You need to know Wade Hodges

We Can't Do Megachurch AnymoreWhat happens when an "attractional church" is compelled to go in a different direction?

This Article was published in Christianity today.

My good friend Wade Hodges is a gifted communicator and leader who is doing the hard work of leading his congregation through change.

A few highlights for me:
"Was it time to plant an emerging type church? Or could I help an existing modern-ish church position itself for ministering to the next generation by developing some emerging sensibilities?

Rather than giving up on existing churches, which is what the prospect of church planting felt like to me, I wanted to believe that an existing church could make the transition. So I came to Garnett Church of Christ and set the transition in motion.

The results have been astounding.

850 members in 2003.

550 members in 2006.

Everyone told me that church planting would be hard, but I don't know if anyone warned me how difficult making this kind of church transition, with its epistemological, cultural, and sociological elements, would be."

"Our facilities were built with a megachurch in mind. With a 3,000-seat auditorium built in the center of forty acres, Garnett was positioned in the mid-eighties to grow exponentially like the oil-boom neighborhoods that surrounded it.

It never did."

"To relinquish our rights as members to a church building that we are no longer able to pay for by ourselves. The Garnett Church of Christ building is becoming the Garnett Event Center.

Already, several other churches are using our facilities on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon: a Messianic Jewish community, a charismatic Hispanic church, a rock church called Rolling Stone, and a new church plant.

Throughout the week, a number of other events, some church-related and others not, are held at our building. Not only is the rental income from these events helping to pay the bills, but it's also giving us a hospitable presence in our neighborhood.

But not without some difficulty. Everyone, myself and all ministry staff included, must reserve any classroom or meeting space equally with those in the community who are using or renting space.

The way we're trying to see it: this building no longer belongs to us. It belongs to our community. This isn't easy to explain to a charter member who's been helping to pay off the building for 20 years!

We've started a bi-lingual preschool that has grown to 50 students, half Anglo and half Hispanic. We've projected beyond our ability to speak Spanish, putting "Bienvenito" (Welcome) on the front doors and asking Spanish speakers to help us translate for different events."


Check out Wade's Blog.

The Spider and the Starfish

Yesterday I picked up this book. I've had several people refer me to this book over the past few months. So I finally bought it.

I'm a big fan of rethinking our (north america's) understanding of leadership. When consulting with churches, we implement a far more decentralized leadership structure that allows for higher involvement from the congregation, managed expectations, and clarity of calling for everyone involved.

Maybe I'll post more on this later.

No Words for this

No words for this. humbling.

I'm going to record it here on the blog so I can refer to it in the future. Such a great sermon and call to live by.


From Ted Ferris' sermon preached at an ordination service on May 9, 1971.
Because the church is where it is today—at the cross-roads—the younger he is the better able he will be to lead in into another chapter. People of my age and generation are too emotionally attached to the past to even see, let alone dare to make the changes that will almost inevitably be a necessity of survival. We may like to think that we are broad-minded and flexible, but when we get down to brass tacks, to the sticks and stones of the buildings we love, to the words and phrases of hymns and prayers that we know by heart, to the organizations we’ve given our time and energy to create, to the budgets and cash balances that we are accustomed to—then we know that we’re not quite so fluid as we thought we were. Perhaps we’re not yet frozen, but we’re pretty well fixed...

Whom did our Lord ask to start a new movement of the Spirit at a time when the spiritual temperature of the civilized world was far below normal—a group of elderly men who had been through the gaff, knew all the pitfalls, and could spot the crackpots a mile off? Not at all. None of them was much more than thirty—not even Jesus; or Paul, or Peter, or John. They were young, inexperienced, open to new ideas, sensitive to new visions, willing to try anything, ready to pay any price.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not yet ready to turn the whole church over to the teen-agers, or even to those in their twenties. What I am saying is that when it comes to the kind of rebirth which the church now calls for, the lead will come from young men like the one before us now—intelligent, serious, flexible, imaginative, gentle but firm, and fearless; ready to break new ground, not tied body and soul to any particular organization or way of worship; with preferences, obviously, but not prejudices and preconceptions.

