Staying at the ice cream store
Friday, October 21, 2005 at 7:55PM This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"
And so it came to pass that some quit the ice cream store. Still, many ice cream stores stayed in business. In the ice cream belt, people built newer and bigger stores with new flavors of ice cream nobody had imagined before. A whole industry published books on how to run a successful ice cream store. Most books were gimmicks, but by the time people realized this, they were reading the next book that promised exactly the same thing.
But some didn't quit the ice cream store. In many parts, sales went down, and people didn't want to eat ice cream any more. Some longed for how it used to be. Others were threatened, because all they knew how to do was to scoop ice cream. Some store employees were secretly excited and a little bit scared, because they realized there were better things to do than serve ice cream. Although it could cost them their jobs, they believed that something better was coming.
One day a group of ice cream store managers got together. They talked for a while, and realized that what was happening at their store wasn't unique. They also realized that not everybody is cut out to quit the business and start something new.
As they got talking, they began to list their thoughts about what to do. They all agreed that there are two main problems with ice cream stores: they don't serve healthy food, and they are very expensive to run. Their two main costs are paid staff and buildings, and it was hard to think of how to run a store without these.
But they also began to list some good things about their ice cream stores:
- Some of their loyal customers who used to like ice cream still liked to get together at the store, but they were ready to try something new.
- Some stores had started to sell healthier items on the menu, and could see ahead to the day that they stopped serving ice cream altogether and only served healthy things.
- Ice cream stores have lots of assets that can be used for better things than ice cream.
- Some managers thought they could use their ice cream store as a base to launch something different and healthier. They could use their assets to support former employees who had quit, or even those who had never stepped foot in an ice cream store.
Ice cream stores would never be what they used to, and the managers were sometimes a little bit jealous of those who had already quit. They could never decided if they were taking the easy or the hard route by deciding to stay.
They resolved to do the best they could in their context, serving as little ice cream as possible (smaller scoops!), while helping others realize that other foods are healthier. They resolved to be honest that the day of the ice cream store is over, and rather than crying about it, they wanted to help people see that it was a good thing.
There were still a lot of people who loved ice cream. Maybe it was better, they reasoned, to stay and help this group adapt, rather than allow somebody new to come in who was reading the latest books on how to build a better store, and would introduce new flavors and make the customers even fatter from eating even more ice cream.
They also started to look for ways to use the store for better things. They couldn't justify spending all that money on a store if all it was going to do was serve ice cream.
Most of all, they prayed that they would never stay at the ice cream store simply because it was a job. What kind of job is serving ice cream anyway?
Did the managers who stayed do the right thing? I don't know. I do know that some were right to quit, and they could never picture going back and serving ice cream again.
But for those who stayed, only God knows if they did the right thing, and only time will tell.
Reader Comments (5)
as a fellow who used to manage ice cream stores - the real ones - i have to tell you that this post was deliciously thought provoking...
Wow. How is it that we know that those who left the store did the right thing but only God knows if those who stayed did the right thing? This is not a defence of the ice cream store. It is just an observation. My father stayed in a denomination infested with a great deal of unbiblical nonsense because he saw that it was where God wanted him. He also didn't want the people he loved to get someone who would only sell ice cream once he left. God may be calling many people out of the store without saying "I have no use for the store anymore and there are those who I am calling to work in it with all its difficulties and frustrations." Also, it may be that some jump out the store because it is the faddish thing to do. There are good reasons to leave. There are good reasons to stay. There are bad reasons to leave and bad reasons to stay. We commit the sins of the ice cream store owners if we say "what we are doing is the only right thing to do in light of the crisis assaulting the store." Just some thoughts.
Hi Ken: I suspect you could be right. When I ask if those who stay did the right thing, I'm not asking a moral question. I'm asking more of a strategic one. There are wrong reasons to leave and I suspect there are right reasons to stay as well. I'm going to post very soon on the biggest issue I'm facing in staying...it's very much a live issue for me.
Darryl, Thank you for these 3 posts. I have never been a pastor but I have observed the difficulties from afar (sometimes being one of those difficulties I'm afraid). I guess I haven't seen any alternatives to the ice cream store. Although I no longer regularly attend a church I do miss community. I think staying and helping those get ready for the change is a wonderful gift. It can and will be used wonderfully for God's glory. For those not going to the Ice Cream store, we need to create stores of our own. I don't know what that looks like, especially through the fog of deconstruction. But hopefully it will become clear. Thanks again, Rob
May I use another analogy? Not too long ago, the biggest news in our community was that Wal-Mart was building a store here. There were people who were looking forward to the store's opening because of the prices and selection, and it meant that they didn't have to commute to another town for that shopping experience. But, there were also people who were up in arms because they disagreed with the concept of big- box stores, or they feared the competition that Wal-Mart brings to the community. Some store owners in the downtown core chose to just leave because they couldn't conceive of a way to compete. Some left, but opened up again in another community. Some left, but opened some other venture. Some stayed, but couldn't adapt, and were forced to close later. But some chose to stay and adapt, changing both their prices and service to offer an alternative to the mega-store. Obviously, to me anyway, those who just left wimped out. Those who left but opened up in another community may enjoy success for a while, but the day will come again when they face the same competition in their new place of business. Those who left, but started another venture are still offering a viable service in the community. Those who stayed but failed, at least gave it a try, but they were stuck in a paradigm that did not meet the needs of their customers. Those who stayed and adapted are as successful now as they ever were, if not more so. The air of change for the Church is in the wind. Some will just quit. Some will move on. Some will quit what they are doing, but start doing something else. Some will stay and fail. And some will stay and adapt to the change. Without meaning to reduce The Church to a place of business, I think the parallels are quite interesting. Quitting outright in the face of change isn't an option, but maybe those who do shouldn't have been there in the first place. Moving on and doing the same thing, in the same manner somewhere else only delays the inevitable. Starting some new model, maybe smaller, maybe in a different venue, can be an answer. Not changing anything, but carrying on regardless, leads to failure. Embracing the change, and finding new ways to meet the needs of the people leads to a healthy, vibrant, community. Of all the possibilities, the one's that make the most sense are: a) finding a new way to serve the community, outside of the paradigm we are used to, and b) adapting to the change and offering an alternative to the stuff that went before. Similar outcomes I know, but different approaches. I also realize that the mega-church will be successful, just like the big-box stores are. But for a satisfying shopping experience, with a good product, honest pricing, pleasant, smiling service, and genuine caring about the customers' needs -- give me the local, smaller, more personal, independent venue any time.