What if we did football by multisite?

To show that I can do bad football analogies as well as anyone, I have been wondering lately what would happen if advocates of multisite churches applied their thinking to football.

From what we’re told about multisites and online churches…

1. We get just as much out of watching a video screen as being there in person
2. Participating in person wouldn’t really change the experience anyway
3. The leader is just as happy seeing me as an off-site statistic than seeing my face and hearing my voice
4. The leader doesn’t need to really know me, nor I him

If that logic is good enough for worship, shouldn’t it be good enough for football, which we’re told isn’t nearly as important?

1. Watching on TV is just as exciting as being there
2. Cheering from my couch affects the team just as positively as the folks who are cheering at the stadium
3. The coach and quarterback know that I’m with them when they review the Nielsen ratings the next day
4. The coach and QB would prefer that I never interact with them in real life

Besides #4, no-one believes that this is the case. Going to a game is such a different experience than watching on TV that we’ll pay lots of money for the opportunity to do it. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we so often find Perry Noble on the sidelines at Clemson football games, and his leaders in the stands (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

These guys obviously don’t believe that watching at home is as good as being there.

Except when it comes to church.

Ed Stetzer and Alan Hirsch on Multisite

Ed Stetzer says:

If you aren’t questioning multi-site, you aren’t thinking.

Hmmm. I guess we know who played on a basketball team that didn’t keep score.

credit for video to Out of Ur.