions may make them more comfortable asking questions about God and learning about God as an avatar.”

Gruenewald said others argue that Christians should stay far from virtual worlds.

"Ten years ago, churches were asking ‘Why do we need a Web site?' Now they're asking ‘Why do you want to be a part of the metaverse (virtual worlds).' Ten years from now, churches will look back and view that question as silly.”