Meet Rev. Craig Schwalenberg

We were lucky to catch up with Rev. Craig Schwalenberg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rev. Craig, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I love how the question assumes I have overcome the imposter syndrome. I think everyone experiences this to some level, and that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are times when I don’t feel like I’m in over my head, when I don’t feel a bit of uncertainty just waiting to become full-blown panic, when I’m not worried people will realize I have no idea what I’m doing. Those times are usually when I’m in the middle of doing my thing– whatever that current “thing” is. Those times are often after I’ve finished leading a worship service, officiating a rite of passage, completed a presentation / workshop, or packed up an intense role-playing game session. When I’m doing it–I’m in the moment and it feels like an amazing ride. When I’m finished, I’m usually thinking of what I could have done better or smiling at meaningful interactions. But before? Before, I’m always wondering if I’m good enough, smart enough, creative enough, professional enough. If I’m lucky, it is a small feeling– easily addressed by reviewing what I have planned and remembering how many times I’ve done this. I don’t find the imposter syndrome to be a bad thing. It reminds me that I care and that what I’m doing matters.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an ordained Unitarian Universalist Community Minister. I started my ministry serving congregations both big and small. Received training and volunteered as a part of the UU Trauma Response Ministry team. Though, it could be said that I’ve been doing that sort of ministry as a volunteer since I was in high school (I just didn’t think of it as a ministry back then.) I’m a life-long game enthusiast and an experienced role-playing game moderator, trained in therapeutic game mastering. As a community minister, I look for ways to serve the wider community.

As Your Game Minister, I help people
• explore the spirituality of play
• use games to promote discovery, growth, and healing
• build community, practice cooperation, and have fun

Playing games is both an educational and a spiritual activity. Games help us learn about the world, our selves, the rules, communication, cooperation. They promote problem solving, creativity, and imagination. They can build community and strengthen connections. Games exist for every level of capability and every interest– and I love helping people people find the right game (or games) for their particular needs. Games help us explore who we are, who we want to be, and how we want to be in the wider world. And, most importantly, games are FUN.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Empathy – I have always been an empathic person. Being able to feel what others are feeling lends to greater understanding, sympathy, and acceptance. It has also motivated me to want to help people and make things better whenever and wherever I can.

Communication – I am a skilled communicator. When I was a kid, I exasperated my parents by talking to everyone I could when we were out and about. I spoke to our neighbors, the mailperson, the sales clerk, the omelet chef in the buffet line, the golden retriever behind the picket fence. I like talking to people. I like listening to them. I like to hear their stories and tell them mine.

Fun / Sense of Humor – My wife and I have several mottos, one of which is “We bring the fun.” I was raised by parents that like to play game, tell jokes, and laugh often. We are each responsible for the way we are in the world. I like my world to be filled with fun and laughter– when it is possible and appropriate.

A fourth that you didn’t ask for– being creative. Whatever style of art and creation that grabs your attention, whatever brings you joy, do that. Tell stories, Crochet scarves. Paint portraits. Carve sticks. Personally, I like doodling on rubber duckies. Creating is both a grounding and a freeing act. If you want to be better at what you do, if you want to be better at just being you, do something creative on a regular basis.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Being a community minister is inherently challenging. (All vocations have their challenges, of course.)
It is often referred to as entrepreneurial ministry. Which is a big word way of saying, “you gotta find ways to get paid.” I offer a lot of different services as Your Game Minister– but I have to hustle to get the word out to the people who might want them or benefit from them. Congregations in need of a pop-in pulpiteer (a guest preacher). Role-Players in search for an experienced GM (game master or game moderator). Educators or community organizers looking to add safe gaming to their classrooms and/or gatherings. Reaching them and letting them know what I can offer is a constant struggle.

One of my great joys is combining my game experiences with my trauma response and therapeutic game mastering training in what I call Pastoral RPGs. The Role-Playing Game sessions are tailored to the player’s goals and needs, promoting self-discovery, growth, ego strengthening, and spiritual development. But it is such a new concept and so few people are offering the service, most people don’t know it exists or how it can benefit them.

I help people every week find the right game for their personal and spiritual needs. In-person, on-line, one-on-one, with families, congregations, community groups, and folks meeting for the very first time– I’m Your Game Minister. Find me at YourGameMinister.com and let’s get started. Life is an amazing, complex, cooperative, game filled with both serious challenges and joyful fun. Let’s play it together– It’s your turn…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://YourGameMinister.com
• Facebook: YourGameMinister
• Youtube: Your Game Minister @yourgameminister
• Other: Blue Sky @yourgameminister.bsky.socialemail: yourgameminister@gmail.com