But...but...I like to be able to step into a Starbucks and get away from my own local culture once in a while.

I think we will see a move to take more established businesses create a more community feel. I have been thinking alot about Walgreens and their ability to bring their business to the neighborhood. Often in mega-church realm there is a tendency to establish a large church and build up a personality behind it. I think in future years there will be a push away from this. We must be careful in branding. I think you can brand the organization structure and create a community feel without compromising any of a church's identity. The reality is...the lost in Corpus are not going to even have any clue to who or what a mega church in NY is if they were to plant a church here. But a church planted with great systems and structure in place can come in and grow with excellence identifing with the community.

Awesome post! Yes, yes, yes!

I love Starbucks ... don't get me wrong. Whenever I go to the nearby town that has a Starbuck's, I stop by to smell the aroma and grab a cup ... I don't stay for long.

But in my hometown there are several tiny restaurants. The coffee isn't that good at any of them. The buildings are old. There tends to be lots of cigarette smoke. But the tables are full of local people, talking, eating, drinking coffee, and doing life together. It's a beautiful living picture of what the local church really should look like.

I, for one, am no fan of the church "franchising" model. I recently commented on the trend at http://missionmpossible.blogspot.com/2006/07/multi-site-churches-good-economy-or.html . I tend to think that multi-site franchising of the church is more about ego and "low overhead" financing of church than it is about outreach and evangelism.

Well said, Skye.

I'm a little tired of seeing the latest and greatest marketing and business leadership books on the bookshelves of pastors. Jim Collins, Ron Heifetz, Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell are all good writers with great stuff to say - but they aren't going to help the church with its missional calling to the culture that God has placed it in.

Perhaps we need to recognize that people are so hungry for community that they will even attempt to experience it at Starbucks...and not be successful in that quest.

it seems that Starbucks and local cafe can co-exist, and both influence the other. i don't see the need for a dichotomy here. let's complain about methods when everyone goes to church, until then, the church should grow in all its diverse methods that the Holy Spirit uses. because individuals variously value community and quality and convenience, for example, there can not be a single "correct" church format. a local cafe person may resent a corporate brand but has no interest in brewing their own. likewise, some like mega church, some like regular church, and some like micro church, and where the luxury of options don't exist, believers gather in whatever way is available. diversity is good, big and small, yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight...

Hello,

How sad that anyone in ministry would consider running a church as a business. Counting attendance and tithing and covering the linoleum with granite tile so folks will come to see “the show”, all in the name of bringing people to Christ. Hey maybe next week you can start a franchise and begin to merchandise Jesus. Maybe get some big name movie start to do an advertisement promoting your church over all the others and have his picture on the front of the shirt and Christ’s on the back. These types of articles make me sick and I wonder what they do for God. Maybe your people could get together with Madonna’s people and work something out, good luck. Please tell me you don’t really worry about what the building looks like…. PLEASE!

The problem John is that the medium is the message. How we gather does matter, it actually says something about who we are and what we value collectively and as individuals. There are certain things essential to following Jesus which cannot happen in the dynamic of a mega-church which is model on enlightenment hyper-capitalism in structure and function. Rather than conforming our selves to Christ, we have conformed Christ to the structures of our given plausibility structures.

Chris,

If the people your church is attempting to reach care what the building looks like, you had better, too, like it or not.

First: I agree with the post about not worrying about branding when not everyone has surrendered themselves to Christ.
Second: Our mega church has outreaches around the world, but the 'connect' groups are totally local and are themed around interests (jogging, cooking, coffee clutches, etc) which allow intimacy of small groups.
For fellowship before and after services, we currently have on the premises a book store and a coffee shop that makes all those fancy brews.
In addition, in finishing stages are the student and Bible training center, the small diner/cafe', a wifi area, the gym, and many other 'snags' to help visitors and members want to stay and visit, but mostly learn.
This is all to say that mega churches can be 'the same' while still reflecting the local cultures.
Frequent surveys of the members help keep the church atmosphere attractive and active while hearing good strong Word - the real reason we meet.

You just need to stop treating people as consumers - stop being part of the system and start living a counter-cultural life - because that's what following Christ is all about. You can be so relevant to the culture that you become irrelevant in terms of the gospel. Who wants to be part of a franchise with Jesus as product-in-chief? Whatever happened to being part of the new creation? You know - living a life that tells the Story of God, being part of God's redemptive grace in the world. Be brave! be your own church in the time and place where you are - don't worry about what Joe Bloggs down the road is doing - your ministry is around you.

