Blockbuster in a Netflix World
Psalm 112:1-9; I Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-20
“Be kind, please rewind.” Those words were on the cases of VHS tapes back in the day. Many of us remember driving to a Blockbuster store, usually in a strip mall, and using our laminated blue and yellow card to rent videos we could enjoy at home. In 2004 Blockbuster was thriving with over 9,000 stores in the U.S. – each one was 6,000 square feet.
It’s the back story of this company that intrigues me. David Cook was a computer programmer living in Texas; he’d lost his job at the same time the VHS rental market was exploding. Being entrepreneurial, he considered the potential in this industry. He believed consumers would love larger inventories to choose from so he built mega-stores. Other improvements people liked were the longer hours of operation, the generous option of a three-day rental (instead of one day) and having all the inventory displayed on shelves. Blockbuster also had the policy that there would be no pornography in stock; that alone brought in crowds, especially families with younger kids.
They had late fees, but it didn’t slow down their business: it boosted their bottom line about 16% in 2000 which amounted to $800 million. They did make some controversial choices along the way. In 1994 it was store policy at their Blockbuster spin-off music stores that male employees couldn’t have hair longer than 2 inches past their collar and they couldn’t wear earrings. Those who were fired sued but lost in court. That same year they built a massive 60,000 square foot Blockbuster Block Party location in New Mexico that offered laser tag, motion simulator rides, and other activities geared toward adults, but it never caught on.
In the 1990’s they did make some savvy business choices. They put advertising clothes hangers and bags at dry cleaners, along with coupons, and it increased their profits. They also got exclusive rights to some movies.
Then, in 2000, a CEO named Reed Hastings went to Blockbuster and pitched the idea that his new company called “Netflix” could handle the growing demand for online rentals more efficiently for them. Blockbuster turned him down, confident they could do it with excellence themselves. Netflix was disappointed, but they and Redbox both stayed the course, specializing in DVD rentals. Thirteen years after that offer, Blockbuster closed its last store; ironically their final customer rented an apocalyptic comedy called “This is the End”.
I’ve shared Blockbuster’s business strategy because I believe it can help the church navigate through the challenges we face in 2023. Before we can do that though, we need to know our current realities. Where are we as a church today? I think we’ll get a good picture from an article called “10 Predictions About the Future of the Church in America” written by Zach Zehnder. He begins by urging his readers to be open, not defensive or in denial about what he believes are key outcomes of the pandemic.
His first observation is that the “normal” way we’ve been doing church hasn’t been working nearly as well as we’d like to think. There’s been a slow, silent decline for some years now that has discouraged us. Second, Barna Group research reports on churches reveal that on average 30% of church worshippers have not just left the building during COVID… they’re gone for good. It’s time to stop talking about when they might come back. The good news is that there are some who are back and getting involved, but most of those are age 50 and up.
This next observation may feel disorienting, because it runs counter to what’s long been the narrative of every church in America: Children are not going to be the “future of the church”. Instead, those who are between 25 and 45 years old will be the ones most likely to come, get involved, stay, and lead the church into its future.
The trajectory for churches will include more online ministry. Like social media, smart phones, and Amazon, these things are here to stay. While in-person worship will continue, it’s time now to budget money and find people to be content creators and editors, creating opportunities for online discipleship, prayer, fellowship, and much more. This investment is important because the trend is that the “one hour of Sunday worship” model is quickly expanding to churches offering several online offerings each week. This flexible, hybrid model will be the new norm. People want the option of accessing spiritual offerings any day of the week, and at times that work for their lives and schedules.
These specific, well-researched trends may make sense to you on the one hand, but also feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Consider people you’ve known who were two or three generations older than you. Did they ever tell you how “modernized” things are today, compared to when they were young? They lived in a time period of rapid advancements in travel, medicine, telecommunications, and more; they needed to adapt. We’ve done the same, but perhaps not to the same degree.
We the church are in a unique time in America: the pandemic disrupted our comfortable status quo and we shifted to accommodate that in some ways. Now that we’re in a “new normal,” it challenges us to adapt to the changing landscape of our world. Blockbuster saw the potential in the VHS rental market and were entrepreneurial, expanding their store hours, lengthening rental time, and building huge stores. They took advantage of low-cost marketing through dry cleaning businesses and weren’t afraid to diversify their offerings. They did what’s called “failing forward”: when a new idea didn’t work out, they shut it down and quickly moved on to other innovations. They were clear about what didn’t belong as part of their brand – no porn. Then came the offer from Netflix. Blockbuster could have collaborated with them, but they decided to go it alone. Turns out this was the beginning of the end for them.
