Everyone has a bucket list. You know, a list of items you want to do or accomplish before you “kick the bucket”. Whether you have written these things down or have just said to a friend “I would like to do ____ before I die”, all of us have a bucket list.
Most of my list consists of sporting adventures. I want to attend a super bowl. I want to attend the college football national championship game, when the Georgia Bulldogs are playing, and I want to make it to all 30 MLB stadiums to watch a game.
I am a huge baseball fan. I know, some of you are groaning right now thinking about how boring baseball is, but, when you study the game, when you played the game for three decades, it’s not a boring game, but an art you come to appreciate. I know, I have already lost some of you, but for those of you who are still tracking, stay with me here.
As I’ve completed one-third of this bucket list item, I have learned a ton about the game, life and the Church. I want to take a moment and share with you 5 things I’ve learned about the local church from visiting baseball stadiums.
One – People Attend For People, Not For Entertainment
Major League games are not like A, AA, or AAA games. There is very little entertainment at most Major League ballparks. There’s no overweight dads wrestling in sumo suits, there’s no dog Frisbee during the 5th inning and there’s no little kids racing each other around the bases during the 2nd inning stretch. Why are there none of those things? Because people don’t attend a MLB game for the entertainment, but to see people. They want to see the superstars, they want to see their heroes, they want to see the guys they look up too. Rarely do people attend a MLB game for the entertainment, but rather for the people.
The same is true with church. Fewer and fewer people are attending church because it’s entertaining, because the lights are cool or because the pastor has live tigers up on stage during his message. People attend church because of the community they find. People go to church because there are friends, mentors and family that they want to see…not because it’s entertaining.
Two – Community Buy-In Is Essential
The greatest ballpark I have been too is Fenway in Boston, MA. The reason it was the greatest ballpark is 1) I’m a huge Red Sox fan and 2) Everyone in the ballpark was a huge Red Sox fan. There was not a person who did have some type of Red Sox gear on their body. The community of Boston has truly bought in to the Red Sox, whether they are winning or losing.
In order for our churches to become more effective, more impactful, there must be buy-in from the community. Those who call the church home must be fully bought in, not just weekend consumers. They must be willing to give of their time, their money, and they must be willing to tell everyone else how much they love their church. Community buy-in is essential for a church to have a great impact.
Three – Without Directions, Visitors Will Get Lost
A couple months ago, I went to a game at O.co Coliseum, where the Oakland A’s play. I have seen this stadium on TV, I have dreamt of attending a game here, but when I pulled into the parking lot, I had no clue where to go.
We showed up late, like many visitors to our churches, and there wasn’t a person in sight. I had no clue where to park, no clue where the ticketbooth in and after being stopped by a large fellow who helped me understand that I was in the wrong place, I finally found the ticketing office and gate to enter.
After looking for signage, places to eat and other activities in the stadium (yes, the game was that boring), I finally gave up. I did come to the game to not only see the game, but to experience the ambiance of the stadium. I did not come to the game to walk 18 miles trying to find my way around.
I wonder if visitors to our churches feel the same way. Do they know where to park? Do they know where to take their kids, where the bathrooms are, how to get a cup of coffee?
Visitors should never be confused. They should feel like they are wanted and were expected to be there, but unfortunately, that is not the case for many visitors of today’s church.
Four – No One Wants a Visit To Result In Debt
Every time I visit a stadium, I am interested in finding out how much a hat or a hotdog or even something for one of my kids is going to cost me. What has amazed me, is that there seems to be no correlation between a winning team and how expensive a hotdog is. I don’t know how owners and management decide what to charge for items, but there seems to be some ballparks that are more expensive than others and no one wants to go in debt for a baseball game.
The same is true for churches. I have visited churches where I felt the freedom to give if I felt compelled and I have been in other churches where they took multiple offerings every Sunday. With many already believing that all churches want is our money, the best strategy for a Sunday morning, or anytime for that matter, is to help people view generosity as worship, not obligation. No one wants their visit to church to result in debt.
Five – People Want to Have Fun
Although I firmly believe my first point that people attend games for people, not for entertainment, I do believe that everyone attending any game wants to have fun. Fans want to clap, they want to laugh, they want to scream, they want to walk away from a game saying “That was a good time, let’s go back” even if their team lost.
Churches would do well to learn this point. No one wants to go to a church where everyone looks like they are attending a funeral. People want to laugh. People want to have fun. No one says “you should come to my church, the pastor is really boring, the music is terrible and the people look like they are dying, but you should check it out.” People engage in community where they are having fun and people want their church to be fun.
All of life has lessons for us to learn. Visiting MLB ballparks has taught me a ton, not just about baseball, but about life and the church world. These are just a few thoughts from being around the worlds greatest game.