In my little town we have an interesting phenomenon; we have Home Depot and mom & pop hardware stores, we have Starbucks and little alternative coffee shops, we have multi-site churches and neighborhood congregations. In our town one size doesn’t seem to fit all whether it’s a new sink, a café mocha or a community of believers. And the funny thing is that it’s okay. I prefer the large hardware store with endless selection and multiple checkout lines; my neighbor prefers easy access and personal service, and yet we are able to get along.

The biggest challenge for churches in my town is not too much variety but not enough. We have too many lost people bound for an eternity in hell and not enough churches to go around. That’s why my church started opening up additional campuses; it seemed rather calloused to hang out a “No room in the inn” sign, so we decided to try something, anything, to continue reaching lost people. Now we meet in a mega-church building, an old grocery store, a warehouse, a theater, a senior citizen’s center and an old church. Some of our locations are like Starbucks, some like McDonalds, some like WalMart. We even have one site that meets in a little alternative coffee shop. We are trying to become all things to all men so that by all means we might win some. I assume all the other churches in town are doing the same. I hope so.

Amen, Sam.

Multi-siting is neo-denominationalism in a post-denominational age.

I recently left a congregation with a "vision from God" to start a multi-site approach: expanding via satellite to surrounding suburbs that already had perfectly good churches to serve people. I couldn't be a part of it. I felt it was just plain wrong, and wouldn't allow my giving or serving to work toward such an end.

I guess I'm taking my discomfort with their plan as discernment. Just because a mega church thinks something up doesn't mean it is of God. It's pretty plain from Barna's statistics that the net fruit of all the mega churching and mutli-siting is pretty near zilch. The Kingdom isn't something you can (or should) brand and franchise. It is something that expands from the heart of Christ in us.

Far too much time is being spent "selling" the church, rather than "being" the church and advancing the Kindom.

I agree that a church should reflect the culture it exists within. I went to a church for too long that tried to ignore everything that happened outside it's walls because the leaders did not have a heart for outreach or community service, or even gathering with believers who went to different Christian churches. They tried to meet the minimum protocol for ministry, and the idea was to bring as many people IN to the church rather than going out and BEING the church. There was a profound discomfort with "the world" and the area we live in. Downtown was deemed "the pit of Hell" rather than an opportunity to love the suffering and the lost. We were encouraged to do things EXACTLY the way the franchise did things.
The church I go to now is very much immersed in serving the community, as well as encouraging people within the church to use talents and spiritual gifts. Every week is exciting because there is a new challenge to BE the church, and to accept the culture we live in, rather than covering it up or hoping it all just goes away. We are able to be real and vulnerable and there is no pretense. For so long I felt burdened by the thick layer of veneer applied to my life as a Christian in conjunction with the franchise church I went to.
While our church may one day be a multi-site church, we hope it will serve the needs of the community rather than allowing the community to serve us.

I spent 7 years of my life working for "the big green machine." I saw a lot of changing going on with the company. I wish I new the number of stores that opened within the 7 years that I worked for them. As my time with Starbucks came to a close, I started to realize more and more that Starbucks is in the coffee business for a profit. Profit drives their decisions in every aspect of the business. Their attempts to offer a different color scheme or logo within different areas is an attempt to drive business within a different demographic. Coffee is what they use to gain profit, but coffee isn't why they are in business-it's profit.

Now, before I come across as a bitter ex-employee, I'll try to show my point. I work at a small coffee shop now. (it's the best kind of part-time job for a part-time pastor, i think) We started out as a coffee roaster and just roasted beans for 3 years before opening our first cafe. The coffee is what drives us. The profit comes because we focus all of our attention on the coffee. Certainly, Starbucks is a larger corporation that our little business, but I noticed a world of difference between the two.

And now the church-are we more focused on the coffee(the good new of the gospel) or the company(our churches)? I think that it's easy to loose focus of why we are doing what we are doing when we grow so large. As our churches grow to the "multi-site size" we allow ourselves other things to focus on than the coffee. I wonder how we can maintain growth at that size while still having our focus be solely on the gospel.

There is a paradign shift happening!

From 1900-1960 we witnessed the "industrialized church" - Let's engineer it! (many are still trying to engineer it)

From 1970-2000 we witnessed the "commercialized church" - Let's sell it! (many are still trying to sell it!)

From 2000 and beyond a new move has begun, the "personal church" - let's live it. (Let's hope many try to live it.)

What a novel idea!

