Matt Souza (SouZy) co-founded XP Church, described as “the world’s first church for gamers.” The community launched as GodSquad Church in 2016 and rebranded in 2021. A lifelong gamer with a Biblical Studies degree, Souza streams gospel messages and community engagement on Twitch. His mission centers on helping “gamers move from virtual life to eternal life” alongside his wife Amanda.
A church that meets gamers where they already are
XP Church operates as a digital-first ministry, anchored on Twitch with a supporting Discord community where members gather for worship, teaching, prayer — and, yes, just to hang out and play together. The model deliberately inverts the usual church-and-small-group structure: the live stream is the Sunday service, and the Discord is the connective tissue that runs all week.
Why the rebrand mattered
The 2021 move from “GodSquad Church” to “XP Church” was a meaningful signal. The name XP — shorthand for both “experience points” in games and “Christ” (the early Christian chi-rho symbol ☧) — stakes out theological seriousness in a medium often written off as a hobby. It’s a bet that young gamers who never pictured themselves inside a traditional church building will still engage when the medium speaks their language.
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