Reversing Rick Warren's Baseball Diamond

First off, it was good to hear that your health is improving, Ben!  Keep us posted.

Second, as we pulled back from our conversations the last few weeks about "religion" and "Christianity," Caleb Maskell suggested we might read Jeffrey Pugh's book, Religionless Christianity: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Troubled Times.  I asked if he could preview it first, which he's doing.  But I ordered a copy.  As of page 50 or so, it's dynamite.  I'll keep you posted.

I spent the early part of my week in a gathering for pastors of large churches (which no doubt has some intriguing context, given our recent conversation about house churches).  Our presenter was Adam Hamilton, the pastor of the largest United Methodist church in the country, Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City.  He gave me lots of food for thought.  Some things struck me as appropriate to Kansas City that wouldn't translate.  Some things struck me as appropriate to a mega-mega-church (they run about 9,000 or so on a Sunday) that perhaps I should forswear until they were clearly relevant to us.  But much was really provocative, and I'd love to pass on one of those thoughts for your consideration.

He talked about Rick Warren's baseball diamond analogy for discipleship.  (We use a heavily-modified form of it in Boston.)  Warren's premise is that discipleship flows like this.  You get converted to Jesus.  You join others in your journey (a church or, better still, a small group).  You learn more about discipleship.  You discover your spiritual gifts.  You minister to others.

Hamilton said his experience is the complete inverse.  Secular people start to minister alongside people who follow Jesus.  Then they learn more about themselves as a result.  Then they learn more about biblical discipleship.  Then maybe they start to come to church.  Then they think, "Hey, maybe I want to do this" and they start to follow God.

His case in point was a provocative one.  Their church supported a large food bank.  They encouraged each member to hand door hangers on their neighbor's doors.  If they were bold, they could ring the bell and talk to the neighbor about it.  If not, they could just leave the door hanger.  It said, effectively, "Hey, I'm your neighbor.  My church, Church of the Resurrection, is doing a food drive for a local food bank.  If you'd like to participate, I'll drop by on Saturday.  Leave a shopping bag on your porch and I'll collect it.  If you'd like to learn more, call me.  Thanks so much."  And that's it.  He encouraged his people to pray for each household when they left the door hanger.  When he himself went around to his neighbors, he did ring each bell.   Every neighbor but one participated in the food drive.  And he asked each, as he was leaving, "Are there things I can pray for for your family?"  Everyone took him up on the prayer, and he prayed in person with most, with many of them crying as he did and saying that was the first time anyone had ever prayed with them.  Many of those neighbors have ended up in their church.

His point?  Inviting people to join in low-bar mission is the way to go in terms of "sharing your faith," as opposed to spending much time persuading people they believe the wrong thing.

I found that really provocative.  What do you think?