For Joshua Clayton, talking to people about Jesus has always been a part of who he is, even while playing video games or creating online content.
He now uses these two passions together in his new role as “online missionary” at Claremore First Baptist.
Clayton began livestreaming his video game play during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Broadcasting the content was initially an attempt to earn extra income to pay for his wife’s unexpected medical bills.
After several months of livestreaming video game content, Clayton garnered more than 40,000 followers across a variety of social media including Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, Twitch and Discord.
He soon began averaging up to 10,000 views per video and reaching viewers from dozens of countries.
While he livestreams playing the games, Clayton is able to communicate with viewers as they post comments that appear on the side of the screen as he is playing.
These conversations often turn serious, and Clayton simply says what comes naturally.
He said, “I started making content for the purpose of taking care of my family, not to tell people about Jesus, but telling people about Jesus is just what I do and who I am.”
Claremore First Baptist noticed the impact Clayton was making and reached out to him about joining the church staff in a unique position to help bolster its online influence during the pandemic.