All I ask of him is that he go about his work remembering Jesus: he was outspoken, he made no peace with legalism or narrowness of any kind; but he carried no battle-axe, and he made his greatest gains when showed people something they had never seen before—the royalty of service.

Bill Mallonee

Those who frequent this blog know I am a big fan of Bill Mallonee. That's probably an understatement. I have always loved great music. In college I started loving lyrics more than ever. I found folks like the 77's, Adam Again, The choir and the Lost Dogs and LSU (Mike knott) to be a refreshing realistic voice with lyrics that present the world as it really is, not like most of CCM does. I still remember lyrics like, "Hang on baby when you feel like driving us into a ditch."; or
"holding up to heaven
the winnings of your plow
look into the poor man
show him what he must do now
you've got all the answers
but he's got a book that shows him how"

But by far Bill Mallonee is one of the greatest lyricist of our day. If you live in a city he's coming to and you don't go then it is totally your loss.

This iTunes review of him says it well.
"If Bob Dylan were touring small venues in relative obscurity, his brilliance exposed to only a few would be tragic. No less tragic is the treasure that is VOL (Bill Mallonne) that, to this day, remains underground. These lyrics alone could be straight out of a journal of a man who isn't afraid to look for the truth as well as question whatever truth he finds." It goes on to say, "Lyrically it is art. Art in the sense that it gives the listener a story to get lost in, a question to ponder, and a truth to consider. You won't sing along to this, but you will think along to this."

Bill's MySpace
Bill's Website

Bill Mallonee

Those who frequent this blog know I am a big fan of Bill Mallonee. That's probably an understatement. I have always loved great music. In college I started loving lyrics more than ever. I found folks like the 77's, Adam Again, The choir and the Lost Dogs and LSU (Mike knott) to be a refreshing realistic voice with lyrics that present the world as it really is, not like most of CCM does. I still remember lyrics like, "Hang on baby when you feel like driving us into a ditch."; or
"holding up to heaven
the winnings of your plow
look into the poor man
show him what he must do now
you've got all the answers
but he's got a book that shows him how"

But by far Bill Mallonee is one of the greatest lyricist of our day. If you live in a city he's coming to and you don't go then it is totally your loss.

This iTunes review of him says it well.
"If Bob Dylan were touring small venues in relative obscurity, his brilliance exposed to only a few would be tragic. No less tragic is the treasure that is VOL (Bill Mallonne) that, to this day, remains underground. These lyrics alone could be straight out of a journal of a man who isn't afraid to look for the truth as well as question whatever truth he finds." It goes on to say, "Lyrically it is art. Art in the sense that it gives the listener a story to get lost in, a question to ponder, and a truth to consider. You won't sing along to this, but you will think along to this."

Bill's MySpace
Bill's Website

Playlist for today

The Kidz on Drugz (or Life) Bill Mallonee
Sundress Ben Kweller
Drown Son Volt
The Guide Borne
Thirteen Ben Kweller

The Role of Youth Pastor

Doug Jones is musing about the changing role of the youth pastor on his website. link He read my earlier post and was including his thoughts. Great stuff.

"I remember one day on a retreat writing down all the different roles I played as a youth worker. It was out of control. I didn’t save the list, but I know that the following were on it - roles I fulfilled over one months time.

communicator
counselor
trainer
concert promoter
activity director
janitor
leader
event planner
administrator
program director
caterer
travel agent
The roles didn’t include other things outside of my job - like father, son, husband, friend…

To say that the calling on youth workers can get confusing is an understatement. There are many expectations among those we serve and among those we work for. Youth Workers themselves don’t always make it easy either, they can bring a bit of baggage to the role, as well (another set of competing hopes, dreams and expectations!). What I see when I look at such a list (like the one above) is that we can think in terms of the calling to youth ministry as something we fulfill by what we DO rather than something of the person we ARE BECOMING. When we think in terms of youth ministry we seem to act like the greatest thing we can offer others is something we DO for them - and honestly this is where things get mixed up. We find outselves on a hamster wheel of youth ministry activities and events. I believe those in youth ministry need to rethink the activity assumption. We need to consider that the calling of youth ministry might be a calling to offer others who we are becoming.

