Starbucks and the Church

A few weeks ago I attended a training session at the Starbucks regional corporate office in downtown Chicago. During the 4-hour session, I was made to discuss customer service, employee benefits, and taste a lot of coffee. But it was during the many video clips that I was we watched that I realized that Starbucks' success might not just be attributed to business savvy and marketing genius. It might be attributed to their mission statement (I cringe when uttering that phrase) and their commitment to their employees and customers with something they call "Corporate Social Responsibility." While watching Howard Shultz, Starbucks CEO, explain this practice, I began to think that it might be something that the Church could benefit from striving toward.

Below I have listed a few of the principles from the Starbucks Mission and have substituted a few words to make it applicable to ministry. Those words are in red.

Our Congregation and Fellow Human Beings
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our fellow Men... Sure, it starts with the promise of new life, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.

Our Neighborhood
Every church is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do ministry. We can be a force for positive action for Christ—bringing together our ministers, congregation, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility—and our potential for good by spreading the Gospel and living by Christ's blueprint—is even larger. The world is looking to the Church to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead.

Our Church Buildings and Homes
When our congregation feels this sense of belonging, our churches and homes become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It’s about enjoyment of the love of Christ...Always full of humility.

Our Christian Partners
We’re called Christians, because Christ not just a person or idea, He's our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be equal in Christ. We always treat each other with love, respect, and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.

I just think it's funny how one of the most successful businesses in the history of the world has a mission that holds up very honorable, biblical values. And why couldn't we copy these values in order to, "inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one verse, and one neighborhood at a time."

Is it OK to Root AGAINST the Bucks?

I am a diehard Buckeye fan. So this weekend's game against Penn State should have me pulling out all the stops, right? Red OSU T-shirt. Blow-up gray helmet complete with Buckeye stickers. Terrelle Pryor bobblehead doll in one hand. Classic pennant in the other. Texting "O-H" to fellow transplanted Buckeyes across the nation. Right? Then why am I starting to believe I should root for Penn State this weekend?

For fellow Buckeyes looking at the short-term, I must seem completely insane and heretical. How can someone who claims to bleed Scarlet and Gray, who sports a OSU flag in his work office and a giant Ohio State magnet on his fridge, and who wishes he could add a home #2 replica jersey to his bridal registry, seriously cheer on the Nittany Lions on Saturday night? For the long-term sake of the Buckeyes, that's why.

Look at it this way, Ohio State isn't winning a National Championship this year. And they don't deserve to make the title game after how badly their offense has looked at times this season (16 points against Purdue?) and after getting demolished by their only quality opponent at USC (Wisconsin doesn't count anymore). They will always get the opposite of the benefit of the doubt so long as the Big Ten is a one-team league. Which leads me to believe forward-thinking Buckeyes should hope they lose this Saturday.

A Penn State win would likely set up the Lions to finish the season undefeated and have a chance at Texas, Alabama, USC, or Florida for the title. It would establish them as another good Big Ten team and debunk the myth that the league is big boy Ohio State and a bunch of D-II teams.

Let's face it, the Big Ten is in serious need of legitimacy, especially after this season. Michigan, once a national power, lost to Toledo earlier this year, after losing to App. State last year. Wisconsin and Michigan State started off looking like the real deal, but recent games have shown them to be one-dimensional pretenders. Illinois has followed up a Cinderella season with a lackluster one. Minnesota and Northwestern were doormats last year, but this year have only one loss, which shows just how bad the "good" Big Ten teams are. And, week-after-week, Iowa, Indiana, and Purdue continue to show us what bad football looks like.

If Ohio State is to get back to the title game in years to come (and they should have a good shot with Pryor's talent), after failing twice in a row against the big bad SEC, the Big Ten needs to have other quality programs besides itself. Penn State making a title appearance would be a step in the right direction.

So I guess the dilemma begins now. Root for a Buckeye win Saturday? Or root for a Big Ten win for the coming years?