Another Comparison With Starbucks

There have been a number of comparisons over the years between Starbucks and the Church. Tony Morgan is the latest blogger to add to this list, citing an article that Psychology Today did on everyone's favorite coffee shop. The problem with these comparisons is that the real nature of the church can get lost in the comparison.

For example, when talking about Starbuck's intentionality, the article says, "At Starbucks, nothing is accidental. Everything the customer interacts with, from the obsessively monitored store environment down to the white paper cups, is the product of deliberation and psychological research. The coffeehouse as we know it is a calculated creation..."

I'm all for being intentional in the church; from how a greeter welcomes guests at the front door to how the sermon is concluded. My observation is that most leaders leave way too much to chance, simply due to a lack of forethought and planning. But to hold up Starbuck's "calculated creation" as a model for the church, are you kidding me? If there's one thing our services should never be it's calculated! Yes we need more planning and intentionality in regard to what we do on Sunday morning. But we must never be so intentional that we begin to view a Sunday morning meeting as something we create. Let's never forget, dear leaders that the Church is God's creation, not ours!