Photo: darkensiva (Creative Commons license)
There have been several humorous comparisons between church and Starbucks. If you haven’t seen the YouTube video, “What if the Starbucks Marketed Like the Church?” come back to this link after reading this post and check it out.
Now let’s turn it around. What if the church behaved more like Starbucks? What I’m suggesting has nothing to do with coffee…and everything to do with something called The Green Apron Book.
The Green Apron Book is a booklet that Starbucks gives its baristas. My stepdaughter worked at Starbucks for a while, and passed along the booklet. It outlines Starbucks mission: “To provide an uplifting experience that enriches people’s daily lives,” along with 5 Principles for doing exactly that:
1. Be Welcoming: Offer everyone a sense of belonging
2. Be Genuine: Connect, discover, respond
3. Be Knowledgeable: Love what you do. Share it with others.
4. Be Considerate: Take care of yourself, each other, and the environment.
5. Be Involved: In the store, in the company, and in the community.
Others, like Jeff Myers of the Slumdog Disciple blog, have already picked up on the notion that The Green Apron Book might have something to teach us about the experience we create for people (whether we claim that aspect of ‘church’ or ignore it). Darrin at the Hands and Feet 2.0 blog wrote a series of posts. Both Darrin and Jeff also mention the book, The Starbucks Experience by Joseph A. Michelli (McGraw Hill, 2006) for a more in-depth look at the 5 principles. But if you don’t want to go into that much depth, Jeff says The Green Apron Book is yours for the asking at Starbucks.
Here’s what I’d like to add. These 5 principles are a good guideline for Christians and churches when it comes to social media. Think about it. As Will Boyd of 3StoryChurch has pointed out in past posts like this one, there’s a lot more you can do on Twitter, Facebook, and other networks than just promote your programs, classes, sermons, and worship services.
We live in a world with abundant information. What people seem to be looking for are authentic, positive experiences. If your presence online and in the realm of social media is about creating that for them, even in small ways, they’ll be more likely to come to your website to see what else you have to offer.
And of course, follow through is important. If someone who connected with you or your church via social media shows up on Sunday morning, they should expect an in-person experience that matches the online presence. [For more on that, click the link to the YouTube video at the beginning of this post].
So how about it? Would you take a copy of The Green Apron Book to your next church board meeting, elder’s meeting, or small group discussion?
NewsMuse 
17 comments
Comments feed for this article
September 22, 2009 at 11:42 am
Danny Bradfield
Would Starbucks be late with its Monday promotion, so that it actually took place on Tuesday? (Oh, so sorry, I couldn’t resist. Forgive me! 😛 )
I hadn’t seen the video before. It’s fascinating, if a bit scary in a “hey, I recognize that” sort of way. But the topic is one I’ve considered before. Here in southern California, there is a fast food chain called “In-N-Out.” There is ALWAYS a line at In-N-Out. Unlike other fast food chains, the food is top-quality, and the employees–get this–are actually helpful, efficient, hard-working, AND always greet you with a smile. How do they do that? I’ve tried to get hold of the In-N-Out employee manual to find out their secret, and so far have failed. However, a book on In-N-Out was just published, and I’ve read it, searching for ideas that might help the church.
I’ve also had similar ponderings about Disneyland, which I wrote about here:
http://www.fieldofdandelions.com/2009/05/message-thats-worth-something.html
September 22, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Rebecca
Agggh – I’m busted for posting a day late! I deserve that.
We don’t have In-N-Out burger here in Ohio – if I come to California, I’ll check it out.
Great post on Disney too.
September 25, 2009 at 8:26 am
Rick
Starbucks is a very well connected series of shops that provide a similar if not exactly equal product. How does that relate to church, especially if non-denominational, disconnected churches is the wave of the future? Does franchising a connected series of shops toprovide a product monitored and evaluated by the owner (in this case God not any one of us) make sense in visualinzing church? It also says to outsiders that our brand is the best coffee you can get, but it does cost something to receive its blessings. So cheaping out, cutting corners, making things “easier” is not necessarily improving the product. Such an image surely makes one stop and think, doesn’t it?
September 25, 2009 at 9:32 am
John Smith
Hi, all
Rebecca – very interesting post on how the same values of hospitality, nurturing, individual attention, and caring can be good in a corporate and in a religous environment.
I don’t see any problem at all in taking the 5 Principles into a church environment. To be honest, I’m guessing that these “corporate principles” are rooted in someone’s spiritual or religious beliefs and background. The reality that they also make good business sense is secondary.
These just sound like a recipe for being a passionate and committed person to me, which is what Christians should strive toward:
1. Be Welcoming: Offer everyone a sense of belonging
2. Be Genuine: Connect, discover, respond
3. Be Knowledgeable: Love what you do. Share it with others.
4. Be Considerate: Take care of yourself, each other, and the environment.
5. Be Involved: In the store, in the company, and in the community.
Maybe Starbucks is learning from the Church:).
John
September 25, 2009 at 8:39 am
Jeff Gill
Ditto what Danny said, and my “Faith Works” columns on Disney World in Florida, 9-5-09, 9-12-09, & 9-19-09 — http://knapsack.blogspot.com/
Compare the Green Apron Book 5 points & Starbucks’ mission statement with most churches’ “mission statements” . . . oy vey.
