Eirene is Jed Chun's personal blog, hosted by Joy Is Found. It's a reflective blog that he started with the intention of finding joy and renewing his awe of God in his everyday life as well as the places and things that are around him. He explores a variety of topics in relation to faith such as food, mental health, travel and relationships.
Disclaimer: A little (ok maybe a lot) of my nerdiness bleeding into this post.
Pokémon GO is the newest craze and for many of us, especially millennials, we are one step closer to becoming the Pokémon master we always dreamed about being as a kid. I’m a pretty avid player myself and I have definitely bought into this hype—and the hype is quite real. I had to run some errands today and it took me on some unexpected adventures which, in addition to the wandering observations that I’ve made, led me to the question, “Can I catch Pokémon for the glory of God?” After some deliberation and discussion during my home group meeting today, the answer is a very definitive “yes.”
I’m sure by now you’ve probably seen a headline that says something about Pokémon GO. Whether it’s about how people are actually walking around and exercising, or how people are using it for criminal mischief, we’ve probably all seen something. If you’ve got connections with some Christian circles, you’ve probably also seen the headlines about how people are going to churches at a record rate—which is awesome, BUT it’s not quite what I’m talking about (well maybe partially, but mostly not). Personally, I think there are better ways of engaging this emerging culture than putting up lures at churches and hoping people will stop by to listen to the Gospel (not to say that God can't/won't work in this way). It requires much more effort. Probably the same amount of effort (if not more) than it takes to catch and train a good Pokémon in Pokémon GO. So if you’re going to go on a Pokémon safari tonight, or anytime this week/month, I would really hope that you consider some of the following things that I’ve thought about. But even if you’re not, these are some good principles for reaching out to people in general. *If you’re not familiar with Pokémon GO terminology, I’ve included some definitions at the end of this post.
I vividly remember the first day that I installed Pokémon GO. I had played the game during its beta test period, and I was extremely excited for the official release. After I downloaded it, I caught Charmander as my starter and headed to the Pokéstop down the street. As I walked down the road, I noticed a lot of people walking with their phones out, and usually NO ONE walks down my street. I thought to myself, “Gee, that’s odd, there’s so many people walking around.” Then I noticed people started pointing their phones in random directions, in that instant, I knew exactly what was going on. Anyone who has played Pokémon GO can relate to that giddy feeling inside when you first realize that other people are being just as ridiculous as you are. And suddenly, you feel like you’re a part of something big (that’s another blog post in the future—the desire of belonging, it’s on my list I swear). However, it wasn’t until later that night that I was truly flabbergasted at what I thought this game would become. I went over to my local park and I saw the largest gathering of people I had ever seen there, with the only exception being a city festival. So far, I have not been disappointed with just how big this game has become. Everywhere I go I see people walking around with their phones out pointing into space and looking around. There’s a funny sense of happiness that comes with it that makes me feel and think, “ah, this is what I dreamed about when I watched Pokémon growing up as a kid.”
Anyway, back on topic. Having played GO for about a week now, I’ve been doing some thinking. After being challenged to think about what practical missions looked like at my home group this week, I realized that Pokémon GO is another avenue through which we, as Christians, can share the Gospel. For those of you that play, you might have picked up on my comment about dropping lures at churches. Well, unfortunately, missions isn’t quite that simple, and while God might choose to use that as an avenue to reach the lost, there are better ways. I hate using numbers but I can’t really seem to organize my thoughts more concisely, so here’s a few ways we can use Pokémon GO as a tool for furthering the Kingdom.
1. Learn to love people more than you love catching Pokémon
This first one is important. Often times we need to re-examine ourselves and ask, “How can I care so much about this but not care about the people who are lost around me?” Let’s face it, you probably love playing this game. If you’ve gone to sit at a Pokéstop, you’ve probably spent more time waiting for Pokémon than you’ve spent waiting for food this week, and the latter is kind of something that most of us love. You’ve also probably spent more time with your app open than you’ve spent talking to some of your friends. Since you’ve made sacrifices for a bunch of digital (albeit very cute) animated characters, why can’t you make the same kinds of sacrifices and love the people in your immediate vicinity? While telling people where the nearest rare Pokémon is can bring them momentary happiness, leading them to a relationships with an ever loving God will bring them eternal joy. What better way to do this than by….
2. Make new friends by being a regular at a Pokéstop
Without a good relationship with a person, it is pretty difficult to talk about spirituality, let alone the Gospel. So the precursor is often becoming friends with a person. In this last week, I’ve interacted with more strangers than I have within the entirety of the last year (earlier this week I had a really funny conversation with a guy who worked at the mall) and I’ve seen a few of them on more than one occasion. With the sheer number of people congregating at Pokéstops, especially ones with lures, they are great places to meet new people. Since you’re all there for the same reason, you already know you have at least one thing in common to start off the conversation! Pro-tip (for both Pokémon and Missions): If you don’t know where to look for a Pokéstop with a lure, check your nearby parks for stops that are relatively close together around dinner time or shortly after.
3. Re-establish old friendships
If your experience has been like mine, you’ve probably run into at least one person you haven’t seen in awhile/don’t talk too much on one of your excursions (especially if you’ve moved back to your hometown, and no I’m not talking about Pallet Town). Even if you haven’t, I’m sure there is at least one person you’re connected to on social media that made you go, “Oh, Hey! They’re playing too!” Or maybe you’ve talked about it with some old friends of yours who were into Pokémon back in the day. I’ve hung out with some friends that I haven’t hung out with in a while, and although I haven’t really gotten to catch up with them as much as I would have liked, we were still able to to catch up on some things, and have already planned another Pokémon outing in the near future. I’m sure more opportunities will continue to present themselves with subsequent Pokémon safaris. However none of this will work unless you….
4. Be Intentional
While Pokémon GO is a great reason to hang out with people and a great way to engage people in your community, you need to be clear about your purpose; sharing the Gospel and the Good News of Christ. But in order for us to get to that point, it also has to be about developing genuine relationships with people and learning to love and care for them the same way that Jesus did. At the core of evangelism, your heart needs to be in a place where you are authentically interested in this person and want to be a part of their life. I sincerely believe that if you love a person first, sharing your love for Christ and His love for them will be a lot easier, and if that love manifests itself in the form of a lure module, then so be it. But, don’t just leave it there—share a meal, be a friend, and share Jesus.
Anyway, just a few of my thoughts, for whatever they’re worth. Make sure you keep an eye out on your surroundings and be safe out there!
Grace and peace,
Jed
*Lures: Lures are special Pokéstops that lots of Pokémon flock to for a limited time. You can create a Lure by dropping a Lure Module, which can be purchased in the in-game store.
*Pokéstop: Special landmarks that yield rewards, including XP, Pokéballs and potions (items you need in the game).