Early last week, Google announced the impending arrival of a cloud-based gaming system that could mark the end of console-based systems that have ruled since the early 1980s. If Google delivers everything it promises to deliver, the future of gaming will never be the same, and we hope they do deliver. We love Google, but we were as surprised as everyone else when on Tuesday, Google announced the name of this platform was Stadia.

These past few days, we’ve been having fun introducing unsuspecting gamers to our church planting mission (it’s easy to use the wrong handle in the Twitterverse). The reason there are hundreds of thousands of tweets and searches for @stadia right now is proof that something big and exciting is going on. Everything could be on the verge of changing for the better for the gaming community – but though less publicized, I think the same is true for church planting.

Big things are happening. We’re getting ready to change the whole world for the better through church planting. Planting five hundred new churches a year is no longer just a dream – we are confident it will happen in the very near future.

We need to be as excited as gamers are about the future of Stadia (Church Planting). Because honestly, if Google Stadia is great, Stadia Church Planting is even better. Here’s why:

1. Google Stadia promises that people can game anytime, anywhere, but Stadia Church Planting promises that you can plant anywhere God is leading you. There are cities all over the country that need Jesus. There are suburbs all over the country that need Him, too. There are farm towns and backcountry villages that need to know the hope and grace of Jesus. If you are called and affirmed as a church planter (and you can figure that out by starting your planting journey here!), Stadia is with you. We want to help you serve the community you love by providing world-class resources (for free!) so that you can be the hands and feet of Jesus in the place that makes your heart beat fast. Not sure where you’re passionate to plant yet? We can help with that, too! Email [email protected] to ask about areas that are in need of planters!

2. Google Stadia promises gamers new ways to play old games, but Stadia Church Planting promises proven ways to plant someone’s new home church. Church planting remains the most effective way to reach people with the hope of the gospel. Over our sixteen years as an organization, we at Stadia have honed our world-class portfolio of services to provide church planters with best practices for starting new churches. We like to say that we’re not perfect – we’ve just done it wrong enough times to know how to do it right! Planting with Stadia can help you avoid the pitfalls that lead to nearly 3,700 churches closing their doors each year. The project management, leadership development, and coaching planters receive help every church start off on a strong footing.

3. Google Stadia promises beautiful graphics and smooth gameplay, but Stadia Church Planting promises to be by your side as you navigate rough roads and see God’s beautiful provision. Church planting is hard work. There’s no way around that truth. That’s why Stadia’s project managers, bookkeepers, coaches, and assessors surround you with a support team. We are on your side as you face all the challenges church planting will inevitably throw at you. Your church planting journey begins with discovery and assessment, a four-day on-site intensive that evaluates your readiness to plant a church. Your journey continues on to a possible church planting residency, and then to your own church launch. There is no smoothly paved path forward for any church planter, but we will be by your side every step of the way. We’ll be there to rejoice with you as you experience God’s faithfulness over and over and over again.

4. Google Stadia promises that you can play instantly, but Stadia Church Planting promises that you can plant impactfully. Church planting isn’t the work of an instant. To plant a thriving, multiplying church, there are hundreds of tasks that must be accomplished before your first Sunday. Your excellent preaching won’t matter if you don’t have a space to meet in or an infrastructure for staffing or finances. Stadia’s project managers and bookkeepers help you walk the path at a quick but steady pace, ensuring that when you launch, you launch with a secure infrastructure that is ready to take the hope of Jesus to everyone in your community.

5. Google Stadia promises that it will always be improving, and so does Stadia Church Planting. Culture is constantly evolving, and the models of church planting that worked well 20 years ago are not always working smoothly now. While we are committed to the truth of Scripture, we are willing to change our approach, and to do so quickly, if it means planting more and better churches around the U.S. and around the globe.

6. Google Stadia will one day be obsolete, but Jesus never will be. Neither Google Stadia nor Stadia Church Planting are really a cause for celebration in and of themselves, because at the end of the day, what matters is introducing people to Jesus. Our goal is for people to know the True Source of joy, hope, peace, and life. What we really want to do is to help people find the One who created the minds of humans to be able to build technology and dream of ways to make the world a better place. And while Google’s new gaming platform Stadia is going to be really cool, and potentially even game-changing, the only thing that will last when this life is over is our relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s that relationship that Stadia Church Planting is fighting for everyday as we plant churches that intentionally care for children, and that relationship that will make waves throughout eternity.

So, you might find us playing Google Stadia in a few months (it really does sound cool!) – but we promise that you’ll definitely still find us planting churches years from now. Because we won’t stop until every child has a church.