What if the call to youth ministry is a call to offer others the very thing we see Jesus offering the disciples, an offer to be with Him (Mark 3:13-14). The sharing of our life. The glimpse at our flaws and at God’s gracious work taking shape in us. To share our journey of becoming more like Christ. To offer commentary on how God is shaping our story.

Responding to God’s call to minister with/for youth by being who we are in the midst of a community of students is a profound new way to think about the primary role of youth pastor. This doesn’t mean we DO nothing; but it does mean we don’t DO everything. It means that lots of activity doesn’t necessarily mean that ministry is happening. It means rethinking the shape of youth ministry staffs, programs, and traditions. It means re-pacing the ministry seasons and years. It demands a review and revision of the typical job description and enlarging our vision of the skill set and demeanor of a youth ministry candidate. It requires that churches seriously consider the priorities of what the church should offer it’s youth. It requires a team approach - it is the church body’s obligation to minister to it’s people, not merely a church employee’s. Much more could be said about this, and over time I am sure (and hoping) that it will be said, by more and more who love the church and love her youth!"

Youth Related Links

Boys and Girls Club Press Release
"By the numbers: (Source: BGCA's Youth Report to America, 2006 - survey of more than 146,000 teens nationwide, independently tabulated)
-- More than one-third (36%) of respondents believe that to improve their
relationships, adults should listen more.
-- Close to half of teens surveyed (48%) said that parents significantly
influence their decisions.
-- One-fourth (27%) said adults should be more open-minded.
Adults' Perception of TeensNegative stereotypes of teens in the media can present an inaccurate portrait of America's youth. Broadcasts highlighting teen violence have caused communities to enact restrictive curfew laws, loitering ordinances and increased penalties for youth who commit these acts. Laws are sometimes enacted without consideration for the rights of youth, leaving them feeling powerless and disconnected."


New Yorker: The Wisdom of Children

"A Conversation at the Grownup Table, as Imagined at the Kids’ Table

MOM: Pass the wine, please. I want to become crazy.
DAD: O.K.
GRANDMOTHER: Did you see the politics? It made me angry.
DAD: Me, too. When it was over, I had sex.
UNCLE: I’m having sex right now.
DAD: We all are.
MOM: Let’s talk about which kid I like the best.
DAD: (laughing) You know, but you won’t tell.
MOM: If they ask me again, I might tell.
FRIEND FROM WORK: Hey, guess what! My voice is pretty loud!
DAD: (laughing) There are actual monsters in the world, but when my kids ask I pretend like there aren’t.
MOM: I’m angry! I’m angry all of a sudden!
DAD: I’m angry, too! We’re angry at each other!
MOM: Now everything is fine.

Obesity and the Early Onset of Puberty

Middle School Education Issues

(ht: Marko)

Jaden

Jaden had surgery this morning to put tubes in his ears and have his adenoids removed. He's home and doing well.

A New Yorker Article

"On a spring afternoon several years ago, Evan McKinley was hiking in the woods near Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. McKinley (a pseudonym) was a forest ranger in his early forties, trim and extremely fit. He had felt discomfort in his chest for several days, but this was more severe: it hurt each time he took a breath. McKinley slowly made his way through the woods to a shed that housed his of-fice, where he sat and waited for the pain to pass. He frequently carried heavy packs on his back and was used to muscle aches, but this pain felt different. He decided to see a doctor.

Pat Croskerry was the physician in charge in the emergency room at Dartmouth General Hospital, near Halifax, that day. He listened intently as McKinley described his symptoms. He noted that McKinley was a muscular man; that his face was ruddy, as would be expected of someone who spent most of his day outdoors; and that he was not sweating. (Perspiration can be a sign of cardiac distress.) McKinley told him that the pain was in the center of his chest, and that it had not spread into his arms, neck, or back. He told Croskerry that he had never smoked or been overweight; had no family history of heart attack, stroke, or diabetes; and was under no particular stress. His family life was fine, McKinley said, and he loved his job.

Croskerry checked McKinley’s blood pressure, which was normal, and his pulse, which was sixty and regular—typical for an athletic man. Croskerry listened to McKinley’s lungs and heart, but detected no abnormalities. When he pressed on the spot between McKinley’s ribs and breastbone, McKinley felt no pain. There was no swelling or tenderness in his calves or thighs. Finally, the doctor ordered an electrocardiogram, a chest X-ray, and blood tests to measure McKinley’s cardiac enzymes. (Abnormal levels of cardiac enzymes indicate damage to the heart.) As Croskerry expected, the results of all the tests were normal. “I’m not at all worried about your chest pain,” Croskerry told McKinley, before sending him home. “You probably overexerted yourself in the field and strained a muscle. My suspicion that this is coming from your heart is about zero.”

Early the next evening, when Croskerry arrived at the emergency room to begin his shift, a colleague greeted him. “Very interesting case, that man you saw yesterday,” the doctor said. “He came in this morning with an acute myocardial infarction.” Croskerry was shocked. The colleague tried to console him. “If I had seen this guy, I wouldn’t have gone as far as you did in ordering all those tests,” he said. But Croskerry knew that he had made an error that could have cost the ranger his life. (McKinley survived.) “Clearly, I missed it,” Croskerry told me, referring to McKinley’s heart attack. “And why did I miss it? I didn’t miss it because of any egregious behavior, or negligence. I missed it because my thinking was overly influenced by how healthy this man looked, and the absence of risk factors.”"

This is a fascinating read, not only for the medical perspective, but because we do this occassionally in the church.

This is also definately true for those of us who work with churches. We look for certain signs and make assumptions about the reasons under the surface. We also have certain solutions we fall back on. Generally it's a program.

True Story

Yesterday I was visiting with a Senior Pastor and Youth Pastor of a church here in a small town in Oklahoma. I am coaching them and will be working with them to train some of their youth workers. These folks desire to be church B. They have a missional approach to ministry that to some feels less flashy than the average youth ministry.

So the youth pastor (let's call him Nate) was talking to the youth pastor down the street, who is in his 50's. As Nate was describing his ministry to this older youth pastor this is what the other youth pastor said to him.

"You send me your kids who want to have fun and I'll send you my kids who want to learn."

um. Do I really need to add commentary to this?
Other than being very very sad. It's remarkably normal.
Normal does not mean acceptable.

Teenage girls

Ginny Olson is on staff at North Park University and Theological Seminary in Chicago. She's wicked-smart and she has always impressed me with her insight into people and what makes them tick. Here latest book came out some time in 2006 and I've been wanting a copy. My friend Mindi at YS sent me a copy. (Mindi is quite the youth worker herself!) The is titled, "Teenage Girls: Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them" is a very helpful book in helping folks understand Teenage Girls, especially youth pastors who are male. A couple years ago Ginny invited me to contribute a few thoughts from the perspective of a Male Youth Pastor's perspective. I had totally forgotten about this until, as I was reading the book, I found two things I had contributed.

Here's what I said,

"Beauty magazines only make you feel ugly. You will never fully understand the truth of this phrase."

"Sixth grade girls are some of the coolest people on the earth and you will never understand them."

