The Dungeon Master Pastor is a fundraiser for
Seeds Project Ministry

Donate

HELP FUND TABLETOP MINISTRY

I’m Rory Philstrom and I’m the Dungeon Master Pastor. Over the last eight years I have been using Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games (Cypher System and 10 Candles are other favorites) as a medium for ministry. In a tabletop roleplaying game like D&D, players take on the role of a fictional character. This character is often one they have created themselves and can be capable of doing amazing and fantastic things like fighting dragons or wielding magic or supernatural powers. While playing these games, people cooperatively create an imaginative and original story, with the success or failure of particular actions being determined by rolls of many-sided dice. The Dungeon Master (or Game Master in non-D&D systems) plays the role of narrator and referee, adjudicating the results of those roles and providing interesting story hooks for players to follow.

Games like D&D are a potent ministry tool. I use them for teaching young people about Bible stories and key Biblical personages by having them play as those people and encountering the drama of the Biblical story first-hand. I also use roleplaying as a valuable means for practicing virtues, giving players a space to explore what it’s like to live more courageously into their core values. I use these games as tools for identity exploration and empathy building, as players can inhabit characters and encounter others that are vastly different from themselves as they are today. Finally, I use tabletop roleplaying games in ministry as a great vehicles for building relationships and community.

Our Story

Ministry today looks different than in the past. Every day, new leaders are emerging who are eager to cultivate new forms of Christian community through innovative ministries. These leaders are developing new ways of being church in a changing world. The Holy Spirit is at work through them, but the established church structures aren’t necessarily designed to support and connect them. That leaves many of these leaders feeling isolated, disconnected, and in need of support, encouragement, and resources.

That’s where the Seeds Project comes in. The Seeds Project supports innovative leaders, through a fully-funded fellowship, who are called to cultivate Christian faith in an age in which people are likely to seek the good without God. One Seeds Project alum described it as an, “opportunity for faith innovators who are committed to their call to serve Jesus ... and are looking for creative and original ways to do it.” Another alum said the Seeds Project for them was, “a place for growth, a place for creative thinking, and a place truly for innovation.” 

This year’s Seeds Project Fellows need your help to get their ministries off the ground. For the first time ever, you will have an opportunity to directly support new and innovative ministry projects designed by the Seeds Project Fellows.

You can support any of the Seeds Project Fellows’ ministries. Follow along with the fellows through March 2024 as your gifts are put into action and see the real-life impact your generosity can have for Christian communities across the country.

Donate