As we walked and walked throughout our stay I found myself comparing Disney and all its magic to the Fair Oaks Dairy Farm in Indiana. The rides and experiences don't compare but the closest connection is between people like me at Disney and the cows.
Disney does this incredible job of herding us like they do the cattle at the farm. I mean you literally go where they want you to go, follow the orderly lines, ride their transportation, of which you wait in line to board that too. They train you to stop for parades, get fast passes (so you feel better about waiting), eat their food, schedule meals, and many other things.
Now, in their defense, they do it all really well and they make you feel like you matter. I think we only encountered 2 not so nice disney employees. Other than that, they were all incredible.
So what is the point of this post? As a growing church we have to think through different ways to effectively minister to such a large number of people. There is no way around that. We are a larger church in comparison to the national average, so as God is doing what He is doing at VNC, we have to give our best effort to help things flow smoothly in regards to administration, facility, and dealing with a large number of people. But also at Disney I was reminded that we cannot forget to try to figure out how to help people step away from feeling like they are just part of a crowd. To where people are not just a number for our attendance records, but that they are valuable to God and therefore are valuable to us. Not as a crowd, but as a person. And so this is something we have to strive to do with consistency and passion.
Sometimes we just need to know that in a crowd of people, we are not viewed as a crowd, but as a person. May we all do a better job of connecting and celebrating life with the people in the crowd, and not just the crowd.
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