I am reading this great book titled: Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain. This book is not only well written but it is one that is challenging me to look at things with a new perspective. This is not a church book in the least, as it covers many great businesses and their examples like Gateway, Starbucks, Apple, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Wal*Mart and many more. But, rest assured, through covering these and many others Scott McKain does a wonderful, almost masterful job of sparking thoughts in the readers mind for each of us to question what we have been doing and why regardless of our profession.
For me one of the greatest sparks that the book helped me to venture down through my own world of Children’s Ministry or the Church world is the true cost of copy cats in these areas. I found myself rallying my teams and challenging them to help me sort through the true price (which I found out I am not the only one who did not take this into consideration) that comes from a lack of clarity and “TRUE” distinction.
Basically in this area the book talks about is restaurants for example. Many restaurants see the success one is having with something and so they will go and copy it figuring that if this restaurant is successful here then we will be as well. Each restaurant continues to copy the others until every improvement is rally just a small incremental improvement and the customers can not longer tell the difference between any of them really and so for the customer it all boils down to price then. No more distinction just price. This then becomes very pricey for the businesses and keeps them from being what they have the potential to be by keeping everything based on just the price.
What about in the church world. The loss of “true” distinction and the copy cat syndrome that runs so high through all churches and ministries. Remember when bus ministry was first getting started? The success moved everyone toward starting bus ministries. What about puppet teams, themed rooms then whole themed facilities? Let’s not forget family services, or large group small group services, what about even the terminology from “services” to “experiences”? The list can really go on and I am sure you have by now even created your own list in your mind. I am not sure what the bottom line (since it is not price for the church) is, but I do feel that we tend to become copycats real fast and do not see the true price of losing what our distinction is and why God has us where He has us.
But think on this, “Imitation usually generates neither passion nor distinction. If you are copying from others-even if you are imitating the best-you are propagating a “me too” approach that will continue to cast you adrift on the sea of sameness.” ~Scott McKain Collapse of Distinction
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