Starbucks knows how to keep those lattes coming. Wired.com reports that under a new agreement with AT&T starting this spring, coffee fans with Starbucks Cards will enjoy free Wi-Fi services for two hours in Starbucks locations, those without cards will receive two hours for $4, and $20 monthly memberships also will be provided.
The change is a smart one for Starbucks. Coffee drinkers have asked for free Wi-Fi, stocks for the Seattle-based company have wobbled, and rival McDonalds encroaches on Starbucks' turf with gourmet coffee offerings and redesigned restaurants.
Churches should take notes from Starbucks' playbook. Starbucks and other merchants understand they must be viewed as essential to their customers in order to sustain their success. Everything -- from the hours Starbucks coffee shops are open to the coffees they offer -- underscore the idea of being essential to a particular audience.
Has the church positioned itself to be essential to the communities it serves? Sure, some churches have opened coffee shops and bookstores, but are those outlets tailored to those who are "churched" or those who are not? This is not about creating a commercial focus for the church, but about creating a radically accessible one.
What if churches morphed into 24/7 operations, where anyone could come, day or night, for food, shelter, prayer, teaching or friendship? What would that congregation look like? How would this structure affect traditional worship services? How would this 24/7 church operation be staffed and financed?
It's something to dream (pray) about the next time you line up for a Starbucks latte.