Very intriguing. As a coffee lover and a pastor, I actually refuse to go to Starbucks if there are any alternatives within driving distance.
I personally do not prefer the coffee but even more I am repulsed by the corporate culture trying to take over one of the last bastion of individualism and community.
I love intriguing little coffee shops with strange personalities serving coffee, local art on the wall and full of the characters of the area.
I love to study the soul of the city in such places.
I do believe that churches ought to reflect the community in which they grow. I am not sure that one size fits all is the way of the present or the future. I crave worhsip which reflects the soul, the heart, the style of those who live in that area.
To change the metaphor to another chain, they say that where ever you go in the world McDonalds taste the same. Is that really supposed to attract anyone? The age of McChurch is over - thank God

Down the street from my house is a little church that has been around for 30+ years. It is a distinctly Pentecostal church that never has more then 40 people in it. It has late nigh healings, Spirit filled moments on Sunday mornings, reports of how God works miracles for those in the congregation but it does not reach anyone for Christ. I feel sad every time I go past. All that power and the community would never know the difference if this church stopped meeting next Sunday. Within 5 miles of me there are dozens of these churches. They reach very few people for Christ, give little to help the poor and spend a lot of energy complaining. Their lament? Time have sure changed, people are not as committed anymore, those big churches are taking all our people, sure they are growing but they are not deep like us.

I think Starbucks cares more about selling my neighbors coffee than the little church down the street cares about helping its neighbors find forgiveness in Christ. They would never admit this and to say it out loud betrays scripture, but they live it every day. Dozens of churches in my area live this saddening truth. Too many Christians sit around and lament how big churches are stealing sheep, are branding ministry, are too shallow and impersonal and yet do nothing to turn their church around. I say, lets brand, lets market, let’s set up shops on every corner and lets take Christ to our neighbors and communities.

It is time for churches to stop looking at mega churches and griping, comparing, judging and complaining. It is time for pastors to lead their churches in prayerful passionate pursuit of God sized dreams for their communities. Churches should celebrate their uniqueness and raise the bar for every member. What if every church leadership team asked this question; What will we do in the next 12 months to impact this neighborhood for Christ and bring people into a faith friendship with Jesus? How much would asking and answering that question impact God’s kingdom? I have to stop now because someone else needs my soapbox.

Golly, sounds like Starbucks has something in common with Wal-Mart--communities that don't want them!

Leo one thing you're not realizing is that mega-churches like the Willow's and Saddlebacks, intensely market their crap to smaller churches. Just by our "purposive-driven" church in the box. Do our 40 days of purpose. Join our Willow Creek Association. By our video series....

The Old Testament Prophets, the tradition in which Jesus firmly places himself are discerning enough to call the church a whore when she has given herself over to other lovers. Let's stop with all this sentimental emotionalism towards multi-million dollar "campus" churches and start discerning the move of God's Spirit across the world.

Everytime I am in a 2/3rd's world church it is amazing how much they have in the midst of the fact that they have little! They have no buildings or if they do, the people certainly don't come because Jesus has been brought off the flannel board and packaged as an action figure for their kids and whips up lattes for the parents.

Does the whore, widow, orphan and marginalized find themselves welcomed in Starbucks? Cause that is who Jesus would be brining along!

Here's the thing. Evangelical churches don't need to guard against this problem. We already have it.

Too many communities already don't want our churches or our church people. Consider what The Hollywood Reporter wrote in their review of the movie Jesus Camp: "A fascinating glimpse of kids' role in the evangelical movement's political agenda." TV Guide says, the movie introduces audiences "to the larger world of evangelical Christianity, its Washington influence and the fact that it's no longer a lunatic fringe. . . [it has] moved front and center."

We can brand our own denomination or congregation all we want. But our larger brand of evangelical is already a problem. We're viewed as a bunch of lunatics. We can argue about poor journalism all we want, but we will still be regarded with as much suspicion as Walmart and Starbucks. Maybe more.

Todd is right. Branding isn't the answer.

True. True. Living here in Wheaton. I do prefer La Spiaza (a local, non-chain store establishment) over Starbucks in a heartbeat. It has character and community. It has it's own personal kind of clientele.

In between these two establishments, I prefer Caribou. It's the hybrid of both sotres because it's a chain, but it offers more personality than Starbucks any day. And, people meet and commune there.

For my money -- and because it's closer to my home than La Spiaza, I go with Caribou. It's opening in a town near you soon!

