The Church is moving into the Metaverse by giving an immersive experience to the faithful with their 3D reality. The Covid-19 pandemic made way for people to be available online and religious services are coming to their doorsteps. Virginia resident Garret Bernal and his family, who are quarantined after contracting Coronavirus missed attending their ‘real-life’ Sunday Mass.
However, their local Church informed them about a new concept of ‘worship in the Metaverse’. The Bernal family then strapped on a virtual reality (VR) headset and explored their prayer service like no other.
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Bernal revealed that the experience was ”immersive” and he saw himself floating in a 3D outer-space with the Pastor. The background he explained also included rocky cliffs and rivers with computer-generated Biblical passages showing across the screen.
“I couldn’t have had such an immersive church experience sitting in my pew. I was able to see the scriptures in a new way,” said Bernal to NZHerald. “The most important aspect to me, which was very real, was the closer connection with God that I felt in my short time here,” he said.
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Another devotee from Scotland, Biff Tannen, said that he prefers Metaverse to go to the Church. “For example here in Scotland it’s cold, it’s wet, it’s not very nice outside. But here I am sitting in this beautiful church with my heating on”.
What Is Metaverse Church?
The Metaverse service was provided by VR Church which was launched by D.J. Soto sometime in 2016. However, the concept didn’t kick-start back then but the Covid-19 lockdowns brought it to the forefront. VR Church touts itself as immersed “entirely in the Metaverse to celebrate God’s love for the world.”
D.J. Soto, a former high school teacher, and pastor claim he preaches to over 200 people in the Metaverse Church. ”The future of the church is the metaverse,” he said.
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Soto also specified that physical gatherings should remain but VR needs to go hand-in-hand with it. “It’s not an anti-physical thing. I don’t think the physical gatherings should go away. But in the Church of 2030, the main focus is going to be your Metaverse campus.”
The rise of the Metaverse Church is also paving the way to ‘VR Evangelists’. They’re a group of new preachers who want to get away from the brick-and-mortar way of preaching.