E. I would never feel at home in such a large church . . .
Cell Parable: Major League Baseball
Rarely do people consider the advantages of a good Little League baseball game over Major League Baseball.
The Little League game is free. I attend with people I know and trust and we all can sit within 20 feet of the game. We all know each others’ names, jobs, families and situation. No strangers are present, except for the other team. We can bring coolers of food and drinks from home, and often share them with each other. The bleachers are comfortable or you can bring your own lawn chairs. Everyone can sit within a few feet of the players.
The Major League game is expensive. All the other people in the stadium are strangers who I don’t know or trust. You can’t bring food and drinks from home; you have to stand in line and pay a high price for food. You have to pay to park and there’s a huge traffic jam when the game’s over.
Last week I explained to the officials at a Major League baseball stadium that the game shouldn’t start until everyone in the stands had shaken hands and introduced themselves to each other so we wouldn’t be strangers. They thought I was a kook.
Obviously, there is no future to professional baseball when you have such great fellowship at the little league level. It’s cheap and it’s easy, and my kid is the star. Who could ask for anything more?
HOMEWORK Discussion Questions:
2.11 Have you ever been to a major league baseball game? What was the attendance?[1] Did it bother you to not know everyone else in the stadium? Was it enough to know the small group of people you attended the game with?
2.12 How would it make the experience different if you knew you would be separated from those you came with? If they were scattered throughout the stadium? What if your children were seated with strangers? What problems could you foresee? Would you have attended the game if you had been separated from your friends and family?
QUOTE [1]
NOTE
DISCERNMENT QUESTIONS
RESOURCES
[1] The quote is a selection from David O. Kueker’s Fuller Seminary Doctor of Ministry project submitted in September, 2007, entitled Diagnosis, Dialogue, and Decision: A Threefold Process of Revitalization For the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.
It is shared here in recognition of its 12th Anniversary along with comments to update and provide perspective on the material. The original project was a Training Manual/Study Guide of three Seminars supported by three chapters of research and an Introduction. The material is available for download at www.disciplewalk.com/Resources.html. In 2009 it was provided for purchase as a softcover book entitled Designing Discipleship Systems: Christian Disciple Making For Any Size Church, Any Theology through CreateSpace.com.
[2][3] [4][5] [6][7] [8]
All Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Please review the page How and Why We Use Quotes.
[1]Average attendance at Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 is 43,714. Average attendance at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs in 2007 is 39,135. From MLB Attendance Report: 2007, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance (accessed June 15, 2007).