I'm one of those marketing types too, but am diametrically opposed to The Oracle. A few years ago, a chuch called me to ask about "marketing the church." They expected me to discuss some trendy new thing, but what they got was the same question I ask my corporate clients — "How are you training your sales staff and what do they need?" They said, "We don't have a sales staff." I said, every person in your congregation is an outside "sales person." The idea isn't to bring people to your church through hoopla, it's about the hard work of getting your congregation discipled and influencing their immediate circle at work, school, etc. God doesn't need our nifty programs, He needs willing and equipped hearts. People generally don't like hearing this, because they want a marketing fix. Sorry, no shortcuts on this one. People need to see authentic, mature Christians — "a sales staff." Until you do that, you don't have "brand."

Good post, Skye. I've met also with "the Oracle". Assuming we're talking about the same local resident, he hasn't changed his tune. It sounds like we had the same out of body experience.

I attend a church where the leaders are "seeking vision" and somewhat worried: "...how do we identify God’s vision for [our church]? And what happens if half the congregation thinks starting a sister church is the way to move forward—while the other half thinks building a large auditorium is the proper path?" The assumption apparantly is that we're growing, so we have to build something. After all, isn't that what successful churches do? It's much harder work, though, to pay critical attention to the real fruits of the ministry. For example:

*Should one focus on expanding a ministry that produces spiritually and biblically illiterate people?

*Is it a cause for concern when a bible church has a high percentage of new and young adult Christians, and no meaningful adult education program?

*How does a church actually program to "make disciples"? Is that even the right question? How do you measure if you are successful?

*Is growth numerically a help or a hinderance to building the church into the likeness of Christ?

The church growth folks like the Oracle have their answer, and they are well compensated for it. In my view, it's the same "Home Depot" thinking - bigger is necessarily better. Forgive the analogy, but sometimes one wonders if perhaps a question about the quality of the product would be appropriate, rather than merely assuming that increasing the distribution capacity of the enterprise is the wisest thing to do.

In our little corner of the world, people are being starved to death spiritually, being fed watered-down spiritual milk aimed at the lowest common denominator, fit for "mass production" while avoiding the spiritual meat that would offend the seekers. "Worship" is a concert where the performers feel it's their duty to evaluate the "worship" of the congregants (just raise your hands to pass that test). Over 90% of the "growing" body is uninvolved in any activitiy apart from attending the "best show in town" on Sunday mornings. And it is great: Disco lights, graphics, video, hot rock - what's not to like? The package sells. But is that worth "exporting" in any setting?

And like customers of any large chain store, there's little practical room for discussion with the management. There's certainly no time for differing opinions, and even less for anything even remotely looking like (gasp)disagreement. Even long-standing members are ignored and dismissed (figuratively and literally) when their views don't match the edits of the current leadership. "We love people - just not you." or "We want to be in community, so you must agree with us and submit to our authority." In short, nothing is to get in the way of the "growth" that is so needed to "reach people" - and if we need to get rid of some of these unhappy "congregants", so be it. It never ceases to amuse me that those in authority so easily dismiss the views and needs of those under their current care while arguing that change is necessary to reach "others". The way to have a voice in some churches, apparantly, is to not go there, because once you've committed, you're no longer heard. Like the big box shopping experiences, real customer service is a lost art, practically impossible to achieve.

Perhaps someday, we and others like us will desire growing influence through genuine spiritual growth, passion for God's Word and reality in relationship within a congregation at least as much as we desire influence through larger physical footprints.

Pardon me, but I think we're all missing the point.

The power of Starbucks is not just that Starbucks is cool. The brand is simply an expression of what the company is. It's power is in the elements that make up the brand.

Connection to culture. Creation of experience. Relentless commitment to consistency. And, a good cup of coffee.

The local church is hurting because we are not connected to culture. We are hurting because we do not create experience. We're not consistent in what we do and how we do it.

And, too often, our coffee sucks.

Starbucks brand is strong because they consistently deliver on the promise of the brand. Is it for everyone? No. Can the church do the same thing? Yep. But probably not most churches. It takes creativity, commitment, cultural awareness and hard work.

I attended a church for 9+ years. Originally, it was not a multi-site church, but attendance grew, and a multi-site model was adopted. It now has two different locations and four services in NYC. It has made a large impact on the surrounding culture, yet many of its neighbors don't realize it meets down the street. Many have come to Christ as a result of the Gospel-centric preaching and fellowship groups. And, Christians are encouraged to serve rather than sit in the pew and be entertained. IMHO, it's not the model of the church that is important, but how that church serves and reflects Christ in the community that is important.

