STARBUCKS AND THE CHURCH

Part One

“ONWARD”- Howard Schultz

“How Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul.”

           Once and a while you come across a book that speaks to your soul. This was one of those books for me.

           From the beginning to the end, its passion, empathy, dedication, love, honesty and humility touched me.

           I was left with the question, how can the church fight for its life without losing its soul?  And who is the church; we are, you and me.

           The economy was going down, the forecast didn’t look good. The year of 2008 brought a lot of changes to Starbucks, not only Starbucks, but really the whole world.

           I can relate to this in some degree, as the last year or so Michael and I’s world has been rocked, our boat had been turned upside down. To feel like you have lost control of your world is not an easy place to be.

           I was so taken by Howard Schultz book: first how it related to what I believe is the modern day church and also the business side in me. It brought me back to when I was finishing my schooling in Toronto. My accounting teacher had me into following the stocks, weekly we would discuss this. I was heading home to a new life, but he wanted me to stay and pursue a career in the business field.

             Mr. Schultz came from a humble beginning, born in the Bronx. He described how he grew up before all the electronic age. And kids spent most of their time outside. How the kids from the Bronx would all gather together, sports’ playing was an out to escape the home life. His father did what he could to support his family and due to health reasons lost his job. This left the family with very little and little help. Life throws us some pretty big hurdles. This has left a very big impact on Mr. Schultz’s life and the direction that he leads his life. He relates to his former years and understands what poverty is. He once had nothing, that he was nobody.

             I will take you on a journey through his book with opening questions for us to apply- be very interested in your precepts on the book as well.

            “Onward.”

          “Mr. Schultz describes as one morning he went into the very first Starbucks in Seattle; before the hustle and bustle of the day began. He walked into the dark quiet store. As he entered he ran his hands down the wooden counter where it all began.”

            I remember in the fall of 2011, after my husband lost his job, and having no idea where our lives were going. I walked outside around our property with tears running down my cheeks, looking at all my flower beds and all the work we have put into our home. For us nothing has come easy- no money tree in the backyard. We moved here one year after being married. And like most, we have had to pinch and save to get anything. But we do appreciate everything we do have. The knot in the pit of my stomach would not go away. Will we lose this; will we have to move, what does the future look like?

          “Mr. Schultz stood in the dark and made two commitments to himself.

One, I would not return to the role of CEO dwelling on our storied history. Instinctively I understand that we had to return to our roots, but if that heritage was not linked to a willingness to reinvent and innovate, then we would fail.

Second, I would not cast blame for the mistakes of the past.”

                Do we see this need in our churches today?  Again, returning to our roots and are we willing to reinvent and innovate so that the church can move forward? I ask again, how can the church fight for its life without losing its SOUL!

          “Introduction”

“But I have always refused to abandon that purpose (its soul)-even when Starbucks and I lost our way.”

          My question have we lost our way?

          “Love”

           “Then Starbucks has lost the essence of what we set out to do 40 years ago: inspire the human spirit,”

          Have we (the church) lost the essence to inspire the human spirit?

“I love Starbucks because everything we’ve tried to do is steeped in humanity.

Respect and dignity.

Passion and laughter.

Compassion, community, and responsibility.

Authenticity.”

          How do we bring this back into the church?

“Aspiring to build human relationships in an age when so many issues polarize so many.”

“In the beginning of 2008 I deeply wanted people to fall back in love with Starbucks.”

          How can we get people to fall back in love with Christ?

“Doing so meant taking a step back before we could take many steps forward.”

          Do we have to look to the past first to look to the future?

          We have to look at what worked then or didn’t.  We have to begin to fall back in love with Christ.

 “There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe (my underline) 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 our actions will lead.”

“This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn’t dare. Beliefs in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.”

““Life is a sum of all your choices,”- wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures, hopefully inspiring others along the way.”

               

                I am at a stage where I no longer want to be a bystander.

I see so many things, movements, unsettlements-searching for what? I remember Sunday nights were more for the youth. People gathered at homes after Sunday night church.  Have we lost the romance, the passion of what it means to live a Christ centered life? I know times have changed, our work life styles have changed as well- we have been spending the last 6 months adjusting with my husband’s new job. It almost seems the more we have the less of God we need.

          We have very little compassion anymore. Have we forgotten where we came from? We can see pictures of depleted people and at that moment think “oh my” but as soon as we turn the page, it’s forgotten.

Luke 12:48 (NIV) “ From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

          Our responsibility is to our community. It used to be that the church was the place that brought it all together. Support was found in the church. We need to be that “city on the hill”, letting our light shine. The community needs to see that we are different. We need to take a stand and be true.

