Big Events--What's the Return on Investment?

I just finished re-reading Bo's Cafe this week and was struck again by how important life-on-life relationships are to transformation (for individuals and communities). This led to a tweet: "Although Jesus would speak to the crowds, He focused on only a few. It is an illusion to believe that we can influence a crowd deeply." (You cannot make disciples in the context of a large gathering. You cannot train a crowd! Discipleship takes place only in the context of one-on-one or one-on-few or few-on-few).

It’s ironic, isn’t it? Most traditional American church activity revolves around big events—Sunday services, conferences, and other large gatherings. But given how little transformation we see in our culture, you have to ask: why the constant focus on big events?

Let’s look at Jesus and the early church.

Yes, Jesus spoke to large crowds—but mainly to invite people to become disciples. His parables often hid truth from those who weren’t truly seeking God, while stirring hunger in those who were. That’s why He often said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” It was an open invitation to come closer and follow.

So what about those crowds? Two key thoughts:

1. Their culture remembered what it heard. In Jesus’ day, people lived in a listening and remembering culture. Today, we live in a feeling and forgetting culture. We don’t have to remember anything—phones and screens do it for us. But in Jesus’ day, memory was vital.

2. Even when speaking to crowds, Jesus didn’t expect transformation without discipleship. The goal was never just to inspire or impress—it was always to invite people into deeper relationship.

The early church followed His lead. Think of Pentecost: Peter addressed a large crowd, but the point was to call people into the Kingdom and into community. There’s no record of them organizing big events to attract people. Crowds came because of supernatural signs—not marketing strategies.

In short, Jesus and the early church spoke to crowds, but only as a gateway into something deeper: a life of discipleship.

So why does the traditional Western church invest so much in big events? Part of it is cultural. Part of it comes from unquestioned, long-held assumptions and traditions. But after rereading Bo’s Café, I can’t help but wonder if a deeper reason is this: big events are simply easier—and "safer"—than life-on-life relationships.

It’s easier to spend 20 hours in your office crafting a sermon than to walk alongside people in the mess of real life. It’s safer to plan a well-run service than to live out the “one anothers” in ways that expose your own flaws and invite others into your struggles.

The sobering truth? Toxic, immature leaders can still plan events, preach, and lead worship—with what looks like success. Ouch. You can be unhealthy and pull off a big event. But you cannot make true disciples of Jesus in that condition.

But even as I write these sad words, I am filled with hope. "Bo's Cafes" are beginning to spring up more and more, many of them under the radar and behind the scenes. God is stirring up a hunger in people both inside and outside church walls for authentic, grace-enabled, Spirit-empowered community. I don't have time to describe all of this, but the very fact that John Lynch, Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol have written books like TrueFaced, The Cure and Bo's Cafe shows us that something good is stirring. And that something is  inviting us to examine where our hearts are and where our efforts are going. And there are many other similar books out there as well. The Great Omission by Dallas Willard is a great one, along with The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks and many others. I close today with a quote from that wonderful prophet Dallas Willard who has been saying similar things for quite some time. This is from Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice, co-authored with Jan Johnson).

"The reason most congregations fail to routinely produce children of light is distraction. While majoring on minors, they become distracted by things the New Testament says nothing about. They devote most of their thought and effort to sermons, Sunday school, style of music, denominations, camps or board meetings. Those matters are not primary and will take care of themselves when what is primary is appropriately cared for. Such matters are 'vessels' but are mistaken for the 'treasure.'" (p. 162)

Asking God to help me focus on the treasure...

Tom, one of Abba's children