God looks at our hearts. He knows our intentions and nothing is hidden from His eyes.
If the hearts of the church leadership is for raising mega-churches and expansion, be sure that that is exactly what God wants and has commissioned the leaders to do. Be sure that no "self" or personal ambition is present in agenda. No one can fool God, and ultimately, only His plans stand the test of time. Everything else that is built on our dreams but not God's, built by our strength and not God's, will fall. In my opinion, there is no fixed rule for chuch expansion. If you are a church leader, What counts is (1)Can you hear when God speaks about the plans He has for your life and for the church? Christ is head of the Church after all. (2)Are you obedient to follow His will? I think that God has different plans for different churches in different communities. That's why we are all unique and gifted by the Spirit with a variety of gifts, in order to serve and love the variety of people around us.
May all glory be His always.

I don't drink coffee, so I don't go to Starbucks, but if I did drink it I probably wouldn't go to Starbucks any way because I don't care much for trendy places where you have to pay high prices just because it's a trendy place. I do go to Home Depot, not because it's the trendy thing to do, but because I can usually get the stuff I need there without running all over town. It's a giant hardware store, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. I like that; a business that doesn't have to pretend in order to attract customers.
For now, I'm a member of a small Sunday morning church that pretends it's a church, when all it really is, is a place for people who like to re-enact the way our forefathers worshipped 250 years ago - the same hymns, the same organs, the same choirs, the same liturgies, the same order of worship, etc. While 250 years ago, these "ministerial" things were effective means to bring people to the "essentials" of our faith - the knowledge of the presence of God in our midst, the yearning to know Christ as our Savior and Lord, and the awareness of our calling to witness and minister to others who don't know Christ - today these "traditions" only serve to make the members feel comfortable for an hour on Sunday mornings.
On Monday evenings I attend a local mega church, along with a couple thousand others who could be doing a lot of things on a Monday evening besides going to church. I go, because this church makes the gospel come alive for me. This is a church that wants to reach people who don't know Christ (you know, those people we've branded as seekers); a church that challenges people to grow in their faith using the Spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, worship, small groups, tithing, missions, and ministry; a church that preaches from the Bible and endeavors make the truth of the Gospel relevant to our lives today.
The members at my Sunday church criticize the mega church because it's big, it's all about marketing and money, it waters down the Gospel to the lowest level, and all the other typical trite gossip. And while the Sunday church continues to stagnate spiritually and shrink numerically, the mega church is alive spiritually and growing like crazy, because it doesn't pretend to be something it's not; it is a worshipping house of God and the active the body of Christ producing fruit in our community.
As Peter Drucker would say, God bless the churches, small and large alike, "that know what business they're in," constantly ask themselves "how's business?" and "modify their methods to serve their customers" - the people in our community whom God loves so very much, even if (or maybe especially if) they never heard of a lovefeast.

"Multi-site church"? Call me old fashioned, but isn't that what we used to call a "denomination"?

I've lived in three cities in the last five years, and, amidst all that upheaval in my life, I've loved the fact that whenever I moved, Sunday morning has been basically the same. Sure, there are some differences, but overall: same message, same culture, same type of experience. On the couple of occasions when I've worshipped with friends in other denominations, that has felt a lot more alien to me than worshipping with another congregation within my own denomination.

So, maybe the church already adopted a "Starbucks" approach quite a while ago.

Your "branding oracle" missed the point entirely (although you already know that.) While having a similar experience is an important part of branding, it's not the main issue. Real branding - the kind that relates to churches and ministries, is about the story that surrounds the organization or person. "What do people think of when they think of you?"

Branding is the key to being noticed in a media driven culture. Branding is about standing out from the pack, and getting people to walk in the door. Once they've done that, it's about the experience. And if God isn't there, all the branding in the world won't help...

Sam,
I would not call it crap first of all and no one if forcing small churches to use the packages from Willow or Saddleback. I would ask if the whore, widow or orphan fill the seat in your church. So much of the reaction to branding has little to do with reaching the lost. Again I say, Starbucks cares more about selling your neighbors coffee than most Christians care about sharing Christ.
GE,
Your first question is straw. You ask it as if it is and either or answer. The question is sort of like asking if you still beat your dog.

Great post and comments! Couple of thots.

First, the model is less important than the heart. If we are following Christ by relying on him, we'll do it his way. And his way varies quite a bit from place to place (even within the same town).

Second, living things grow by definition. In fact, they reproduce. This is true for individuals and for churches. So, is your church growing by reproducing? (Church plant, new sites, additional services, etc.)

