I wrapped up an amazing 3 day Disney adventure on Sunday. We started at a water park, peaked at the Magic Kingdom, and closed with the Animal Kingdom. It was a dramatically different experience touring Disney with a 3 year old. I actually liked it better, as it was so enjoyable to watch Mason discover roller coasters and rides.
The biggest surprise came as we waited in line to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I never realized how scarce Mickey Mouse's physical presence is at the park. Although icons of Mickey were abundant, he was scarce. At first I was frustrated, since I wanted Mason to get as much time with Mickey as possible, but then I realized that Disney intentionally makes Mickey's presence scarce.
It's hard work to see Mickey. That hard work makes Mickey much more valuable. It definitely ensures Mickey is somewhat special in spite of his huge brand presence.
As I think about how this connects with ministry and working with people, I thought about how our main strategy is to exposes as many people as possible to Jesus. I wonder if a scarcity based strategy would be effective? There is a connection between readily-available and low-worth that may in fact cheapen the perceived value of Jesus in the eyes of people who do not know him.
I would be scared to death to try a scarcity based strategy, but am extremely curious what it might look like. A scarcity strategy would not be less work in my mind, but would be different kinds of activities. He would still be exposed to as many people as possible, but in a way that would not be perceived as 'easy' 'cheap' 'abundant'.
Has anyone else wondered if some of our church and ministry strategies communicate that Jesus is cheap, easy, or low-worth?
