What the Church can learn from IKEA

A few years ago, with the help of my wife, I became a fan of IKEA. Since then, I have shared the wisdom with others of all things IKEA. It is rather simple to become a fan of this international home goods retalier: innovative products that work great in your home at smart prices, great design, and some good food while you shop, too.

Over the last few months, for one reason or another, I have ended up swinging through IKEA’s Atlanta store and it caused me to think about: ‘What the Church can learn from IKEA’:

1. Focus on the Experience — distinct, focused brand; great signage; incredible first impressions
2. Give a Picture of Results — as you walk through the ‘showroom’, there are several places where you can see a setup of all the IKEA gear in a space based on square footage. In the church, would it help people move to spiritual maturity if we give them clearer pictures of a spiritual growth destination? They think so.
3. Take Care of Kids — throughout their stores, IKEA has kid-friendly & family-friendly experiences. There is a whole department for kids furnishings and gear, toy areas, a kid hangout spot in their restaurant, family restrooms, and even childcare where kids will have a multi-sensory experience while their parents shop. For the church, investing in kids’ ministry is huge. If you don’t get kids’ ministry right, there is going to be a lot wrong in your church.
4. Have a Great Web Experience
5. Add Value to People’s Life — people invest their time and money in things that add value to their life. Millions of people shop at IKEA because their products and experience give value to people when compared to competitors where people could spend their money. For people to invest themselves in the church versus a hobby, sleeping late, etc. they have to experience added value to their life. Is your church creating a compelling vision and value to your attendess’s lives?
6. Customizable — the possibilities of products and the options at times can be endless when shopping at IKEA. In our culture today, we are seeing that people’s faith journey is different and individual; and while process is crucial, everyone’s journey will not be the same. Our faith journey is more relational and organic, not step 1, step 2, etc.
7. Accessible to Diverse Cultures — The products and experience of IKEA is truly international. It appeals to so many cultures because they are intentional in communicating to many, they have a level of excellence and value that speaks to all cultures, and what they have everyone at one point or another needs. In the church, no matter the culture, we have what everyone needs (a relationship with Christ), when we strive for excellence our message it is appealing to all cultures, and we should make sure our message is received by and touches all nations.
8. Pay Attention to Details
9. Mulitple Points of Contact — for IKEA, that is the web, catalog, and their stores. For the church, our campuses, the web, of course, but more opportunities like: local/community ministry projects, relationships/invites, multi-campus strategy, ‘Matthew parties’, simply being incarnational in our neighborhoods

Obviously, I am an IKEA fan and with good reason. More importantly, I am a fan of the local church with great reason. Because of that, I believe other fans of the local church should look everywhere and at everything to see how the church can bee as effective as possible in our mission.