🎮 I wrote a dissertation on video games… about church.

Yes, I wrote a dissertation on video games and it was about the church too. Let me tell you about it. When I tell people my doctoral work was on gamification in the black church, most people laugh or they lean in. But here's the truth. Gamification is not about making the church a joke. It's about making the church interact. Gamification uses what makes video games powerful, feedback, creativity, progression and community. Now ask yourself, isn't that what Jesus did too? He gave people real time feedback. Your faith has made you well. He told stories that unlocked deeper truths. He sent people on missions, go and send no more. He formed teams, disciples, not solo acts. So I asked myself, what if the church stopped fighting for attention and started designing with intention? That's what led me to teach and now use AI now, because at the end of the day, the goal is not entertainment, it's engagement. Deep, spiritual, joyful engagement. So even at the church I pastor, we use some of these things. We've used real time polls and sermons. We use Bible study challenges. We have a passport to get people assimilated to our culture and points for active service. The result? People lean in, they participate, they grow. Because the church doesn't need gimmicks, it needs holy creativity. Gamification is one way to reflect the God who invites us to play in the story. So yes, let's play church. And if you want to learn more about it, I wrote a whole book on it called let's Play Gamifying African American Churches for Renewal. Get it on Amazon, go to my website, jaredleser.com let's have some fun in church. Stop thinking it has to be so stuffy. Let's play and let's see. God did some amazing things.