After the announcement of a proposed change in church practice or policy, emails of anger or dismay will begin to arrive in my inbox, sometimes accompanied by the same story. It is the story of how a retired college baseball coach once gave a speech lauding the fact that from a Little League field to a Major League Baseball (MLB) field, baseball’s home plate is always 17 inches wide. The story’s coach argues that while baseball has maintained this standard for the size of home plate, others in culture, schools, and churches try to “widen the plate” by changing the rules and betraying what “everyone” knows is “right.”
While recognizing the pastoral concern the emails express, reading that story makes me smile. For if there is anything that the church might learn from baseball, it is the importance of faithful change. Consider recent MLB changes:
Pitch Timer: To reduce dead time in the game, pitchers now have 15 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with a runner on base to throw their next pitch to home plate. Introducing the pitch timer decreased MLB average game times by 24 minutes, helping to ensure that time spent by fans at the ballpark is well spent. What changes would ensure that the church meets with purpose and is a good steward of time and resources?
Defensive Shift: The rise of “sabermetrics,” the detailed statistics that measure in-game activity, allowed managers to “shift” or position multiple defensive infielders where opponents were most likely to hit the ball. To restore competitive balance between offense and defense, MLB outlawed the shift by requiring a minimum of two infielders to be on each side of second base when the pitch is delivered. What changes might the church consider to ensure a faithful balance of worship, study, fellowship, service and rest?
Bases: In MLB, the distance between the bases is 90 feet. Traditionally, first, second, and third base were 15 inches square, but for the 2023 season, the base size was increased to 18 inches square. While increasing safety by giving runners and fielders more room to avoid collisions at the bases, it also reduced the distance between first and second base and second and third base by 4.5 inches. That may not seem like a lot, but runners took more risks, resulting in a 41% increase in stolen bases vs. the 2022 season. What changes might the church consider to break out of the status quo and encourage faithful risk-taking?
Records: In 2020, MLB recognized seven different Negro Leagues as Major Leagues. This means that players who were unable to participate in Major League Baseball due to racism would now have their lifetime statistics from the Negro Leagues included in official MLB records. As a result, the legendary Josh Gibson, who spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues, became the all-time Major League batting champion with a lifetime batting average of .372, surpassing the equally legendary Ty Cobb, who batted .367 from 1905-28. What changes might the church consider to more truthfully tell God’s story of reconciliation and inclusion for all?
These small but significant rule changes increased fan interest in the game and made baseball more fun to play and watch. Yet the game would still be recognizable to those who played more than a century ago. Could the same thing happen in the church?
As we consider change in the church, take heart if you get an email saying don’t widen the plate. Originally home base was a small flat circular iron plate, painted or enameled white. So today’s beloved 17-inch-wide, five-sided plate was once an innovation too.