Are you reproducing? (sharing regularly with other people; reaching out to your own neighbors; seeing people take steps toward Christ)

And while growing by addition is good, growing by multiplication is what we see in Acts. So I shouldn't be surprised if by following the Holy Spirit he leads me to do church in a way that facilitates rapid growth should he decide to bring it on.

All that to say, let's realize that we're probably more concerned about church models than God is. God is more concerned about the heart of his people. As leaders in his church, let God find us "Seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness." Then when God does his creative and redemptive work in our town, we'll marvel at him anew. Glory to God!

Ever since I was introduced to Starbucks, I was hooked. Lately I've been hard pressed as to whether or not to indulge myslef with this magnifact concoction, only because of some of the things they support. I've done my best to try other coffee shops, but for me, I must honestly say that, so far, nobody does it better than Starbucks when it comes to taste. Around where I live, that is a hip place to meet and to talk about life. I love to counsel people over a cup of Starbucks. There's a certian satisfaction in that! We practically have a Starbucks on every corner here, and they all make good business. There are even a number of churches and local business's that use their products. Will the phenomenom eventually die down? Maybe, but maybe then there will be a great competetor too, that will rival this great tasting business!

Now to get back on topic, away from my Starbucks rant... I liked the last paragraph of the topic at hand, "But, if we hope to form meaningful communities of Christ-followers we shouldn’t neglect the power of being local. Rather than reading the latest branding book, why not gather mature leaders and listen for the Holy Spirit? How is he advising us to be the community of Christ in this unique place at this unique time?"

I think that this needs to be the focus of "THE CHURCH," but I think it is soooo often missed. Local churches are the key, and coming together as the body of Christ to a place where the Holy Spirit is ACTUALLY evident, is what is needed. I am so sick of seeing a good 85% of our churches just faking it. When are we going to come together as intercessors, preachers, and true gospel-living Christians to see this world TRULY saved? No more 2-5 minute prayers for someone's salvation, but staying till that person is FREE from their old self. When are we going to be a body that goes to church for God and will stay for 3 or 4 hours or more (depending on a true move of the Holy Spirit), instead of going to church for an unholy 30-minutes to an hour, "fix?"

Yes! Things that are alive grow! If you aren't dealing with the problem of growth in your church, you're probably doing something wrong!
The first church grew by THREE THOUSAND IN ONE DAY! So don't talk to me about the evils of mega churches. It's called being filled with the Holy Spirit and reaching out.

You know, I would go to Starbucks if they had decent coffee and didn’t burn every bean they could get their hands on. Starbucks always has good service, an attractive environment, and often have wi-fi available. On those grounds they win hands down over the dark / dirty / little hovel with crummy service and music so loud that makes it impossible to have a conversation. But I buy coffee from the hovel – I just don’t drink it there.

I would also go to a mega church if (I wasn’t already a pastor and) they did any meaningful ministry to their communities. But the ones I have seen don’t – they just get caught up in a masturbatory frenzy of small groups catering to the needs of their members. Jesus never said, “If you love me, put my sheep in small groups based on their hobbies.” Jesus never said “If you love me, burn AC/DC records.”

It is the same problem. It is not the environment – it is not the branding – it is the product.

The main problem I see is when churches, mega, minor, or otherwise, build their brand around the head 'personality.' In my Pentecostal denomination (in the UK where I pastor), we have a strong tradition of the Pastor as the central focus as shepherd, preacher, teacher, visitor etc. This erroneous idea is being perpetuated as we are now seeing mega-churches which is a magnification of this model. The bottom line will always be that it must be about Jesus, and it must be delivered by the people. Our church has been in its community for forty years, and nobody really knows where we are. There has been a siege mentality that has killed the spirit of mission. We are asking ourselves what should we do? We want a nice building, we want to be an authentic part of the community, we want to maintain our theological faithfulness, but the personal cost to the comfortable may be too high. Bums on seats is not success, and neither is the dead repetition of our theological position to 29 of the 'faithful' each week. I'm off to read the book of Acts, maybe that will tell me something...

Forgive me if I missed it but I feel like the oracle had a different point. He told us first that he needed a part for his leaky pipes, but that his old store was no longer available, so he went to the new place. The new place, to his good pleasure, was able to meet his need. By his own admission: “They have every part anyone could ever need.” In my limited view being a “Home Depot” in the church world means having a part that any person could ever need. Come from a broken home? We can meet your need. Struggling with addiction? We can meet your need. (Please realize that I understand that Jesus will meet their need, we will simply help arrange the introduction. I’m being a little simplistic.) His other point was that when you go to Home Depot you know what to expect. Is our ministry consistently putting out a “product” that is excellent? When people come to one of our events (whether it be Sunday morning or during the week) can they know what to expect? We want to offer them an excellent and consistent product so they will be willing to walk in our door. Once they are in the door we can share Jesus with them and watch as He fixes their leaky pipes.

seems the biggest problem is a balance between the organism and the organization here. can't live long without both, yet we feel bound to advocate for either.

