Can the Church Beat Starbucks?

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091118/can-the-church-beat-starbucks/index.html

[Christian Post] 19 Nov 2009--It used to be an easy decision. You go to church on Sunday mornings and save the coffee shop for Tuesday night small group. But things are not so clear anymore. Indeed, over the last several years the church and Starbucks have increasingly moved into each other’s territory. And this leads to the question: will the church go the way of the UK’s Coffee Republic and other bankrupted chains, or will it win out against the titan from Seattle?

Starbucks’ move into the church’s territory began in the mid-nineties when the decision was made to market Starbucks as the so-called “third place” between home and work: the place to be yourself and reassert your identity in community. Unfortunately this brought it into inevitable conflict with the church which had long been vying for the coveted status of third place.

As Starbucks moved into direct competition with the church, it intentionally began to market its products as part of a total experience which could imbue meaning and purpose into the dismal lives of the weary suburbanite. This is how Howard Schultz (Starbucks CEO) put it: “In the ethical vacuum of this era, people long to be inspired. […] When five million people a week seek out a Starbucks store and wait in line for an espresso drink, when customers return several times each week, they’re not just coming for the coffee. They’re coming for the feeling they get when they’re there.”

Coffee as a way to fill an “ethical vacuum”? Clearly this spelt danger for the church which was also in the business of filling ethical vacuums, but had nothing more interesting than tepid coffee and bland pasta dinners (the latter only on the condition that you agree to watch an Alpha course video).