September 25, 2009 at 9:02 am
Rebecca
Jeff – great posts about Disney. You made me want to go back there – it’s been a while. Maybe I won’t wait until I have grandkids to go. PS – I remember going into the Haunted Mansion when I was little, it was my favorite. That and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
September 25, 2009 at 8:49 am
Rebecca
Hi Rick, Thanks for your comment. You make some good points here. Their corporate structure makes it easier for them to ‘enforce’ consistency (or to put a different spin on it, to assure a positive experience). And some things about their brand, product, and business model commit them to a certain path at the exclusion of another (i.e. being the cheapest isn’t part of what they offer, although I’d argue that price and value aren’t the same, and they do well with the latter).
Yesterday I stopped at a Starbucks in a small town in Indiana. After I paid for my tea, I noticed they had a container of postcard-size flyers with a free sample of a new product, Starbucks Via Ready Brew (their foray into instant coffee). Noticing that I’d picked up the card with the sample, the barista asked if I’d tried it yet. I said no, and he explained the product. We got into a short conversation and he shared the story of how the product had been developed by a loyal Starbucks customer who was a scientist. Cool story. I was impressed – and it reinforced, for me, what I originally posted here – that Starbucks 5 principles (and how they’re actually put into practice by employees) is something to take note of, as churches continue to look for ways to engage people. Of course, it’s probably easier to talk about instant coffee than to talk about faith, at least for me.
September 25, 2009 at 9:12 am
Jerry
Let me know when you figure out how to celebrate the Eucharist on the social media.
September 25, 2009 at 9:56 am
Rebecca
Jerry,
That’s a great topic for a subsequent blog post. There are some fascinating discussions happening on blogs and even in published works about this right now. The questions that arise, as to ‘figuring out’, are somewhat dependent on what your beliefs about the Eucharist are in the first place. What ‘happens’ during the Lord’s Supper? What’s the role of clergy, Christ, and participant? I’ll do some looking around on the web and post something on Monday, but with the intention of opening up a conversation (in other words, I don’t have the answers, although I have given it some thought.) I hope you’ll come back and participate – stay tuned.
Rebecca
September 25, 2009 at 9:23 am
Jeff Gill
I not only did not expect to find it as good an experience as it was, but Disney’s Animal Kingdom was just a total delight. The walking zoo tour parts and “safari” ride through the enclosed preserve — it was as good a learning experience as any zoo or nature center i’ve ever had.
If you crave the sense of going back, i, uh, only have [koff] 1,200 pictures in six albums at FB. It’s like being there! OK, like communion on social media, not so much, but it’s something.
Love the Green Apron Book and the mission statement. Churches should at least consider how that communicates before they write any more three paragraph says-nuttin’ mission statements and print them on the back of every bulletin in small type.
September 25, 2009 at 10:37 am
Jeff Gill
http://www.kinnon.tv/2007/03/the_people_form.html
The Jay Rosen link that inspired Bill’s essay is worth a read, too, even if you don’t write for print/publication.
September 25, 2009 at 11:32 am
Rebecca
Wow, that’s an interesting post. I can see why it generated a lot of conversation.
September 25, 2009 at 10:57 am
Steve Kindle
It is well known among economists that Starbucks ubiquity is a sign of its failure. How’s that? Well, having a store on every corner is a concession to the reality that they NEED a store on every corner in order to compete with “mom and pop.” Otherwise, people will not go out of their way to a Starbucks. What does this mean for the church? Something tells me that their “Green Apron” approach is not the key to their success (such as it is these days: without the drive-in window stores, they would not be showing a profit, and the Green Apron approach doesn’t transfer well there.) In any event, this approach is not novel and certainly not unfamiliar to churches. Our “success” depends less on providing a felicitous welcoming environment than the creating of a servant community that truly lives for the sake of the other. THAT is not found at a Starbucks. Thanks, Rebecca, for helping us think about these things.
September 25, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Bob Cornwall
If only the coffee at Starbucks was worth drinking!
I’ve seen the video too — but remember that Starbucks is a corporation that franchises its product. We go there, like we go to McDonald’s when we travel, because we know what to expect. That doesn’t mean that it’s product is better than other products.
Although our churches do have a brand name (Disciples of Christ), we’re a bit like those small independent grocery stores that partner in coops to get some of their products at a better cost.
When people learn about the smaller chain, they may decide to go there! Steve maybe right at about Starbucks — their value is their ubiquity.
September 25, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Joseph Michelli
Thanks for mentioning my book The Starbucks Experience. I think a church has a more challenging transformational objective and can not just be a “third place.” The purpose transcends simply a welcoming place, although that is a necessary condition. Again thank you for the mention. Joseph Michelli
September 28, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Social Monday: Online Eucharist – Asking the right questions « NewsMuse
[…] the church in its efforts to establish and maintain a presence on social networking platforms. That post prompted some great discussion, not only about social media (in fact, mostly NOT about social […]
April 4, 2012 at 3:05 am
seaford pool cleaners
Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include almost all important infos. I would like to see more posts like this .