The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and unexpected medical bills for his wife caused Clayton to explore other ways of earning income. He began streaming just to see if it was even a viable option, and Midwestern even allowed him to use his cubicle at work to create his streaming content.
After a couple of months, Clayton gained a few thousand followers, and became an official Facebook Gaming Partner, essentially an employed content creator for the social media giant.
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Clayton said Facebook did not ask him to change his content at all; he could continue to talk about Jesus in his videos. And the ministry is often hard.
One tragic situation he recalled was of a young woman expecting twins who would often watch his livestreams and leave comments.
Clayton noticed when the woman stopped watching. Eventually, her brother joined one of his streams to deliver the news that the woman had taken her own life and asked for prayer for the family.
Using his training in biblical counseling, Clayton said he tries to step into difficult situations like that one and provide the hope of Christ.
“I want to be there for people who are going through their ‘valley of the shadow of death,’ experience,” Clayton said.
“I want to do my part to curate online content and try to build a platform that will essentially reach and treat the online community like a mission field.”
In another situation, Clayton ministered to a man through his girlfriend’s unplanned pregnancy. The child is now just over a year old. Another time, he had the opportunity to lead a fellow gamer to the Lord.
When situations like this arise, Clayton said he encourages the people he meets online to find a church in their area to attend in person and will sometimes help them do so.
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“The online streams will end,” Clayton said. “Having these conversations with me may feel good in the moment, but to have somebody who proclaims the Word over your life on a weekly basis, to have a group of saints that stir your affections to Jesus and hold you accountable, I can’t do those things online.
“That’s not what I’m here for and that’s not my goal. There is no excuse, and there are multiple reasons why you need to be involved with a local church. I can’t reach everybody in every community, but we can make disciples who make disciples. The Kingdom of God doesn’t rest and fall on my ability.”
Despite the unconventional nature of his position, Clayton said he cannot ignore his burden for the lost among the online community.
“Most of the younger generation from under 40 years old to young kids are spending a majority of their time online and on social media platforms, and we as Christians are commissioned to be conduits of grace and ambassadors of the Kingdom,” Clayton said.
“I can sit here and complain about the forum itself, or I use the things and avenues of the online world to reach people. I will never say all of those people in the online community are not worth it. These people aren’t coming to church, so how will they know unless someone goes and preaches to them?”
This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.
