What can the olympics teach us about the future of the church

I was reading an editorial this morning in The New York Times titled "A Cutting Edge Olympics." It got me wondering if there is anything we, as those called to think about the future of the Church, can learn from watching and thinking about the Olympics. The level of improvements to the broadcasts (especially with HDTV) make previous Olympics feel, in the words of the editorial feel "a little like an old episode of 'Bonanza.' This Olympics is also truly taking advantage of the myriad of new ways we communicate: text messaging, online and on-phone video, even twitter (which was used as a way for people to find live online feeds of the opening ceremonies which NBC was trying to block.) Technology is not just part of the coverage of the sports but part of the sports themselves with new swimsuits that allow swimmers to swim faster and apparel that lets runners to run faster.

So what do we take away as the church? I think we have learned our lesson over and over that we shouldn't just blindly try to infuse what works for the Olympics into our setting and think it will help. But what can we learn about how to better deliver the message of salvation, connect people with the saving power of the gospel and help them grow in the image and likeness of Christ?

peace,

will