“Believe.”

           We were so surprised at Christmas with a “visit” from Santa, and with two VERY barky dogs, we were not sure how he did this. I remember the excitement as we were pulling out the packages and stockings for all. Everything so carefully wrapped, but on the top was a gift bag that said to a family who “believes”. I was stunned; no words could express my thoughts. You see, in my growing deeper this was something I held on to. In my devotions one day it was on John 11:40. “Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” We claimed to use our story for the glory of God. And this verse was a promise that I held on to. As I write this we are also still holding on to this verse. “I do BELIEVE.” “Santa” didn’t know the miracle he did that day. God, using others to speak through to others.

  “Early one day in Milan, I was strolling from my hotel to a trade show when I popped into a small coffee bar. “Buon giormo!” an older, thin man behind the counter greeted me, as if I were a regular. Moving gracefully and with precision, he seemed to be doing a delicate dance as he ground coffee beans, steamed milk, pulled shots of espresso, made cappuccinos, and chatted with customers standing side by side at the coffee bar. Everyone in the tiny shop seemed to know each other, and I sensed that I was witnessing daily ritual.”

   “I nodded and watched as he repeated the ritual for me, looking up to smile as the espresso machine hissed and whirred with purpose.”

  “This is not his job, I thought, it’s his passion.”

          When we serve Christ, do we serve with this much passion? When people enter our churches or our lives, do they feel this passion as we serve?

“This was so much more than a coffee break, this was theater. An experience in and of itself.”

           Does the church give an experience in and of itself? This is what will reach the younger generation. In order for the church to carry on; we have to reach the younger generation without losing the church’s “soul.”  How can we do this?

“The blend of craftsmanship and human connection, combined with the warm aroma and energizing flavours of fresh coffee, struck an emotional chord.”

          Are we (the church) presenting this craftsmanship and human connection and energizing flavours for Christ?

“For people who seemed more like friends than customers. In every bar I felt the hum of community and a sense that, over a demitasse of espresso, life slowed down.”

          In our crazy, busy world can people come into our churches and feel the sense of friends, community and a peace?

“We take something ordinary and infuse it with emotion and meaning, and then we tell its story over and over and over again, often without saying a word.”

          Does the world see this in our lives? Can we tell the story over and over, and sometimes without saying a word?

“Where people can connect with others and reconnect with themselves.”

          Our churches should be a place to connect with others and themselves (in a spiritual way).

“When we went to automatic espresso machines, we solved a major problem in terms of speed of service and efficiency. At the same time, we overlooked the fact that we would remove much of the romance and theater that was in play…”  (my underline)

“We achieved fresh roasted bagged coffee, but at what cost? The loss of aroma-“  (my underline)

“Finally, the stores’ design, so critical to atmosphere, seemed to lack the warm, cozy feeling of a neighborhood gathering place.”   ( my underline)

          The senses- of the church. We need to bring back the senses- the warm, cozy feeling of a neighborhood gathering place!

“Without these sensory triggers, something about visiting a Starbucks vanished! The unique sights, smell, and charms that Starbucks introduced into the marketplace define our brand. If coffee and people are our core, the overall experience is our soul.”

“We desperately need to…get back to the core and make the changes necessary to evoke the heritage, the tradition, and the passion that we all have for the true Starbucks experience! I could not allow us, or myself, to drift into sea of mediocrity after so, many years of hard work. I just could not do it. The time had come to speak up, from the heat.”   ( my underline)

          Let’s get back to the core!!!! Have we lost the vision, the goal, the mark? Let’s go back to our heritage, the traditions and the passion. Let’s look at our sensory triggers. We can learn from the past, take what we can, bring it to new heights. Let’s make visiting church check the boxes of all our senses to make it a drawing place. Yes, the way we present may change, but we can’t let go of the core!

“Technology was redefining the nature of relationships and how people spend their time.”

“The times were changing, with or without Starbucks. I knew we could no longer tell our story only in our stores.”

 The times are changing, with or without the church!

“I sensed a second challenge on the horizon. In addition to tackling mounting problems inside our company, we also had to innovate in the digital domain, to discover new ways to reach out and be relevant to consumers. I was not sure exactly where to begin, but we had to do something.”

          We have to discover new ways to reach out!

“Only by not speaking from my heart do I betray that trust.”

           Let’s find our voice!!!!

                                                               Part II to follow,

 *All quote credits given to- Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon,

"Onward How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul."