What the church can learn from Woolies

The above picture shows the old Woolworth's store in Stockport. Walking past it the other day left me with a distinct feeling of loss (the feeling might have been greater had I not remembered to cash in the £50 or so vouchers from a particular Aunt which had accumulated from the kid's birthdays over the last few years).

The 'glory' has departed and with a vengeance for, once upon a time, FW Woolworth was a bye word in retail innovation and profitability. So much so that in 1913 Frank Woolworth, the American founder, was able to pay cash for the Woolworth building in New York (pictured right) - the world's tallest skyscraper until 1930.

What's all this got to do with church? Precisely this. A business commentator said on Radio Four's Today the other week with reference to Woolies, 'Great name, bad business model.' In other words, Woolworths was a company people wanted to do business with, both customers and suppliers (that same week the CEO of Lego was lamenting its loss), but it had been unable to organise itself in such a way that it could operate effectively in the world of the 21st Century.

Much the same might and has been said about Blue Peter, the great British Pub,Top of the Pops, political parties etc. However, the church is different - its loss from the 'high street' of our society would be catastrophic. It would also be criminal given that, I believe, people, deep down, still want to do business with God and therefore engage with the beliefs and values we represent. All is not lost, of course, for new models and new ways of being church are developing. Now, then, is not the time to throw in the towel, but rather to explore those new models and new ways for all they are worth.