Michael Beck wrote a book called “Deep and Wild: Re-Missioning your Church from the Outside In”. He says this is an age of “re”. We like to remodel, reimagine, renew, re-invent. He says the church today needs a re-mix, which means allowing something that exists now to encounter what is emerging. The result, when God is in it, can be fresh expressions of faith. Remember Peter’s ministry with Gentiles? That was a remix for him because he’d only known Jews who accepted Christ. The Protestant Reformation was a remix of Catholicism. The Methodist movement was an accidental remix of Anglicanism. Beck says, “The church in the 21st century is dying for a remix”.
He explains how we’ve been an attractional church, but now need to be missional. We’ve been stationary but need to be mobile. We’ve focused on print as a medium, not digital. He also emphasizes that any sort of re-missioning is not about abandoning the church as we know it. It’s the role of the Holy Spirit to continually lead God’s people to new frontiers.
Do you know that 60% of the people living in our communities have no interest in church? We need fresh ways of sharing Jesus with others. I’m going to offer two contemporary examples that have been successful; I hope you’ll chose one of these and spend time this week if you might be part of that sort of missional ministry.
Or you might decide to experiment online, offering something for others to join. The World Wide Web has empowered people to click on sites, send messages, and interact with others around the clock. With a bit of knowledge and some effort, you can launch something new. What innovative way could you share your faith? Or bless others? Or share your gifts and talents with the wider world? Do some exploring and you’ll find a lot of inspiration.
We are the church of Jesus Christ, whether inside these walls – which feels vintage to some – or outside, where innovation and communication are constant. Each are distinct places. So are the ways we share and show our faith; it depends on our context. But our mission as followers of Jesus never changes! God’s counting on us to tell everyone about His redeeming love. Nothing else can ever fill or satisfy a person. The hope of the world is Jesus, Son of God, our Lord, Savior, Shepherd, and King. If ever there’s a time people needed Jesus, it’s now. Amen.
It’s the back story of this company that intrigues me. David Cook was a computer programmer living in Texas; he’d lost his job at the same time the VHS rental market was exploding. Being entrepreneurial, he considered the potential in this industry. He believed consumers would love larger inventories to choose from so he built mega-stores. Other improvements people liked were the longer hours of operation, the generous option of a three-day rental (instead of one day) and having all the inventory displayed on shelves. Blockbuster also had the policy that there would be no pornography in stock; that alone brought in crowds, especially families with younger kids.
They had late fees, but it didn’t slow down their business: it boosted their bottom line about 16% in 2000 which amounted to $800 million. They did make some controversial choices along the way. In 1994 it was store policy at their Blockbuster spin-off music stores that male employees couldn’t have hair longer than 2 inches past their collar and they couldn’t wear earrings. Those who were fired sued but lost in court. That same year they built a massive 60,000 square foot Blockbuster Block Party location in New Mexico that offered laser tag, motion simulator rides, and other activities geared toward adults, but it never caught on.
In the 1990’s they did make some savvy business choices. They put advertising clothes hangers and bags at dry cleaners, along with coupons, and it increased their profits. They also got exclusive rights to some movies.
Then, in 2000, a CEO named Reed Hastings went to Blockbuster and pitched the idea that his new company called “Netflix” could handle the growing demand for online rentals more efficiently for them. Blockbuster turned him down, confident they could do it with excellence themselves. Netflix was disappointed, but they and Redbox both stayed the course, specializing in DVD rentals. Thirteen years after that offer, Blockbuster closed its last store; ironically their final customer rented an apocalyptic comedy called “This is the End”.
I’ve shared Blockbuster’s business strategy because I believe it can help the church navigate through the challenges we face in 2023. Before we can do that though, we need to know our current realities. Where are we as a church today? I think we’ll get a good picture from an article called “10 Predictions About the Future of the Church in America” written by Zach Zehnder. He begins by urging his readers to be open, not defensive or in denial about what he believes are key outcomes of the pandemic.
His first observation is that the “normal” way we’ve been doing church hasn’t been working nearly as well as we’d like to think. There’s been a slow, silent decline for some years now that has discouraged us. Second, Barna Group research reports on churches reveal that on average 30% of church worshippers have not just left the building during COVID… they’re gone for good. It’s time to stop talking about when they might come back. The good news is that there are some who are back and getting involved, but most of those are age 50 and up.
This next observation may feel disorienting, because it runs counter to what’s long been the narrative of every church in America: Children are not going to be the “future of the church”. Instead, those who are between 25 and 45 years old will be the ones most likely to come, get involved, stay, and lead the church into its future.
The trajectory for churches will include more online ministry. Like social media, smart phones, and Amazon, these things are here to stay. While in-person worship will continue, it’s time now to budget money and find people to be content creators and editors, creating opportunities for online discipleship, prayer, fellowship, and much more. This investment is important because the trend is that the “one hour of Sunday worship” model is quickly expanding to churches offering several online offerings each week. This flexible, hybrid model will be the new norm. People want the option of accessing spiritual offerings any day of the week, and at times that work for their lives and schedules.