"Compliment female students often. Make your compliments about their character and intentions. When you're older, it will be more appropriate for you to comment on their beauty. You'll know you are older because the kids in your group will tell you how old you are."

If you have girls in your youth group or church this is a good book for you to read. Some of it will be great reminders of things you already know, but there is great stuff in here you've probably never heard before. It's a heady read at times, because it needs to be. Get it.

Operation Turkey Vulture

My friend Fr. Rob Merola is working with his daughter in Northern Virginia in what they have dubbed, Operation Turkey Vulture. It's a hilarious series. Rob is a great writer and an avid outdoorsmen. He's a good friend of Scot McKnight from the old days, before emergent and the blog. I've heard Rob speak at his church a few times and he is a great communicator. This series shows both Rob's sense of humor, his love for his daughter and his enjoyment of life. Can you tell that he used to be a paid youth pastor? After you read the post, add Rob to your Blogroll.

Post 1: Creating a Love of Learning

Post 2: OTV Phase III

Post 3: OTV Proceeds as Planned, sort of

Post 4: Yeah Baby

Post 4: Unintended lessons

UPDATE:
Check it out!!!!
The Eagle has landed!!!

My Final Four

Kansas
Florida
Texas
Texas A and M

KU beats Texas in the all Big 12 final!

Addicting Game

This game is addicting.

Measuring Success

My friend, Chris Folmsbee has posted an interesting post on how we measure success in youth ministry here. I wrote the following as a comment... but thought it might make a good post here too.

I really like these questions. it's really tricky isn't it. I think it was W. Edwards Deming who said that 90 precent of what matters in an organization can't be measured. (and he was talking about business, not the church)

How we measure or understand success is a very important question because it informs how we do things.

To really get this, we need to understand that unless a person or organization is really willing to do a lot of reflective work to understand his/her/their motivations, you probably don't know what all of your measures for success are.

The result of our conventional measures in the church lends itself to manipulation. Who hasn't felt the pressure to round the numbers up a bit when working for a church who values attendance figuires? or Wanted simply been a bit more preoccupied with getting more kids, because of the measurement standard? The problem with this type of measurement as well know is that the organization actually isn't getting the information is actually wants! I believe all churches actually want to see people grow closer to Christ, to build his kingdom, to serve others, to care for the least of these. (but this could be my assumption)
The problem is, that the conventional ways of measuring success in a church actually lead the church away from what it actually values.

I'm not saying we shouldn't measure, but I'm just advocating have a better understanding of what happens when we do and remembering that what we measure is only a very small part of what we actually value.

Over time measurement leads to reductionistic thinking.

Man I could talk about this for a long time... So I'll drop a few more thoughts.

I think that creation is critical for helping us understand how we can measure.

Some things I've learned from nature.
1. Nature doesn't count. A management accountant named H. Thomas Johnson taught me that.

2. Nothing grows forever. The other way of saying this is, everything dies. Which begs the question, what is a church life cycle and why do we see it as a bad thing when a church closes it's doors. To embrace life as a church, we must embrace that our local church will not last forever and that this is a good thing.

3. Reductionistic thinking leads to mechanistic thinking... which disrupts our understanding of nature.

Ok. I'll stop....
Thanks for the opportunity Chris...
I think this post might find it's way to my blog.

My thoughts on the Role of the Youth Pastor: Part 2

So what does a youth pastor do?

The churches the Riddle Group works with own the ministry to youth which practically speaking means that every bulletin announcement, every calendar, every van reservation, every missions trip, every event, every game everything is planned by the congregation. The congregation takes care of everything, because the ministry belongs to them. So what does the youth pastor do?

I believe the youth pastor's role is to be fully present with God and to be fully present with people.

That's it. Period.

It's a lot and it will look somewhat different for each context and each youth pastor.

My friend Ryan, who was hired as a youth pastor in a church the Riddle Group consulted, summed it up.

"You mean I get to be myself? I don't have to fake being someone I'm not? Are you kidding me?"