What happens when you put a Starbucks inside a megachurch? Based on what I've seen in at least one Dallas-Fort Worth megachurch, the results are great. Christians ask their non-believing friends to meet them at Starbucks. People meet at the church throughout the day, not just Sunday morning.

Reading these responses is sad. Many of the writers actually believe the professional Press Releases put out by the marketing machines of corporatist structures that have managed to successfully redefine the term 'church' to mean business.
Seems time to re-write Eph 2:19-21 "...You are God's customers and members of His 'church-one club', built on the foundation of need-meeting and franchising with marketing as the cornerstone. In product management and branding the whole franchise will expand into a profitable success story... oh.... to the glory of God naturally." So, go therefore and sell the next franchised model to all the little insignificant churches.
If all the structures and western gimics were gone the church of Jesus Christ would not disappear because he - not coprorate America - is building His church.
How has the church survived for so long despite the "help" of man? Every generation has tried to build His church and yet despite this from out of obscurity Jesus raises up a group of insignificants with no wise or great people that he calls church and puts His stamp of approval on.
A final point, a large congregation (or small) does not equal a church. Jesus in the midst does...

I am impressed and distressed. There is a lot of wisdom in these comments. And there is a lot of passion for "being the church". Hopefully, that is the desire of all our hearts. The question being discussed is "how do we be the church? How do we act out the mission that Jesus has called us to?" I've never been convinced that there is one right answer. Each church has to discover it's own style- traditional, contemporary, Starbucks, Willow Creek, and on and on.
Read Acts that way- not as a story about the correct way "church" is to be done, but a story about how the early church found their way. They invented and innovated and improvised and adjusted, sometimes because of unexpected circumstances, sometimes because their plans were interrupted or modified by the Holy Spirit. Several of you writers are struggling to capture that, and looking around their world for ideas. God bless you.
I am also distressed because so many posts are cynical and critical. Branding the work of Willow Creek as "crap"... really? You should be ashamed of yourself. Can't we have a discussion without such crudeness? (We would if we thought there was something distinctive about our faith.) If you don't like Hybel's or Warren's methods, don't use them. If you are being used in a mighty way by God, keep doing what you are doing. But I don't think I dare reject that piece of God's work, especially in such a rude way.
The cynicism seems to come from an attitude that troubles me greatly. It goes like this: "I believe God, and I am passionate about how I believe ministry should be conducted. If you disagree with me, you must be wrong."
Blessings to those of you who are lying awake at night trying to figure out what to do to cause your church to be more effective and fruitful. Innovate. Adjust. Invent. You follow a high calling.

This is the first time I have read this blog, and I find the comparison to starbucks fascinating. I do not drink coffee, but I have been to a starbucks countless times. How many non-Christians make that claim about church? I have gone with friends, had business meetings, and where I live there are a few pastors that seem to office there. I know when starbucks opened in the small town of Brownwood, TX the local college students camped out overnight to be the first in line. That does not happen at church.

Starbucks represents currently culture; in fact I would venture to say they lead in creating culture. Most churches are not cultural relevant, a few churches try to follow culture, and even fewer try to influence culture. I am not saying every church needs to, and I think we need to value the differences in churches and the different populations they will be able to reach, but how great would it be if churches could set culture in their communities.

I have never been a fan of the franchised churches, but that is just me. I understand that if a church is successful in serving the community it can create a positive brand throughout the city. Maybe that is not the comparison we should be making. Bottom line, starbucks has a bottom line. They are a company that has to be profitable. However I admire Starbucks for having a social mindset, and caring about their community. They give thousands to schools, charities, non-profit organizations, and heavily support environmental issues. Maybe that is how churches should model themselves after Starbucks- We should have a social conscience.

While this article has validity, it runs from the fact that Starbucks and any other coffee shop creates places that are innocuous and inoffensive to the believer that seeks to go somewhere to have community. As opposed to the ever growing numbers of pick-up bars ("meat markets", thanks to the 70's disco era for that one) where we tell them not to go. In the 70's and 80 we had very limited places to go that weren't offensive or vulgar. Most of them allowed smoking, posted lousy hours, lousy service and lousy food. Places like Starbucks have elevated the standards so that it is enjoyable to go there and expect quality, and because there are many of them, you can always invite someone there for fellowship and not worry about being offended. Yes, hopefully the standard will improve in these other places, too.

