Discipling Nerds: Geeks & Gamers in a Digital Community
I’m a nerd, and I love nerds, and that is why we have built a Nerd Ministry at the Tarleton Wesley.
For decades, there existed the Church and the Nerd Culture, and never the two shall meet. In fact, many Nerds have spent their lives being told that their hobbies are for kids and they need to grow up. Some have even been told that their passions and interests are a sin and that the Church wants no part of it.
We have special interest discipleship groups or even missionaries in some cases that are being sent to almost every culture in almost every country, in every language we can, except one of the largest and most unreached people groups in the world. That world is the world of gaming & Nerd Culture. When it comes to gaming, or video gamers, there are more than 3 billion gamers on the planet. Additionally, would you believe that Nerd Culture has outgrown Christianity by almost 1 billion people?
Discipleship is all about relationships. It’s about investing in the lives of those around you. Discipleship is “going into all the world,” even the digital world and building community. While a Ministry definitely can include a group of people meeting regularly to study the scriptures together, it can also mean a group of people gathering over some common ground, investing in one another, doing life together and organically discussing, debating, and dialoguing about the things of God and God’s Kingdom and how God is working in their life.
In this session, we will talk about Nerd Culture and how you can build a Nerd Ministry in your own ministry context.
- Friday, February 20, 2026
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10:10 - 11:00 AM CT/
11:10 - 12:00 PM CT - Classroom #S-126
- Breakout Session IA/IB
- Included with Exhibits Registration
Rev. Corey Moses is a Deacon in the United Methodist Church and has served as the Pastor and Director of the Wesley Foundation at Tarleton State University since 2017. He is passionate about bridging the gap between campus life and the church, meeting students where they already form community and meaning.
Known among his students as “Nerd Pastor Corey,” or NPC, Rev. Moses disciples young adults through digital and in-person spaces centered around gaming, fandom, and shared interests. Through platforms like Discord and the Wesley’s cross-platform nerd community, he engages movies, anime, and video games as entry points for relationship-building, spiritual conversation, and faith formation. His work demonstrates how digital communities can become meaningful contexts for discipleship rather than barriers to it.
Rev. Moses’ ministry is shaped by both deep pastoral commitment and everyday life. He and his wife, Katie, will celebrate twenty years of marriage this year and are the parents of two daughters, Cadence and Caroline. Whether connecting with students online, on campus, or during long hours on the open road on his bike, Rev. Moses is driven by the privilege of witnessing God’s transformative work in the lives of young adults and helping them discover belonging within Christian community.
Rev. Corey Moses
Pastor and Director
Wesley Foundation at Tarleton State University (United Methodist Church)