I love baseball.

But in recent years, it’s become increasingly more difficult for me to sit through an entire Twins game. Games last too long — walks, strikeouts, and home runs were the typical three outcomes.

When a batter did hit the ball, third basemen playing in right field would easily make plays that used to be hits. Joe Mauer went from sure-fire Hall of Famer to a guy who couldn’t buy a hit because of the shift by defensive players.

Strategy is one thing. It felt like baseball transformed into a stale and slow product because analytics proved each change could increase a team’s chance at winning.

Whispers about the long-term viability of the sport were inevitable. How would baseball survive?

This offseason, adjustments were made.

Drastic shifts are banned. Pitch clocks installed — literally timers to throw each pitch as quickly as possible. Bases are bigger to reduce injury risks and encourage stolen bases.

There were significant fears: “What are they doing to the game?!” and “Baseball has never had a clock!”

I get it. Change can be hard.

But something happened when the rules went into place.

The game of 2023 looks eerily similar to the games from 90’s and earlier. The pace is faster — games finish in less than three hours. More action is taking place.

Some traditionalists, who were at first afraid of drastic change, now observe that the game feels like the one they grew up loving.

It’s not perfect, but a pivot to make the game move faster has yielded positive early results.

I also love the church.

In recent years, many discussions I have or read about are afraid of the decline in churches. Whispers about the long-term viability of churches are inevitable. How will churches survive?

Dare I speculate that the answer might be to rip a page out of the baseball notebook?

I don’t suggest more regulation or creating new laws that would impose beliefs upon others. That strategy seems to make people less trusting of churches. It makes me less trusting of churches!

What I do recommend is returning to our roots.

What if the church was more intentional to follow the example of the earliest disciples of Jesus?

Loving our neighbors — which includes our enemies. Caring for the vulnerable. Welcoming those who are on the margins of society.

The headlines last week included neighbors being shot at for ringing the wrong doorbell, turning around in a driveway, having a ball go in their yard, opening the wrong car door, or the Minnesota Deputy Officer Joshua Owen killed in the line of duty for responding to a domestic disturbance.

 

There is a catastrophic loss of trust in society.

What if churches focused on cultivating more trust and belonging in our communities?

What if churches focused on compassion and empathy? When we are judgmental and intolerant, what if we taught self-awareness of how destructive those feelings are to neighbors?

What if, instead of fearing our neighbors, churches helped build relationships and created fellowship?

What if, instead of assuming the worst of others, we put forth our best efforts to demonstrate trustworthiness and kindness?

What if, instead of targeting communities — like the recent backlash directed at the trans community — we recognized the humanity of every individual we encounter?

What if this happened? Would our fears about survival and relevance go away?

Change can be hard. But through authenticity to our faith traditions, the change we need might be the change that’s been staring us in the face this whole time.

Pastor John is a monthly contributor for the Forest Lake Times. This article appears in the April 27th issue.