Why You Should Have Hope for Your Church

AMAZON.

The name evokes the spectrum of emotions.

For some, the name means an incredible selection of resources, unparalleled delivery, amazing customer service, and convenience not known just a decade or so ago. Amazon is what's right with the world. It's the embodiment of the future and the hope for society. If we are truly living in a material world, Amazon is king, queen, and crown prince of this world.

For others, the name evokes fear, distrust, and a disquieting sense of unfairness. You loathe Amazon, particularly if you make the fatal mistake to compete with the beast. The creature devours mom-and-pop stores. It disrupts industry after industry. It has the unfair advantage of hordes of cash and the favored status of countless government entities.

If you are in the former category, you shout exclamations of joy every time the box with the smile arrives at your porch. You celebrate one less trip and futile shopping effort to the mall. You express glee when your shipping charge is zero. Nothing. Nada. After all, you are part of the elect; you have Amazon Prime™.

But if you are in the latter category, you tremble with fear with each new Amazon pronouncement. They are the modern-era Langoliers, but they consume businesses instead of time. They are relentless, uncaring, and unforgiving. If you get in their way, you will be consumed. If you are fortunate, they will purchase you at a deep market value discount. Either way, you will cease to exist.

I admit my own schizophrenia with Amazon. I have been a customer of Amazon so long, I actually received a handwritten thank you note for being such a good customer many years ago. I was a Prime member before Prime membership was cool. And, as a confessing introvert, I absolutely love shopping without people around. As a consumer, I really do like Amazon.

But I have been on the other side of Amazon. They have been my competitor. The company I have led is not that small. We have a half-billion dollars in annual revenue and 5,000 employees. But we are gnats compared to the giant. In fact, I seriously doubt Jeff Bezos knows my name or my company. I have had to lead my organization to confront the stark realities of the massive Amazon. I know the challenges. I know the angst.

Hope in the Amazon World

We all know at least parts of the story of Amazon. Jeff Bezos started the company on July 5, 1994. One day after Independence Day, he began the organization upon which many of us would pledge our dependence. At its onset, Amazon was an online bookstore. Storing books in a garage, Bezos saved us a trip to the local bookstore. In the past quarter century, Amazon has entered so many industries and offered so many services, we've lost count of them. And in an amazing turn of events, Amazon has become the largest provider of cloud computing services in the world.

But Amazon started as an Internet bookstore. Amazon started in Bezos's garage. So, if any industry should be afraid of Amazon, it should be the book retailers, right? For certain, many of the big chains have felt the wrath of the Amazon power. Try to find a Borders bookstore in your town, and you will understand.

But something amazing has taken place in the shadow of the seemingly omnipotent Amazon: Independent bookstores are not only surviving, many are thriving.

This reality has flown under the radar of most observers. I guess most of us assumed the "indie" stores were long gone. Not so. To the contrary, it is a thriving industry. Dozens of articles are now surfacing about this resurgent and resilient business.

So what did the indies do?

They did not try to compete directly with Amazon. They did not offer Prime™. They did not sell a gadzillion books. They did not offer free shipping. And they did not offer endless streaming videos for you and your family to consume.

But they did connect with their communities. They did have fun events that reflected the hopes and dreams of those who lived nearby. They offered intensely personal services, not innately digital services. They curated their books so the consumer could better understand what was available. And they responded with new local ideas instead of new data-driven algorithms.

I know. This book is about churches, not Amazon. It's about reaching our community, not selling our books.

But I'm guessing you are understanding the reason for this early excursion. I think you get why I am writing about independent bookstores in a book about churches.

The main reason is to provide hope. And a close corollary is to demonstrate how that hope is actually played out in local congregations just like yours.

The Hope around Us

How many times have I heard such statements?

"We can't compete with the megachurch in our town!"

"A new church was started two blocks from us. We've got plenty of churches without them!"

"The church brought another one of their campuses near us. It's totally unethical what they are doing."

"We can't reach young families. They all go to the big church that has all the children's and student stuff."

"We don't have the money or the people the other churches have."

To answer my own question, I have heard comments like those hundreds, if not thousands, of times. They are statements of hopelessness. They are statements of despair. They are statements of defeat. They are statements of fear.

And to be fair, I get it. Those are not delusional statements. They are statements based upon the real and painful experiences of countless church members and church leaders. These church leaders don't want to feel this way. They desire to break out of the mediocrity of the same, lame, and tame existence of their churches. They want to make a difference. They want their churches to make a difference.

They want to know if there is hope. God's hope. God's possibilities.

And the answer is an unequivocal "yes!"

I do not make such a bold statement without basis. First, and above all, God is not done with your church. He put your church in your location for a reason. Do you really think He does not desire your church to become a potent force for Him in your community?

Second, I make the statement based upon the stories of other churches. I have seen too many so-called hopeless churches become turnaround churches. I have seen congregations defy all the doom-and-gloom prognosticators. I have seen churches spit in the face of the objective facts that say it can't be done.

I call these turnaround churches "scrappy churches."

Scrappy Churches and the Football Team

I like the word scrappy. It brings back memories of my high school football team. Yes, I know. I'm taking a trip to antiquity. But the memories of Johnny are vivid even today.

Johnny was our quarterback. He really got the position by default. We had no one who could throw the ball within ten yards of...