Why That Starbucks Was Under Construction

I recently stopped in at an unfamiliar Starbucks. As I pulled into the parking lot there was a banner over the door that said “Open During Construction”. That wasn't going to stop me from getting my cup of coffee so I continued into the store. As I waited for my coffee to be made I asked the barista how long the store had been around. “10 years” she said. But what she said next was what fascinated me. “We are just doing a renovation. Starbucks schedules them every 5 years.” Every 5 years! Does Starbucks look old and used after 5 years? Not really. So why in the world would they spend the money to renovate (says the church board). 

Why would they plan on renovating every 5 years? Stop for a second and think about it. What are the top 3 reasons you think they would adopt this strategy? 

Got 'em? Okay, let's continue then. 

If those 3 reasons applied to your church, what about your Sunday experience would change if you "renovated" every 5 years? 

What about your Sunday experience would change if you “renovated” every 5 years?
— StevenJBarker

Revisit objectives

If you planned on “renovating” your Sundays every five years you’d have to revisit your objectives. What are you trying to accomplish with your Sundays? What is constant? What is core? Starbucks doesn’t change their core business every five years, they just reinforce what they are already doing. They give it a new, fresh, relevant polish, and apply what they’ve learned in the past five years. 

The key question to ask is “What are you trying to accomplish with your Sunday?"

Revisit aesthetics 

What was cool 5 years ago, might not be so “cool” any more. Are you updating your fonts, colors, or even the language you use? You don't need to re-invent the wheel. You don’t see Starbucks doing that (check out their logo changes, for example). What you do see is regular small relevant tweaks. 

The key question to ask is “What visuals need to be updated?” 

Revisit the status quo

New is exciting, and it’s an easy way for new people to get on board. If you implemented something 10 years ago, your new team members might not understand why you implemented it. Shoot, old team members have probably already forgot.  What caused that change in the first place? 

If you make a small change every 5 years, it's a great opportunity to revisit "the why" and to get your new team members on board with something fresh and new. 

The key question to ask is “What do new team members find confusing or unclear?"


Starbucks is on to something here. A well planned facelift every 5 years could be an essential tool in creating your strongest Sunday yet.

The last thing we want to do is point to the awesome work we did 10 years ago, thinking that it’s still relevant today. Building a stronger Sunday takes continuous evaluation and hard work. But it's worth it, right? 

Question of the day: Which parts of your church need some "renovating"?