These specific, well-researched trends may make sense to you on the one hand, but also feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Consider people you’ve known who were two or three generations older than you. Did they ever tell you how “modernized” things are today, compared to when they were young? They lived in a time period of rapid advancements in travel, medicine, telecommunications, and more; they needed to adapt. We’ve done the same, but perhaps not to the same degree.
We the church are in a unique time in America: the pandemic disrupted our comfortable status quo and we shifted to accommodate that in some ways. Now that we’re in a “new normal,” it challenges us to adapt to the changing landscape of our world. Blockbuster saw the potential in the VHS rental market and were entrepreneurial, expanding their store hours, lengthening rental time, and building huge stores. They took advantage of low-cost marketing through dry cleaning businesses and weren’t afraid to diversify their offerings. They did what’s called “failing forward”: when a new idea didn’t work out, they shut it down and quickly moved on to other innovations. They were clear about what didn’t belong as part of their brand – no porn. Then came the offer from Netflix. Blockbuster could have collaborated with them, but they decided to go it alone. Turns out this was the beginning of the end for them.
Michael Beck wrote a book called “Deep and Wild: Re-Missioning your Church from the Outside In”. He says this is an age of “re”. We like to remodel, reimagine, renew, re-invent. He says the church today needs a re-mix, which means allowing something that exists now to encounter what is emerging. The result, when God is in it, can be fresh expressions of faith. Remember Peter’s ministry with Gentiles? That was a remix for him because he’d only known Jews who accepted Christ. The Protestant Reformation was a remix of Catholicism. The Methodist movement was an accidental remix of Anglicanism. Beck says, “The church in the 21st century is dying for a remix”.
He explains how we’ve been an attractional church, but now need to be missional. We’ve been stationary but need to be mobile. We’ve focused on print as a medium, not digital. He also emphasizes that any sort of re-missioning is not about abandoning the church as we know it. It’s the role of the Holy Spirit to continually lead God’s people to new frontiers.
Do you know that 60% of the people living in our communities have no interest in church? We need fresh ways of sharing Jesus with others. I’m going to offer two contemporary examples that have been successful; I hope you’ll chose one of these and spend time this week if you might be part of that sort of missional ministry.
- Idea #1: offer the community something they need, but don’t have. This undertaking will take research, networking, time, prayer, and a strong reliance on God. Churches that have done this have modified their buildings to meet their neighbors’ needs. That’s changed people’s lives on a practical level, but also spiritually. The church is offering good works and having godly conversations. They’re embodying Jesus’ love by listening and caring, helping, and praying for others. But a word to the wise: be prepared to make adjustments. Opening in the late afternoon until 11:00 p.m. may be what people need, not during the more convenient-for-you daytime hours. There may be more people needing assistance than you anticipated, which sets in motion conversations about a second location. Partnering with others may be needed to have sufficient funding and volunteers. You can also count on your original plans needing to be re-configured; contractors will need to be re-scheduled. Walls, windows, doors, and more will be relocated. Beloved Sunday School rooms that were once full when “Leave It to Beaver” was on TV will need to come down to make way for the needs of today’s modern families. But on the day when the doors finally open, there will be great joy. People will come often and get the assistance they need, but also more than that. In that place loneliness can be lifted, all people will be warmly welcomed, conversations can lead to new friendships. If ever there was a time when people needed practical help and Jesus, it’s now.
- A second way God can use us to reach people who don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus is online. We are a globalized, networked society and there’s no going back. There are lots of ways some of us already regularly connect with people: E-mails, texting, blogging, skyping, FaceTime and Zooming. We send and receive messages, emojis, TikToks, music, pictures, videos, and more. I challenge you to think about how you could be part of a small online group. Lots of people enjoy affinity groups – that’s when you have some interest in common with others like sports, movies, reading books, cooking, travel, pets, or photography. Not only can interests be shared, but genuine community can be formed. People may meet in person after getting to know someone. This pandemic has radically re-shaped our lives. Having limited face-to-face time with others sent many of us online looking for things that would interest us… but also connections. We’re created by God to be in relationship with others; we aren’t wired to be isolated.
Or you might decide to experiment online, offering something for others to join. The World Wide Web has empowered people to click on sites, send messages, and interact with others around the clock. With a bit of knowledge and some effort, you can launch something new. What innovative way could you share your faith? Or bless others? Or share your gifts and talents with the wider world? Do some exploring and you’ll find a lot of inspiration.
We are the church of Jesus Christ, whether inside these walls – which feels vintage to some – or outside, where innovation and communication are constant. Each are distinct places. So are the ways we share and show our faith; it depends on our context. But our mission as followers of Jesus never changes! God’s counting on us to tell everyone about His redeeming love. Nothing else can ever fill or satisfy a person. The hope of the world is Jesus, Son of God, our Lord, Savior, Shepherd, and King. If ever there’s a time people needed Jesus, it’s now. Amen.