I'm going to fumble through this, so bear with me.
Last month, Starbucks founder and chairman Howard Schultz sent a "battle cry" memo to the Starbucks executive staff. The content of the email warned of the "commoditization of the Starbucks experience." Schultz explained with great transparency and humility how several decisions along the way have led to a loss of some of the key aspects of the Starbucks experience.
For instance, by choosing to replace the manual espresso machines of yester-year with automated espresso machines, the "theatre" of a barista manually preparing your drink with skill and artisanship has been negated. Or, by choosing to use FlavorLock packaging as a means of keeping roasted coffee beans fresh, the aroma of fresh ground coffee has been virtuallly negated - it's trapped inside a machine.
The positive value of these decisions and many others is that each Starbucks location can maximize productivity, efficiency, and consistency. A latte at one Starbucks will likely taste identical to a latte at any other Starbucks. And, larger volumes of people can receive their drink in shorter time frames due to the automation and efficiency of the equipment used.
The negative is that Starbucks has to deal with some very diffficult questions: have we diluted the experience in the name of efficiency and volume? Is everything so automated that nothing feels personal? Is everything so programmed that nothing feels organic?
I have to admit, I fear the same could easily be true of our church and others like ours. Are we so focused on efficiency that we dilute the authentic experience of messy people engaging in a messy journey. The journey to Jesus and into relationship with Him is like a fingerprint - everyone's is different. Are we so pre-programmed that some of that experience is lost?
As a Strategic Partner with North Point, we adopt many of the strategies that have been proven to work at North Point. Believe me, we do this because we believe in it and we believe it is the way God has called us to structure Catalyst. But in doing so, we run the risk of being so focused on the strategy that we forget about the people who participate in and pull off the strategies. Maybe some of what worked in Alpharetta doesn't work in Greenville. We have to be willing to figure that out when it happens. And figure it out in a way that makes us better at connecting with the people God has called us to reach.
I'm re-reading McManus' masterpiece, An Unstoppable Force. It was one of the first books I read after I told God I would obey if He called me to start a church (I'm sure He was relieved :-)). It's a perfect time for me to read it again because it has reminded me of so much that gets lost in "doing church." I am all for structure and organization. I am all for good leadership principles being applied to make the local church better. I am all for us figuring out how best to steward resources wisely and accomplish our mission at the same time. But at the end of the day, the local church is not an organization - it is a movement. It is the body of Christ. And Catalyst is a part of the universal body of Christ. Inherent within the local church is an organic nature. And the leadership challenge I face is leading Catalyst in such a way that the organic nature is protected, celebrated, and given freedom, while also having a laser focus on the mission God has given us.
This is a real learning season for me. It's a learning season for our church. We have such a great strategy - I really do love it. We have so many great people - I really do love them. God dropped us in a wonderful city - I love Greenville. My prayer as we go through this season of making some changes to how we do things, as I make changes in how I do things, and as we prepare for next steps, that God would protect us from commoditization. That an experience with a Catalyst environment or attender would be authentic and exciting. That the strategies we enact would be productive, yet personal. That we would be a movement of the Spirit, not a monument of automated strategy.
Recent Comments