The church is very similar. As it needed an "extreme makeover" and I am glad to see that many churches have improved their looks, cleaned up their acts and become progressive by moving into the 21st century. Branding increases awareness and elevates standards. The churched "tipped" in the mid 90's with the purpose driven movement and I believe many, if not all churches, have greatly benefited from this phenomenon. Eventually, the church will "tip" again and continue to improve.
An excellent read is "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Baldridge.

Great comments...

I wonder if megachurches are just a reflection that our population is getting bigger. For example, if we now have 300 million people living in the US compared to 76 million in 1900... the traditional average church of 200-300 could be thought to be around ~1000. Now there are some that say that a church pastor can only handle about 150... but given the population growth, it only makes sense that pastors would network these small communities together in a more strategic fashion that wasn't available to them in 1900.

It isn't a bad thing for churches to build scale so that they can serve a more diverse set of needs within the community. With the population so large... even a small % people-group with specialized needs is actually a large number. Whether we like it or not, large megachurches that serve many needs are here to stay.

The elevation of 'brands' above all else is indeed cultural, but I'm not sure the church should embrace it. One of the problems with today's church (no matter the size) is discipleship. A lot of folks in ministry leadership today are more interested in using 'cool' language and speaking 'relavently' to the audience than they are in being consistent with biblical principles in their approaches.

Our 'culture' of branding and cool is a reflection of surface relationships and lack of commitment to each other. The culture of brand is really the culture of "I am at the Center of my Universe" because a modern American brand's mission is to deliver WHAT YOU WANT. By definition, a brand never offends. It never asks you whether your motivations could be suspect. It never gently shows you the way to repentance and restoration.

A brand delivers on the promise of YOU. The Cross asks you to die to YOU... they are ultimately incompatible. Any church foundation outside of the cross is doomed to its own failure because it isn't rooted in Christ and the Holy Spirit's activity in our world. The rational end of church based on the 'brand of YOU' is the Unitarian Universalist Church. Believe it or not... most of these megachurches that make 'relevance' their primary mission will end up in the same place a generation from now. These churches will be different in name only... they'll sound cooler and never actually use the words Unitarian or Universalist.

There are lots of types of Starbucks.

For example, once I was in a congregational meeting where the issue being discussed was "should we repair the church's pipe organ or buy an electronic keyboard instrument instead"? The organ repair job was going to cost us many thousands of dollars.

One of the church pillars got up to speak and said with some measure of disdain, "I can't even imagine a church without an organ," and essentially ended the discussion.

My wife and I had recently visited the Brooklyn Tabernacle, Willow Creek Church, and the Mountain View Missionary Church of Lawn, West Virginia (a simple wood and concrete-block church of about 25 members) -- all very different churches, all without the traditional pipe organ and all, as far as I can tell, very alive in the Holy Spirit.

What my brother, the church pillar, was holding fast to was the Starbucks of his day -- a Victorian-era church building with pews, heavy curtains, robed choir members and yes, a pipe organ. If there was a commercial slogan for these churches, it might be, "Church? Have it our way."

You can find this brand of Starbucks all over New England, where we live. The problem is, many of them are are not healthy, and, well, some are going out of business.

God has given us the wonderful ability to be creative -- to do whatever it takes, with the gifts He has given us, to reach people for His sake.

I guess our job is not to get in His way, such as by holding on to whatever our brand of Starbucks happens to be.

I think the key in everything is to avoid being reactionary. Whilst the local might gloat they are doing fairly well (in either church or business) the consistency of the 'franchise' statistically continues to increase. Mcdonalds sales for instance continue to increase despite financial struggle, they adapt somewhat to local markets (normally national market) even if they maintain 'coporate identity and core product'

As a church we are starting two new gatherings this year. One on Sunday evening - which will intentionally be quite different to our main gathering - including main name ('The Point' instead of just LifeCity Church Canberra) we are also kicking off a southern gathering which will maintain LifeCity Church but of course add Tuggeranong)

I think the key is to maintain flexibility, ironically I would say that is a strength of some larger congregations over smaller. (we are smaller :) They have a 'pragmatic' or 'fluid' view and adapt. Hillsong in Australia is one that has adapted readily and continue to flourish despite criticism.