Monday

The Gospel According to Starbucks

The title hooked me. I am a coffee junkie and there is none better than Starbucks. I am here in the land of Caribou Coffee & there is really no comparison. Starbucks is where it is at. I would stand in line for Starbucks when any other coffee shop was empty. And that is the premise of this book. What makes people stand in line for Starbucks coffee? How can principles of the Starbucks philosophy be used within the church so that people will be clamoring at the doors of the church?

Leonard Sweet is also a Starbucks junkie. He sees 4 principles from his study of Starbucks that have people waiting in line, paying $4 for coffee multiple times a week. He puts these principles in an acrostic which spells EPIC. With each letter, Dr. Sweet presents how Starbucks uses that principle in one chapter and then follows up in the next chapter with how that principle can be used within the church.

These are not just marketing schemes or strategies, either. These are things that the church used to be known for, things that we should be doing, biblically, but have gotten away from. These principles apply whatever church size you are and wherever you are located.

I found this book very intriguing and think that Dr. Sweet is saying some very good and important things in this book. My only disappointment was when he made me relive that awful 2003 NLCS, in telling the story of an overzealous fan.

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