Open Air: Pokémon Go

The Pokémon Go app is a Christian’s dream! It gives you a crowd to a captive audience that spends most of their time just waiting around.

CLARKSBURG – As I’m sure you’ve heard, the new Pokémon Go app is all the rage. For those who don’t know, it is an augmented reality game that superimposes virtual creatures on real-life locations that players catch and battle. There’s about 5 key spots around the Harrison County Courthouse downtown Clarksburg. And the Courthouse itself is a gym for the Pokémon. The more folks that gather, the better the chance of Pokémons appearing. Add to that there are electrical outlets there that keep the players phones charged and you see why there’s such a crowd.

The Pokémon Go app is a Christian’s dream! It gives you a crowd to a captive audience that spends most of their time just waiting around. As they wait for battles or objectives to begin, they sit idle usually watching, hanging out, and gathering with friends.

Some are skeptical that it would do any good. Their justification would be that the Pokémon Go players are distracted and won’t pay attention. However to write this evangelistic opportunity off would be to deny the power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) and evidence an unbelief that God’s word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). We know that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). I found this right off the bat and throughout the evening as hecklers and God-haters (Romans 1:30) verbally showed their disgust for the saving message of the cross of Christ.

Some ideas for evangelism conversations to the Pokémon Go crowd are:

Main point: Works Righteousness
Big idea: Draw the parallel to how players must earn stardust in the game to how people try to earn their salvation.
Verses: Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-10

Main point: No Lives Matter Without Christ
Big idea: Staying with the stardust theme, you can segue to the idea of the atheist/evolutionist who believe we are nothing but stardust bumping into each other. Reference that the person has worth, value, and purpose only because we are all made in the image of God. And that with an unbelieving worldview, they cannot make a case for good or bad, but only with God can they have objective morality that in turn leads to all lives mattering. And God gives us a summary of His character (goodness) in the 10 Commandments.
Verses: Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:9-18, Romans 3:23-26

Main point: Hidden Treasure
Big idea: Draw the parallel to how players are searching for something important and that Christ is the only treasure that is worth finding that will satisfy.
Verses: Matthew 13:44, John 4:14

Main point: Sinful Heart
Big idea: Reference the definition of what Pokémon means; which is a Japanese contraction meaning “pocket monster”. Draw the parallel that their chest is the “pocket” and an unrepentant heart without Christ is the “monster” that hates God.
Verses: Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1:30, Genesis 8:21

And from there, it’s easy to make your way to the redemption part of the story which is the telling of the cross of Christ and His propitiation for us (Romans 3:23-26).

All in all, the Gospel message was heralded, tracts and a Bible were handed out, and some one-on-one conversations took place over the 3 hours I was there. I hope and pray that Christians reading this post will take the call that Christ gave us to “Go!” (Mark 16:15) and share the Gospel as seriously as our unsaved friends have taken Pokémon’s call to “Go!”.

Soli Deo Gloria!