Project Description

ZionSphere is a faith-technology organization dedicated to making immersive, theologically grounded Christian practices accessible to underserved youth across the United States. Through its Open Doors Program, ZionSphere deploys virtual reality (VR) technology to bring Scripture engagement, contemplative prayer, and narrative theology into youth programs serving rural, urban underserved, and low-income communities — free of charge to qualifying organizations.

The Need

An increasing number of young people — particularly those in economically disadvantaged communities — lack meaningful access to embodied, experiential Christian formation. Traditional programming often struggles to sustain engagement among youth who have grown up in a digital-first world. Simultaneously, the cost of emerging faith-tech tools places innovative resources out of reach for small churches, rural ministries, and community nonprofits. The Open Doors Program directly addresses this access gap.

Project Approach

ZionSphere's flagship VR experience, Jonah and the Whale, places young people inside a living biblical narrative as active participants rather than passive observers. Informed by established scholarly frameworks in embodied cognition, Ignatian contemplative tradition, narrative theology, and adolescent faith development, the experience is designed to support meaningful spiritual formation — not entertainment. Through the Open Doors Program, ZionSphere provides qualifying organizations with free VR hardware, full platform access, youth leader curriculum guides, and dedicated onboarding and technical support. The program's eligibility, vetting, and distribution model is developed and governed in partnership with the Christian Ministry Alliance (CMA), ensuring organizational accountability and equitable deployment.

Goals and Outcomes

Over the five-year grant period, ZionSphere aims to:

• Reach 5,000 youth across underserved communities nationwide
• Partner with 100+ youth-serving organizations (churches, schools, nonprofits)
• Deploy in at least 20 states, with priority given to rural and urban underserved regions
• Demonstrate measurable outcomes in Scripture engagement, spiritual curiosity, and community connection
• Produce and publish impact research in collaboration with academic partners

Organizational Capacity

ZionSphere operates as an early-stage organization with a functioning VR platform, an established fiscal sponsorship under CMA, and an emerging network of ministry and academic collaborators. The five-year grant period will fund core team expansion, hardware procurement, content development, and the infrastructure needed to scale the Open Doors Program to national reach. ZionSphere's leadership brings expertise in faith formation, technology development, and community engagement.

Alignment with Lilly Endowment's Mission

This proposal directly advances the Exploring Christian Practices Initiative by funding an innovative, access-expanding approach to historic Christian formation. ZionSphere does not replace traditional ministry — it extends it into spaces and communities that existing infrastructure has not reached. The Open Doors Program is community-building, theologically grounded, and designed for long-term sustainability beyond the grant period through earned revenue and ongoing partnerships.