Baseball Worship vs Soccer Worship
April 1, 1995
On Sunday mornings, it's a whole new ballgame. It is still easy to find those churches in which the preacher presents the sermon while the people sit passively, silently, and motionless. It is still possible to find churches in which the minister "presents the message" and tells the congregation when to pray, when to stand, when to sit, when to sing, when to be quiet, when to contribute money, and when to leave.
It also is still possible to find grandfathers and the occasional photographer who takes black-and-white still photographs of that new baby.
Increasingly common, however, are 8mm movie cameras and camcorders. Parents and children appear to prefer pictures that move to still photographs.
And in worship, one of the most significant changes that will affect churches in the decades to come is this: Motion and emotion are replacing passivity and the motionless presentation of the gospel.
BASEBALL OR SOCCER?
A useful analogy for describing this change is to look at the recreational preferences of 11-year-olds. Back in the 1930s, baseball and softball were favorite summer sports of young boys--and of a smaller number of girls, but the girls were expected to watch, not play.
Most baseball players spend a large portion of the game sitting on the bench or standing on the sidelines or standing in the field watching the pitcher and catcher throw the ball back and forth. Three or four or five fielders may go through an entire inning without touching the ball. For most of the players, baseball is a relatively passive, slow, and low-energy sport. It resembles the corporate worship of God in thousands of churches. A few people have an extremely active role, but most are passive participants.
Baseball and softball trained the 11-year-olds ...
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