Metaverse Church NEXT Summit
Metaverse Church NEXT
On Demand Replay Available Soon
THE METAVERSE IS UPON US!
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- What is the metaverse?
- What is the Church currently doing in the metaverse?
- What is the potential of the metaverse in relation to the Church and its mission?
Featured Guests
THE METAVERSE IS UPON US!
-
- What is the metaverse?
- What is the Church currently doing in the metaverse?
- What is the potential of the metaverse in relation to the Church and its mission?
Adam Graber
Adam Graber (@AdamGraber) is a digital theology consultant for FaithTech and co-host of the Device & Virtue podcast. For FaithTech, Adam leads research on missional tech trends, exploring emerging technologies and assessing their impact and opportunity for Christian organizations. Holding an M.A. in digital theology and a B.A. in psychology, Adam is a coach at Wheaton College’s Center for Faith and Innovation, and has created tech courses for Northern Seminary and Fuller Seminary. He speaks regularly on everything from the metaverse to evangelism chatbots. He has written for Christianity Today, The Bulwark, Relevant, Christ and Pop Culture, and other publications. He worked in Bible publishing for over a decade and still gets Netflix DVDs by mail.
Mindy Caliguire
Mindy is the co-founder and president of Soul Care (www.soulcare.com), a spiritual formation ministry that exists to increase “soul health” in the body of Christ. She serves in senior leadership for Cherith Analytics, and in the past has served in executive leadership at Gloo (www.gloo.us), and at the Willow Creek Association (WCA). She speaks and advises organizations including Stadia Church Planting and various churches and ministries across the US and beyond. The Soul Care team serves organizations including Christ Church of the Valley, Dallas Theological Seminary, Plum Creek Church, and more. Mindy’s books include Discovering Soul Care and Spiritual Friendship from InterVarsity Press and STIR: Spiritual Transformation in Relationships from Zondervan (HCC).
Michael Uzdavines
Pastor Michael Uzdavines was born in New Jersey and moved to Florida with his family at the age of 13. As a young boy, Michael enjoyed computer programming, playing video games, playing baseball and hockey, and eventually played college baseball. Michael went to law school at the University of Florida and met his wife, Marilyn, there. They have been married for 17 years and have four children: Franco, Angelina, Valentina, and Liliana. After 10 years of practicing law, Michael felt a calling on his life to be in full-time ministry. Michael earned his Masters in Divinity from Liberty University and later his M.B.A. from University of Florida. For the last ten years, in his free time, Michael has been developing games and programs to help spread the gospel of Jesus. His passion is reaching out to the lost and unchurched through video games and in the digital space. Michael and his family have lived in South Florida for the last nine years where they enjoy going on family bike rides, day trips to the beach, playing tennis, and playing games together.
L.Michelle Salvant
As CEO of LMichelleMedia.co, I am dedicated to helping clients identify and implement “Media That Moves You Forward!” Our company works with churches/ministries, non-profits, businesses, schools, etc., to help them find dynamic ways to communicate their stories. Emerging media is our speciality, and we use a “Media Made Simple” approach to coach you and develop you into your best digital self. LMichelleMedia.co is built on Christian principles, and we attribute all of our success to being a business that started as a “God-idea!”
Currently we have more than 15 years of electronic/digital media experience, including web/social content development and distribution, certified digital life coaching, and specialty media trainings for ministries and youth. At the end of the day, we see everyone we work with as partners in our overall mission of changing lives for the better.
DJ Soto
Believing that faith is renewed as people engage with the good news of God’s love on new technology platforms, D.J. Soto began preaching in the metaverse in 2016. Originally thinking they would plant physical churches, they soon realized a new vision to plant churches in the metaverse. He is now the Bishop of Virtual Reality Church and MMO Church, which are futuristic church expressions that is intended to be radically inclusive and consistent with Christianity’s long history of adapting to new forms of media.
Host
Jeff Reed
In June 2000, Jeff led his first online Bible study, taking 75 people from around the world through the book of James using a text-based system called Ultimate BB. He was doing digital ministry way before it was cool. Founding THECHURCH.DIGITAL in 2018, Jeff’s passions have evolved into helping churches (and individuals too!) find their calling through digital discipleship, releasing people on digital mission, and planting multiplying digital churches. This pursuit will expand as Jeff (and others) create the DigitalChurch.Network, an organic, decentralized network for digital expressions of church, globally. Jeff also serves as the Director of Metaverse Church NEXT for Leadership Network, and works closely with Exponential and other globally facing, multiplication-friendly, gospel-centric organizations. Jeff married his high school sweetheart, Amy, and has two kids and a dog. They live in Miami, Florida.