I started reading Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation this week. The book is a fascinating look at the corporatization of America and a stark survey of an industry that not only shapes our waistlines but our culture as well.

While I want to wait to write a full reveiw after I finish the book, the following passage really spoke to me about my “profession” and the state of American ministry in 2006.

Almost every facet of American life has now been franchised or chained. The key to a successful franchise, according to many texts on the subject, can be expressed in one word: “uniformity.” Franchises and chain stores strive to offer exactly the same product or service at numerous locations. Custormers are drawn to familiar brands by an instinct to avoid the unknown. A brand offers a feeling of reassurance when its products are always and everywhere the same. “We have found out… that we cannot trust people who are nonconformists,” declared Ray koc, one of the founder’s of McDonald’s, angered by some of his franchisees. “We will make conformists out of them in a hurry… The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization.” (5)

In the margin of the page I scribbled the word “McChurch.” I want to take this scribble in two directions.

1) While we should all seek to have and teach uniformity concerning the message of Jesus Christ too often we seek uniformity on the meduim only. For churches, the medium includes buildings, events, ministries, and budgets. Many churches are always seeking to look, act, walk, talk, eat, and sleep like their next door neighbors or their mega-church heroes. Instead of seeking God’s direction on their true, God-given idenity churches are more concerned with making their own name on the back of other successful churches by mimicing their success. Recently I spoke with a guy who has been in ministry for nearly two decades. He and a few key leaders had visited a well respected church on the east coast to observe how they minister to their people. Some in his leadership were very excited about the weekly prayer meetings that go on for hours at a time. The leadership was eager to return home so that they could begin this same type of ministry event at their home congregation. My friend, speaking with much wisdom and discernment, asked his group to slow down. He reminded them that the lead minister and this church felt that they were led to begin these prayer meetings by God. The prayer meeting wasn’t just a cool idea or a great way to get the people of the congregation to pray together. No, this was a directive from God to these people. God had led them to begin this minisrty. My friend encouraged his leadership to first seek out what God was leading their church to do. God would bless that before he would some cool idea. Churches that seek to replicate something that was successful at another church before seeking God’s guidence need to be reminded of Numbers 9:15-23. Here’s the gist:

At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.

Let the Lord lead at his speed and at his directive. Simple as that.

2) While I am intrigued and even a little excited about the newest form a church planting known as satellite churches, I am worried about the “franchising” aspect that could come about with creating a number of different campuses. Truthfully, tradition church plants can also fall into the “franchising pit” and I have seen my fair share of cookie-cutter churches who look, talk, and act like their mother churches. However, by no fault of the mother church leaders trying this new model and the satellite church leaders, the consumer mentality of many in the church today could take hold of these churches while in their infancy stage and never let go. If this happens, the satellite campus might never be able to grow and thrive on its own if the leadership doesn’t have an adequate plan.

The mother church might begin to act like Kroc and be wary of allowing the satelite campus to think outside the box to meet their members needs in way that differes from the original. Ministers at both locations could begin to burn out very quickly if struggles like this begin to define and dictate their leadership meetings.

The satellite churches could fall into complacency, always believing that the mother church will take care of them. Another problem could aise when those attending the satellite church merely consumer the worship and leadership and never feel the need to get off the pew and take the reigns. The ministers leading at the campus could feel like the junior members or second-teir ministers (Questions like, “When are you ging to pastor your own church?” are already to prevelant). These are just a few issues that could arise.

Again, I am intrugued and excited about the satellite church movement. I believe that there is a great potential for multiple campuses in our fast paced world and hopefully this movement can help bring the Gospel into our larger, more urban cities in a way that is meaningful and life changing.

Let’s just avoid the pitfalls of franchising by avoiding the franchise/franchisee mentlity in the body of Christ.