For God’s Sake
Yes, I know there’s a Starbucks nearby in Gulf Breeze and another in Fort Walton Beach. I’m just surprised that we don’t have one in a community our size. It’s not that I think that the coffee at Starbucks or Caribou is exceptional. The appeal is that it is predictable, or better yet, familiar. The coffee product will taste much the same at any of their stores anywhere in the country; the ambience will be familiar as well. There is comfort in the familiar. People choose local churches for much the same reason.
In any community around the country you’ll find the familiar, mainline Protestant denominations represented: Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian. The other smaller denominations may or may not be represented; it depends on the region. Thankfully, Navarre has some good representations of many denominations. So, if you’re new to a community, you’re going to look for a church in the same denomination as the one you attended in your previous community because it is familiar; you know what to expect.
The truth be told, we who pastor denominational churches – I’m with the Evangelical Free Church of America – count on people being drawn to the familiar. That’s why we are careful to include our denominational affiliation under our trendy church names.
Some people don’t like Starbucks. They don’t like the coffee, the prices, and they don’t like that it’s a huge corporation. These folks visit the little independent coffeeshops in a community in search of a good coffee product served in a congenial setting. I visited the independent coffeeshops in Navarre not knowing what to expect. I tried Deb’s Coffee Drive-Thru and, just recently, J.J. Chago’s, and was relieved to find that they both serve a good cup of coffee. Similarly, some people don’t care for denominations – too much like corporations – so they visit the nondenominational churches in a community in search of the one church that “serves up” what they prefer in a congenial setting.
The depth of my coffee snobbery is well measured by the coffee equipment I have at my home – two burr grinders, a quality drip machine, a quality espresso machine and several French presses. In truth, I don’t need to go to a coffeeshop to get an espresso, a latte, or just a good cup of coffee – I can stay at home. Here’s where my clever little coffee-church comparison breaks down. I might be able to stay at home and get good coffee, but we can’t get what we need spiritually by staying home and worshipping by ourselves.
Yes, we can and should worship God daily at home, but we need to come together regularly for worship in an assembly of believers as well. God has so designed his Church that we are dependent on one another for our spiritual health. So, for your own good, join a local church and go regularly. Many of them serve coffee!