Churches are a lot like Restaurants

I was reading the business section of our local paper the other day and the pages were filled with all the new restaurants coming to the Nashville area.  Every day, it seems, a new restaurant is opening up in Music City.  We're getting the reputation for being a "foodie" town these days.  On the other hand, there's just as many restaurants closing in Nashville.  Naming our favorite restaurant is the new parlor game in Nashville.

We shouldn't be surprised. There are a lot of new people moving into Nashville. People from all over the nation are now staking out a new life in Middle Tennessee. These new arrivals bring with them their own experiences, expectations and tastes.  Of course, we're going to have to open new restaurants to serve these new customers. That also means a number of old favorites will close because they're either unable or unwilling to meet the needs or expectations of these new customers.

If you pay attention, you will notice several patterns. Sometimes, a chef will leave one restaurant to open a new one. In Nashville, you learn to pay attention to where the good chefs are. The other thing I've noticed is how traffic patterns change. As new areas of town are built up, traffic patterns change. Food stops that were  once "right on the way" are now just a few blocks off the beaten path. Now, they're just a little bit inconvenient.  Sometimes, that's the only difference between a thriving restaurant and one that is going out of business.

When you think about it, churches and restaurants have a lot in common. First, we both depend on volunteer traffic. No one has to eat your restaurant just like no one has to come to church. To get there, a person has to make a decision.  First, they have to decide to get up and go out instead of ordering in just like a person has to has to decide to go to church rather that sit down on the couch and watch the service on a streaming service.

Second, everyone is looking for quality food. When I go to a restaurant I'm looking for the full experience. I want good food in a good atmosphere with good service. Funny, but that's the same thing I want when I go to church. I want some deep and challenging teaching -- something I can apply to my living in the coming week. I want people around me who care that I'm there. It's a bonus if someone knows my name.

Think about it. If our church was a restaurant, what kind of restaurant would we be? Would we be a fast food joint? You know, not really nourishing or even good for you, but it'll keep you filled up for the rest of the day. Would we be an elegant dine in experience where customers dress up and plan to stay for most of the night? How would our "customers" find us? On an app? Driving by? Word of mouth?

Most of us in church leadership never think about these things...and it shows. Because we don't know what kind of restaurant we are, we end up trying to serve everything. That, of course, means we do everything poorly rather than doing one thing well. How do we treat our "guests" when they come? Do we offer them something worth coming in for? Do we act like we expect to see them again? Do we bother to learn their names?

Too many churches wrongly assume people want to come to church. Some do, but then they can't figure a way to make church work in their schedules and lives. They assume church is a nice thing to do, but not a necessary thing to do. They aren't convinced going to church, being part of a church, adds anything of value to their lives. More people than ever, however, have decided going to church, being part of a church, doesn't add anything of value to their lives. They aren't going to church.

So, how do we get customers to come to the restaurant? First, we make sure we're serving what the customers need and want. I'm not suggesting we don't preach the gospel, not at all. I am saying there's more than one way to preach, more than one way to teach and methods matter. People change. Their needs change. Churches, like restaurants, have to change in order to better meet the needs of their people. The message doesn't change. Methods are interchangeable. Do our methods match the needs of our community? Are we giving them the Good News of Jesus in a way that they can understand and remember? Are we serving good food?

Do we make our customers feel valued? Welcomed? The hardest thing in the world to do is go to church when you don't know anyone. How long does someone come to our church before they have a friend?

In churches as in restaurants, the same things keep them coming back -- good food and great service. Restaurants that offer this stay in business -- so do churches.

This essay was first posted in Scot McKnight’s newsletter.