Bill Knapp’s Restaurants were a Michigan institution. Most of them were built exactly alike, so they were instantly recognizable. You could walk into a Bill Knapp’s anywhere in the state and instantly feel at home. The food was good and the menu changed seldom, if ever. And they had a fiercely loyal clientele.
But Bill Knapp’s paid a terrible price for their decades of keeping everything the same. Their loyal customers got older. The college students who worked at our local outlet called it the old folks’ home. Cheryl and I began noticing that there were few customers at Knapp’s younger than we (and we ain’t no spring chickens). The chain’s aging demographic must have caught the attention of the folks at corporate as well. They evidently realized that unless they recruited younger diners, their restaurants would die along with their customers.
So, they changed. They tried to attract young families. They installed video games and other activities for the younger set. They dropped some old favorites from the menu and updated the fare. They started an advertising blitz with a new slogan: “That was then; this is WOW!” It didn’t work. No amount of décor and advertising could erase the widespread impression that Knapp’s was “your grandmother’s restaurant.”
Even worse, the changes at Knapp’s alienated their traditional clientele. The older folks didn’t like the new décor, menu, or games. Bill Knapp’s is no more. Out of business. Bankrupt. Two miles from our church building sits a familiar-looking building, deserted for years, a mute reminder to past glory. Meanwhile, newer restaurants nearby flourish.
So why does this keep me awake at night? A recent article in the Christian Chronicle said that Churches of Christ became a “franchise church” during the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s: you could walk into a Church of Christ anywhere in America and feel right at home. The order of worship was almost identical. The prayers used familiar phraseology. The sermons were drawn from a select group of “our” topics. Many of our buildings looked alike. And the clientele was fiercely loyal.
But Churches of Christ are getting older, dramatically so. John Ellas, the leading church growth guru among us, has thoroughly documented the shift. It’s a rare Church of Christ that’s attracting significant numbers of previously-unchurched twenty-somethings. In metropolitan Detroit, I can name maybe one—maybe. What does this mean for our brotherhood, and specifically for my congregation? The solution seems obvious: we need to reach young families. But, will we wind up pulling a Bill Knapp’s—alienating our traditional support base while at the same time failing to reach significant numbers of younger families?
That’s what keeps me up at night. In the Trenton church, we’ve made some changes to try to reach a younger crowd. And we’ve lost several of our older members who liked it just fine before we started “tinkering” with things. And yet, within the last two weeks, two more twenty-somethings who grew up at Trenton have announced that they will be attending a different church (not a Church of Christ). Both have significant others who do not share our heritage, and who find us too wedded to unvarying practice, too mired in issues that make no sense to them. To them, we are “your grandmother’s church.”
But let me not end on such a depressing note. There is a difference between the church and Bill Knapp’s. Knapp’s had a marketing department. The church has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit alone can bring new life. My guess is that the Holy Spirit has a future in mind for us that none of us can quite envision yet. I would be surprised if his future involves us clinging desperately to all the old ways for fear of losing even more longtime members. But I also doubt that he wants to see us caught up in a bunch of gee-whiz, “that was then, this is WOW” church marketing schemes. My hope is that we will pray for his guidance, and then be humbly open to whatever direction he leads. And we need to be courageous enough to put everything on the table for him to either use or jettison: physical facilities, ministry staff, our pet programs—everything. If we can do that, trusting him fully, then we will have a future.
13 comments:
Wow. Just, wow. Somehow, when we came to Trenton, I thought all of this stuff was behind us, that you all had fought this battle already. Guess it's a recurring issue. And the Holy Spirit is sure taking us somewhere if we'll just stick around and see where that is.
What you say is absolutely right, and a bit scary. We're seeing it happen here where I preach. Of course, some of it is born of the consumer mentality that is so prevalent in our culture -- but not all of it. Some people are leaving because we are not being faithful to our calling.
I think I'm going to share this with our elders.
I am not old enough to know but I wonder if in the past we really thought God needed us to get this thing done. I also wonder if maybe he is going to get it done without any help from many of us in the future.
Has self-importance clouded our mission? Has "getting it all right" choked out the message? There is a shift taking place and it is more than some bandwagon to hope on.
I'm with Jema. We were and are attracted to Trenton because the leaders lead by the word and the Will of God and not what "most folks are used to" or which wheel squeaks the loudest. I believe the Spirit is working and will use this body as He sees fit and I am willing to stick around and see how it goes. Believe me - I was once one of those who liked things the way they always were until I experienced something better which made me open my mind and search for The Truth which includes some of the things I am used to and many more that I am not used to. If we can let God out of the box we put Him in I believe He will do so much more with us. As the most important person in history once said "Not my will, but yours be done."
Mark: You have captured our situation as a fellowship exactly. I read that article in the Chronicle this past week (it takes mail longer to get up here I think) and was going to share it with our elders this weekend. Now I am going to share it along with your comments too. Thanks... God bless. Mark
Mark,
Bravo! I am sharing this with our eldership this weekend! I have felt this same way for years but have been unable to organize my thoughts as you so cleverly have. Thanks so much for giving me a springboard article.