Nope. I'm not kidding. You take yourself, what you are good at, with all your giftedness before God. Listen. Be.

Then. Be yourself with people and youth. Are you a great teacher? Teach from your experience with God and your community. Are you an administrator? Administrate.

How is your memory?
Do you remember why you got into ministry? What was the impetus for it? Was it to do what you are doing right now? In other words, when you started ministry and responded to the call God had on your life for ministry did you think you'd spend your week like you do? Did you leave ministry, because it seemed that the calling you receieved from God consistantly failed to line up with the expectations the church had for you as a youth pastor?

My thoughts on the Role of a Youth Pastor: Part 1

Last week I posted a question about the role of the youth pastor here. I loved the responses. Thanks for all of you. Here are my thoughts.

I believe that the church must remember what it means to be a pastor in the local church. To often the word "leader" has replaced the word "pastor". I believe it was Barna who said, "If you are a pastor and you aren't leader, then you might not be called into ministry." I'll give him the benefit of hyberpole, but I must say that Mr. Barna is wrong. The glorification of the "leader" in my North American context has contributed to this ideology. We hear phrases like, "Everything rises and falls on leadership" and we believe them. Myself included. Leadership had become drive of pastors and frankly it's a big problem. Now before you label me a "leader" hater, I'm not. Leadership is important. I have friends who, it seems obvious to me were born to lead, while a great number of us understand leadership as a skill we can learn as well. It is my contention that in North America "leadership" is valued more than "pastor". Now I don't want to be a dead horse here because there are a growing number of churches who are no longer looking for CEO type leadership in the churches as they've seen the growing chasm between what we believe about God, his church and his kingdom and the way we function as his people.

The church will remember what it means to be a pastor. It will learn to dileneate the differences between the expectation of "leader" and "pastor". If you have a issue with me seperating the two just wait 3 years. Your mind will have changed by then.

So what does this have to do with youth ministry and what is the role of a pastor? Read the next post.

John Frye in Ukraine

I worked with John on staff at Bella Vista Church for two years. He's a gifted teacher and he's dedicating his life to supporting young pastors.

Here is a recent exchange he had with a Pastor in Ukraine on Church hopping in america.

John's site.

Mac vs PC

Ok. In the next 4 months I'm going to purchase a new laptop. My Dell Inspiron 5100 has been a very good machine for me. Very few issues, except of my power cord breaking a lot. But I'm not going to buy a Dell for my next machine, because their customer service is completely frustrating to me. But it's a great way to waste an afternoon trying to replace a power cord. Anyway.

I'm feeling compelled to buy a Macbook or a Macbook Pro. Actually the MB Pro is stunningly beautiful to me. I think it's what I want.

I have also heard good things about the Sony Vaio, but it's not nearly as elegant.

I assume I would want the newest version of Office (which is 2007 and probably be available in June on a Mac)

The other issue is that I will be buying a new phone soon. I'd love to wait for the iPhone, but I'm hesitant to get first generation stuff. I also think the blackberry 8800 is a wonderful looking machine.

Here are my questions.

Mac or PC?
iPhone or Blackberry or Treo or ????

what do you think?

20 best youth pastors

So I was surfing the world wide web this morning and discovered a list... er... a "special report" from the "Church Report: Real News. Real issues. Real Solutions."
Evidently someone has voted, or developed some kind of objective scale to be able to determine who is actually a better youth pastor than the rest of you folks. As I look at the list, I am friends with a few of the folks on the list and I'm wondering if they even know this exists on the web. Good people on a bad list. I'm anxiously waiting for the 20 worst youth pastors in america. Will that be next month? I'm guessing I'll know a few folks on that list as well. It looks like this list is compiled from folks who are in big popular churches. Enjoy!

20 best youth pastors link

Bono at the NAACP awards

His message to the church at the end is worth your time.

link

Update: I've transcribed some of his passionate speech for you.

