Daniel Bates couldn’t believe his eyes. But there it was, tucked between a pastel row of cafés and cobblestone alleys in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia — a friendly local game store. The International Mission Board missionary grabbed his wife, Heather, and derailed their shopping trip.
“If there’s a game shop, then there are gamers here,” Daniel said, energized by the discovery in their new city. He pulled Heather through the door and into a world alive with colorful miniature role play scenes and towers of board game boxes.
Daniel loves playing board games.
Heather? She played them in the past but wasn’t at the same die-hard level when she and Daniel were younger. So early in their marriage, Daniel went to the local coffee shop or game store to play with other enthusiasts. He used those game nights in Wake Forest, North Carolina, to share the gospel.
Finding their people
Finding a game shop in Slovenia wasn’t just fun, it was a gamechanger for the missionaries. They found their people.
It had been hard for the missionary family to make close local friends when North Wake Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina, first sent them to Slovenia through the IMB. Their Slovenian language skills were still a work in progress, so most interactions with parents at the kids’ school or with neighbors stayed polite and surface-level.
But in this game shop, the connection through board games was immediate. The owner invited Daniel to join a weekly game night in another town. The distance wasn’t an issue. Slovenia, after all, is roughly the size of New Jersey, and the gaming group drew people from every direction. They used a Discord channel to keep in touch during the week.
Where friendships grew
Discord was once mainly a gamers’ chat platform, but is now a gathering place for every possible niche. It became a digital living room where Daniel checked in throughout the week. It’s where friendships grew after game night ended.
“We use different social platforms — Reddit, WhatsApp, Messenger, Discord — as part of our digital engagement strategy for ministry. This is where people gather, so we want to be there too,” Daniel said. “We’ve found most will never talk to you in person, but they will chat on the computer with you.
“But taking these relationships from digital to physical is hard,” he continued. “That’s what made this gaming group so different. It’s hybrid. They meet physically and use their Discord channel to keep in touch during the week.”
As Daniel interacted in person and online, he became a part of the clan. They shared strategies and swapped stories. He found that many were hungry for authentic conversations and relationships. In this space, the missionary asked questions about religious beliefs and shared his own faith in Jesus Christ. One player even asked to meet one-on-one, giving Daniel the opportunity to share the full gospel.
Through this group, Daniel and Heather caught a glimpse into Slovenian young adult culture. They were board-game obsessed. Shops like the one downtown rented out games.
“We began thinking of how we can use this to reach our city,” Daniel said. “Gaming culture isn’t really about the games. It’s about being in a group and connecting over something. It really fits this need for authenticity we are seeing.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sue Sprenkle and originally published by the International Mission Board.
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