It's also an interesting parlay into a mini commentary on modernism and the state of the Church.
In 2011, Ron Johnson (who at the time was heading up Apple's retail operations) came on board as CEO of JCPenney. The Board wanted to shake up the store's "stodgy image" and attract new customers. Johnson fired many existing Penney's executives, and "immediately rejected everything existing customers believed about the chain and stuffed it in their faces." The rebranding effort was aggressive and sudden. Overnight the store transformed from predictable and traditional, to disorienting and modern, forcing many loyal shoppers to look elsewhere for clothing.
Customers at JC Penney were used to a traditional discounted pricing strategy. A pair of slacks might be priced at $75, but coupons brought down the price to, say, $50. Customers felt savvy, and Penney's allocated for the item selling at the discounted rate, so it was really win-win, and kept people coming back. It wasn't a flashy store, but it was reliable and predictable for many middle-income families.
Johnson was completely out of touch with Penney's bread-and-butter customer base, alienated them overnight, and didn't seem to care. When shoppers weren’t reacting positively to the disappearance of coupons and sales and the institution of "flat and fair" pricing (and new, younger and hipper customers weren't flocking to JCP to take their place), Johnson didn’t blame the new policies. but said simply that customers needed to be “educated” as to how the new pricing strategy worked. In the fourth quarter of 2012, sales dropped 32%, one of the biggest in retail history.
Smart businesses learn from the mistake of others in industry. The Church is not a business, and shouldn't be treated or viewed as one, but there are parallels:
1) Know, support (and don't alienate) your base.
I'm guilty of this sometimes. I see all the gray haired heads at Mass and can't help but get a little critical at the lack of newer, younger parishioners to balance things out. It takes humility and respect to honor the faithful pillars of your community and discernment to not be unreasonably wedded to things frozen in time. Change is ok (anybody still using a typewriter or rotary phone?), but make sure it's the right change for the right reasons. You don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'd like to see more support for those who stay in the Church and those struggling (those with large families, for instance), while simultaneously reaching out to unchurched people and those fallen-away. It can be a both/and not either/or.
2) Drastic change (too much, too soon) is hard to stomach for many.
Many (who are older than I am) witnessed the disorientation and upset that occurred when the liturgy was changed overnight, and the "roll out" of modest modernization proposals in the Second Vatican Council got away from the original intent (ie, the "Spirit of Vatican II"). Again, it's easy to get frustrated with the snail's pace the Church can move at sometimes, but that can also be a sign of wisdom and prudence gained over thousands of years since it's inception.
3) Do what you do well
The Catholic Church is traditional and conservative by her nature. So why not embrace that traditionalism and conservatism, rather than trying to be something she is not? Non-demoninational evangelical churches are a dime a dozen. They may have better marketing, better production, and more per-service attendees, but what are they missing? Namely, the things that can't be replicated by marketing and technology--the Sacraments, the Eucharist, the Mass, the fullness of Truth. To use a marketer's term, those things should be 'leveraged' or, if you prefer, focused on as the heart of who we are as a Christian people. It may be seen as stodgy or outdated (ie, 'traditional'), but while other trends have come and gone, the Church is still here, still standing, and still imparting life to those who cling to Her.
4) Truth will never go out of style
When you compromise the Truth, you lose everything. When the foundation crumbles, the house falls. Truth is timeless, and does not follow the whims of contemporary sensibilities. We can't change Truth, but we can speak to different audiences in a language they understand, in a cultural context that can be respected and maintained. A Mass in sub-Saharan Africa may look different from a Mass in Uzbekistan, but it is the same Christ, the same Word, the same Truth.
5) Have some humility
The best leaders, in my opinion, are those that serve with a servant's heart. They shepherd their flock with a firm but steady hand, rather than an iron fist, and lay down their life for their sheep. They also recognize that they serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and don't get caught up in careerism or forget their roots and the heart of matters. They pray, and they believe what they preach. Humility is a requisite for friendship with the Lord, and it should be a virtue in those who take the reigns, whether that's in a parish, a diocese, a monastery, or a home.
It's been more than fifty years since the close of the Second Vatican Council, and the Church has experienced her share of fallout. But there is reason for hope as well. God has raised up prophetic voices and witnesses from the rubble and ashes throughout history to renew and keep the flame lit; all is not lost. The Church is not a business or a corporation, and parallels should be taken with a grain of salt. But it never hurt to take heed of a warning where you see one.
No comments:
Post a Comment