Yesterday I stopped by Starbucks to get a cup of coffee before a meeting. For once, I had an extra five bucks in my pocket. I noticed while the barista was creating my perfect cup of coffee that there was a new book for sale in the shop. The book is by Starbucks ceo (I found out that at Starbucks, all titles are lower-case) Howard Schultz. It's titled Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. Even though it would have been cheaper to pick this up on Amazon, as I flipped through it, I saw some things that intrigued me, so I purchased it. I found out I was the first person to buy the book at this particular Starbucks. The employee apologized for how long it took to figure out how to ring it up with the free $5 gift card (and I wanted that gift card.)
I started reading it yesterday(just add it to the other three books I'm reading now) and began to notice some interesting principles. Now, I'm not one to read business books to discover answers to church and denominational issues, but sometimes God just makes things so clear. And. . .I was heading to a denominational meeting where we were discussing the future of certain entities and effectiveness of different ministries and programs.
I guess what prompted me to purchase the book was this paragraph in the fly-leaf:
On February 26, 2008, customers at 7,100 Starbucks stores in the US were asked to leave. For the next three hours every barista in every Starbucks was retrained in the art of making the perfect espresso. The act was unprecedented, but proof of just how dire things were becoming at a company that could once do no wrong.
I remember that day. It was unprecedented in the business world. Shutting down a business to retrain employees was very risky. Competitors jumped on it and offered 99 cent espressos while subtly stating that Starbucks was in trouble. The media was all over the story. Stephen Colbert had a special report on his show on Comedy Central about not being able to get his caffeine fix. Wall Street noticed and the stock price for Starbucks dropped. In fact, Schultz says that Starbucks lost about $6 million dollars in revenue by doing this. But, he states, it was worth it.
Why was it worth it?
The company had grown exponentially. There were Starbucks stores all over the place. The loyal customer base liked this, but the expansion was too quick. Not only that, shortcuts were being taken in individual stores when producing the cups of coffee. While every Starbucks seemed similar (similar paint/wallpaper, same music playing, comfortable gathering places, etc.) there were very noticeable differences between stores. Schultz says the differences, which led to differing quality of product were the people working in the stores. People matter and with such quick growth, they (the employees) began to matter less. This was a problem.
I know, it's just a cup of coffee. What's the big deal, right?
Well, Starbucks had prided itself on its coffee and if the coffee was not just right, every time, problems would arise.
Starbucks has always been about so much more than coffee. But without great coffee, we have no reason to exist. (Schultz, 4)
This statement began to ruminate in my mind. It's about a product for Starbucks - the coffee. What about the church? There are so many things that local churches do, so many things the Association, State Convention and denomination do. Many of these things are "good," but the problem is that as time goes by, some begin to believe the reason the church exists is to do these "things" and therefore, the mission is either forgotten or minimized. Why does the church exist? Why do the denominational ministries exist? It's simple, really. . .to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment (that's for the church). The denominational groups exist not to do what the church should be doing, but to support and equip and enable churches to fulfill the mission.
Programs are developed, ministries are started, entities are built that seem good and godly, and most often are. These are known to be secondary to the main mission. The problem is that over time, the secondary missions can, and often do, become primary.
We all know that Starbucks sells music CDs and books as well as coffee cups and mugs. We also know that even though you can buy these items in a Starbucks store, these items are not the business' primary mission or function. Starbucks is about the coffee and the people working there and the customer base. They seem to have forgotten these truths and therefore, the profit share dropped. Something had to be done.
We had to restore the passion and the commitment that everyone at Starbucks needed to have for our customers. Doing so meant taking a step back before we could take many steps forward. (Schultz, 5)
Many of our churches are in the same situation. God has strategically placed local churches in areas where the Gospel is to be proclaimed, people are to be loved, the message of Christ is to be clearly shown through words and actions. However, many churches have devolved into a "Christian club" that is busy (and oh, we're so busy) on secondary ministries while the primary mission continues to be ignored.
I was talking to a retired denominational servant yesterday about the "hey-days" of Southern Baptist life. These were the days, just a few decades ago, when programs ruled. The Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay) was producing materials at breakneck speed for churches. Denominational agencies were running on all cylinders providing the latest programs for church growth and education. Baptisms were high. Then, something happened.
The times changed. (The message didn't, even though some thought it did.)
You see, in the old days, every Southern Baptist church used the same Sunday School literature, sang out of the same hymnal, most had the same Sunday schedule (9:45am - Sunday School, 11am Worship,) had Sunday night services preceded by Training Union, had a WMU, Brotherhood, RAs, GAs, Youth Choir, etc. We were a homogenous denomination for the most part. Most of the churches I grew up attending as a military kid even had the same floor plan.
Boy, that has changed. Just in our Association (Jacksonville Baptist Association) we have such a diversity of churches. There is no one size, fits all program any longer. Don't get me wrong, I like this. I'm not wishing to go back to the "every church is the same" model. If we did that, someone would force me to wear a tie on Sunday and I'd have to put the old pulpit back on the stage and get rid of our praise band.
Perhaps we have forgotten that it's all about the coffee? Or, in our case, the gospel?
Then came the economic downturn. You know what? God knew it was coming. That's hard for some folks to swallow. In fact, I've talked to some Christians who admit that thought has never crossed their mind. Yep, God knew the economic hard times were coming. You know what else? God is using it.
We (some churches and denominational organizations) had gone year to year increasing budgets and spending. We spiritualized it by labeling everything as "missions." You've heard it, haven't you? "Everything we do is missions." Sounds good. It's just not true. It's akin to the lie we tell ourselves that "Everything we do is evangelism." It's not.
So, perhaps what many churches are experiencing now, and I know state conventions, Associations and other SBC entities are facing is the "Starbucks" moment - the moment when it's time to risk losing in the short-term (i.e. the closing of all Starbucks for three hours) in order to get back on mission.
It's not easy. . .
There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sens and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where are actions lead. (Schultz, 5)
Our leaning forward is different than Schultz's and Starbucks'. Our cause is much more important than sustaining a coffee business. Our calling is much deeper than a passion for a great cup of coffee. Our risks are not haphazard and man-made. Our leaning forward must be God-ordained, faith-based and risky in the sense that it doesn't rely on our safe stories, but in that it relies fully on the power of God.
Am I proposing shutting down every church and denominational office for three hours to retrain our people? Not like Starbucks. I believe we have already had that moment afforded to us. That was the purpose of the SBC Solemn Assembly held a couple of months ago. During that time, thousands of Southern Baptists were asked to come together, seeking God's desire and submit to His will. In truth, we were asked to stop "doing church" to spend time refocusing on what we are called to be.
Perhaps we need to do this again? At least individually.
Maybe the church's and denomination's "Starbucks Moment" needs to begin with the individual's "Starbucks Moment?" Has the secondary become primary? Are you so involved in "your ministry" that sustaining it, maintaining it and funding it are the priorities? Over time, the natural shift is for the secondary "good" ministries we are involved in and/or develop to become the primary ministry. . .and that's the problem.