And just as the retail workers at Target are left in the lurch, our small congregations were often left to scatter in the aftermath, trying to find healing as best they could. At times, it was devastating. There are many friends of mine from that season of life who have simply given up on church because of these flash-in-the-pan experiences. We felt expendable: useful when they had their big big plans for their big big ministry launch but when things got tough, we were left behind. They didn’t love us and it became obvious. We were a project, not people.
4. Target refused to allow people in Canada to lead.
Like most retail giants, leadership isn’t valued as much as management. We often saw the church planters come with Their Vision and Their People and Their Six Month Plan: We were there simply to execute their plan. Our input was not required. The planter was The Man of God, we were the dumb yet adorable sheep here to be led, not to co-lead or contribute. There wasn’t a teachable spirit to the leadership, which is interesting to me now, 20-odd years later, because I remember the folks there and there were some incredible leaders among them. It seems like a dehumanizing waste to turn them into pew fodder or cogs for the machine. There are bigger questions here about discipleship, leadership and the purpose of the church, of course, but I’ll leave it there.
5. Target didn’t connect to the communities where they set up shop.
The leaders often didn’t consult the area churches, leaders or believers. They simply showed up and started without a thought for other believers already labouring in that field. They didn’t take the time to become part of the team—maybe because they thought they were above the team? Who knows. Our church communities might be small but they are strong. I often joke that here in western Canada, if you’re a Christian, we either know you or we know someone who knows you. Our world is small and there isn’t anywhere to hide.
Burning bridges is harder when you have a small community of believers. That small community is one of our great assets—we cheer each other on, work together on projects and avoid competitiveness with each other (speaking generally, of course). I love how churches in our area work together so well, so often particularly when it comes to major events or causes. But by not connecting to their community, these leaders often missed opportunities to learn and to be part of something amazing.
I’ll miss Target in theory. I feel incredibly sad for their employees today.
But the truth is that I didn’t shop there either.