“and to those in the church who still sit in judgment on the AIDS emergency let me climb into the pulpit for just one moment. Because whatever thoughts we have about God who he is or even if God exists most will agree, that most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble and the cries we hear during wartime. God my friends is with the poor and God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden. This is an adventure. And don’t let anyone tell you it can not be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. Thank you.” - bono

What Mega Churches can learn from Starbucks

Below is an intentionally leaked Starbucks email from the CEO of Starbucks. He morns the loss of intimacy and experience of a small company. A series of decisions that lead to an undesired reality is common for large churches I work with. Read below and draw your own conclusions.

From: Howard Schultz
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 10:39 AM Pacific Standard Time
To: Jim Donald
Cc: Anne Saunders; Dave Pace; Dorothy Kim; Gerry Lopez; Jim Alling; Ken Lombard; Martin Coles; Michael Casey; Michelle Gass; Paula Boggs; Sandra Taylor

Subject: The Commoditization of the Starbucks Experience

As you prepare for the FY 08 strategic planning process, I want to share some of my thoughts with you.

Over the past ten years, in order to achieve the growth, development, and scale necessary to go from less than 1,000 stores to 13,000 stores and beyond, we have had to make a series of decisions that, in retrospect, have lead to the watering down of the Starbucks experience, and, what some might call the commoditization of our brand.

Many of these decisions were probably right at the time, and on their own merit would not have created the dilution of the experience; but in this case, the sum is much greater and, unfortunately, much more damaging than the individual pieces. For example, 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 theatre that was in play with the use of the La Marzocca machines. This specific decision became even more damaging when the height of the machines, which are now in thousands of stores, blocked the visual sight line the customer previously had to watch the drink being made, and for the intimate experience with the barista. This, coupled with the need for fresh roasted coffee in every North America city and every international market, moved us toward the decision and the need for flavor locked packaging. Again, the right decision at the right time, and once again I believe we overlooked the cause and the affect of flavor lock in our stores. We achieved fresh roasted bagged coffee, but at what cost? The loss of aroma -- perhaps the most powerful non-verbal signal we had in our stores; the loss of our people scooping fresh coffee from the bins and grinding it fresh in front of the customer, and once again stripping the store of tradition and our heritage? Then we moved to store design. Clearly we have had to streamline store design to gain efficiencies of scale and to make sure we had the ROI on sales to investment ratios that would satisfy the financial side of our business. However, one of the results has been stores that no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store. Some people even call our stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion our partners feel about our coffee. In fact, I am not sure people today even know we are roasting coffee. You certainly can't get the message from being in our stores. The merchandise, more art than science, is far removed from being the merchant that I believe we can be and certainly at a minimum should support the foundation of our coffee heritage. Some stores don't have coffee grinders, French presses from Bodum, or even coffee filters.

Now that I have provided you with a list of some of the underlying issues that I believe we need to solve, let me say at the outset that we have all been part of these decisions. I take full responsibility myself, but we desperately need to look into the mirror and realize it's time 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. While the current state of affairs for the most part is self induced, that has lead to competitors of all kinds, small and large coffee companies, fast food operators, and mom and pops, to position themselves in a way that creates awareness, trial and loyalty of people who previously have been Starbucks customers. This must be eradicated.

I have said for 20 years that our success is not an entitlement and now it's proving to be a reality. Let's be smarter about how we are spending our time, money and resources. Let's get back to the core. Push for innovation and do the things necessary to once again differentiate Starbucks from all others. We source and buy the highest quality coffee. We have built the most trusted brand in coffee in the world, and we have an enormous responsibility to both the people who have come before us and the 150,000 partners and their families who are relying on our stewardship.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge all that you do for Starbucks. Without your passion and commitment, we would not be where we are today.

Onward…

Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus Christ

Steve Harvey, one of the Kings of Comedy, introduces Jesus in this video. I enjoyed it.

Link