So what, I am a Starbucks homer. While I prefer local coffee shops many times when I’m traveling I end up settling for Starbucks since I at least know what I’m going to get. With local coffee shops it’s a crap shoot and you wonder if your drink will be good or not. I won’t tolerate subpar lattes. I had my favorites in Tucson (Caffe Luce and Road Runner) and so far here in Illinois I’ve found the Coffee Hound but I’m still hunting for more …
But what can Starbucks teach us who’re part of the church? What does Starbucks have that we could learn from? Let’s take a look.
1. Multi-ethnic – I know, you’re probably thinking that is not true based upon where your Starbucks is located in your part of the city, but it is true. But let me take you to a Starbucks in south Tucson and most of the customers are Hispanic, let’s pop over to south central LA and for 2 hours I was the only Caucasian at the Starbucks in an African American neighborhood, or lets go over Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver and most of the customers were Asian. What is it about Starbucks that appeals to all? Same store, same drinks, but different customer base in each setting. Maybe instead of each local church focusing on being multi-ethnic maybe they’d be best to simply reflect their immediate neighborhood like Starbucks does?
2. Mult-generational – I think the church is the only grouping or organization that gets overly wrapped up in generations. At Starbucks? I see young and old, little kids to 65 year olds with tats and ear rings. There’s no generational distinctive. Why does the church get so preoccupied with generations? Young church. Next Generation church. Senior adults church or ministry. Youth ministry. Why can’t the church be all inclusive like the neighborhood Starbucks? How does Starbucks have such a wide appeal that hits all? Is it the music? I mean in a week’s time you’ll hear anywhere from Sinatra to brand new up and coming kickin’ bands but no one seems to notice nor even fuss about it. Why does the church fuss so much about music?
3. Socially-Conscious – Starbucks is socially conscious and the largest purchaser of fair trade coffee. They also have numerous other initiatives they’re involved in on the home front in the stores like the Ethos Water. There are untold stories of how they’re helping locals in villages where they buy coffee. People see this and respect Starbucks that much more. They also provide people “entry level” ways to get involved. How hard is it to buy an Ethos bottle of water? It’s easy, small, simple, and anyone can get involved in issues beyond their home city. How can the church learn from this? How do we get beyond the guilt we induce on people in our fundraising and make it fun, simple, and easy?
There are things all around us that can teach us so much if we simply stop, look, and listen. Starbucks is a good example of ways we can influence culture.
