Starbucks closed for business

Every Tuesday mornings (except for the first Tuesday of the month) our lead pastor and I meet with our elders at a Starbucks in Cumming. It is a time to do some equipping, encouragement and connecting. We meet at 6:30 am at a Starbucks that opens at 5:30am. When we arrived to the Starbucks, it was closed. Closed? I thought maybe they had some plumbing or electrical issue, but at 7am when a couple employees showed up, they told me that the people who were supposed to open up the store, couldn't make it. The store was closed for a hour and a half, during it's "prime-time"! During the time the elders waited around for each other to arrive, countless people drove up to the store for their morning coffee only to be turned away by a pair of locked doors. I can't imagine the amount of money lost that morning, and especially how many customers walked away disappointed and inconvenienced.

As I thought about my Starbucks experience, my mind quickly turned to the church. When something like this happens in a business, they lose money and customer loyalty. But the cost for a church is much greater. When a new family arrives to drop their child off at the nursery, and no one is there to receive their child, because they didn't show up - that is costly. When a person scheduled to be at the greeters desk, shows up 5 minutes before the service has started - that is costly. When volunteers don't show up on any given Sunday and don't find a replacement for themselves - that is costly. These things actually happen, and I am embarrassed to say they have happened at Big Creek. Sure, things happen, people get sick or something unexpected happens. But this is why it is so important that we create a culture that includes several values:

People matter to God: When we don't show up or show up late, we tell the visitor or even church member, that they don't matter, and God doesn't care. But the people that God is bringing to Big Creek do matter to God. People matter to God, and our time and commitment to serve them is a testimony to that truth.

We matter to God and to others: Our commitments and serving opportunities are important. We are missed when we don't show up. Our absense won't go unnoticed. It makes a Big difference when we are not there- every person, and every responsibility is an important piece in the life of the church. (1 Cor. 12) And our service isn't meant just to please others, but ultimately we serve - the Lord! (Col. 3) It is Him we are serving and that truth should motivate us to serve with diligence and a cheerful heart.

We need to replace ourselves: We must see it as our responsibility to make sure we are training and recruiting others for the responsibilities we have in the church. The question we need to ask ourselves, is there someone who knows what I do? Is there someone who could replace me, if I was unable to be there? Is there someone who could eventually take over my position, if God were to call me to something else .

We need to apply these truths in an environment of Grace. But we must always be aware that every morning new people show up on Sunday mornings at Big Creek, and when they do, they will be looking to see, if Big Creek is "open for business".