There is an old Joke about the Bill Knapp’s chain. Most places asked if you wanted “smoking or non-smoking” seating. Bill Knapp’s asked if you wanted “oxygen or non-oxygen” seating.
As the son of the man who became known as The King of all Dissenters, I actually feel qualified to comment on this post. Dad came back to the church he had known from his youth after being away for thirty years. When I say “away” I mean “AWAY,” as in the closest he came to actually attending worship was dropping Mom off at the back door on Sunday mornings. When he came back, he found that things had changed. And not, according to him, for the better.
“Singing during communion? You can’t do that! It’s not scriptural!” That’s just for starters. Dad decided that it was up to him to start his own personal one-man war against all things not CoC approved. Actually, there was more than just Dad involved, but he was the most vocal of the Malcontents. It got to the point where I couldn’t get myself into the proper frame of mind to worship because I found myself wondering at what point something was going to be said or done to cause Dad to get up and walk out. For the record, dad and I didn't agree on much.
Change is sometimes painful. Growth hurts. But it is necessary. I stopped counting birthdays when I hit 39, but at 41 I had the thought that since the alternative to aging is being dead, then birthdays weren’t such a bad thing after all.
When someone (even a long time member) decides they can’t abide by the changes within the church and the time comes for them to move on, they need to do so with grace and dignity—something my dad couldn’t do. And it is also incumbent upon those of us who stay to send them on their way with all of our love and prayer and hope that they find what it is they are looking for. And to let them know that the door is always open to them should they decide to return. Knowing our leaders at Trenton, I am certain this is the case.
Church growth is not always about, as one of our members so eloquently put it during a town hall meeting, “the number of butts in pews on Sunday morning.” Church growth sometimes must be about the spiritual growth of a congregation. In essence, sometimes you have to get smaller to get bigger. I’d rather be part of a group of 10 that is growing spiritually than a group of 10,000 that isn’t. Let’s make sure we are not changing just for the sake of change. Let’s make sure our changes our in accord with the will of the Spirit. Don’t sweat it. He’ll take care of the numbers.
Sorry for burning up your bandwidth,
Chuck
Awesome blog and comments. We need to bring the JOY back into our service to God and others. God only wants the best for His children. I feel there's a generation in the CoC's that feel all they have to do is get up on Sunday morning, get dressed, sit in a pew, have little to no contact with others and then go about there week. Thats okay with me if thats what they feel is right to do for them, but then they create problems if the services is not done the way it has always been done or the "right" songs are not sung, or if someone expreses their love of God in worship. God wants us to be happy in all things and what better way to teach our children but to be happy in serving the Lord and his children, ALL HIS CHILDREN!
Tami
When my wife and I got married we both worked and frequently ate out for dinner. We became regulars at the very Bill Knapps you refered to. Being a good 25 years from "geezerhood" we did feel a little odd eating there, but it was easy and comfortable. Most of the time we had the same waitress, so much so that she expected us and would have our table already set up for us when we walked in. Talk about being predictable. The food was consistently appealing, the staff friendly, but, in time we began to eat elsewhere, desiring different foods. I've been at Trenton since 1967 when the Riverview church, at least most of it, merged with Trenton. I always feel welcomed when I walk in the door, the "food" was always appealing and the "staff" friendly. I haven't been tempted to "eat" somewhere else. I think part of what has kept me coming has been the changes. I'm not afraid of change, in fact I think it's good. I left Bill Knapps before the change and have stayed at Trenton through and because of the changes. Water that has no change becomes stagnant, but when it moves it can go places it wouldn't have reached otherwise, flowing into areas that thirst for fresh, clean water. There are plenty of "ponds" around for those creatures that like "stagnacity" (?). I think it's good that we offer something different. bp
Excellent post. I will share this with my staff and elders. For the record, our church loves your church!
(unless that causes you problems in the brotherhood, in which case this offer is not valid)
"And we need to be courageous enough to put everything on the table for him to either use or jettison...If we can do that, trusting him fully, then we will have a future."
That's a courageous thing to say. May that future be positive and meaningful.
The church where we attended for twenty two years split a few months ago. Our new church is characterized by optimism, energy, and a spirit of cooperation and volunteerism. It has been quite envigorating. I had always thought such division was always a bad thing. But now I see it as sometimes necessary to the growth and development of all concerned.
Thanks Mark.
This is a well written and thoughtful analogy, highlighting the tensions inherent in generational shifts. I have found this same dynamic present in every denomination in which I have worked. The struggle comes when the congregation "wakes up" and asks; "where are the younger people?" By this point in the church's trajectory, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to pull out of the downward trend. We are already seeing increasing numbers of closings and "mergers" (as they are often called to whitewash the reality); this trend will dramatically increase over the next five to ten years.
Thanks for the thoughtful post.
I just ran across your blog. Great analogy. I will come back to see what develops.
Your fellowship is in my prayers.
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