A Church Like Aldi

I remember when it was considered a good idea for churches to look and feel like shopping malls, a place where 1990s people felt comfortable and familiar. Then came churches like coffee houses – cozy and curated. 

I wonder today if churches should feel like Aldi supermarkets. 

For those who don’t know, Aldi is an international grocery chain, headquartered in Germany, known for its no-frills, discount approach. Although, as you will see, low prices are somewhat incidental to my liking the store.

Learning curve

After my first visit to an Aldi I declared, “I never need to go there again!” 

Aldi takes some getting used to. Critics might call it messy or dirty. I’d counter that it isn’t slick and in-your-face. Originally, I was confused. I have to pay a quarter to get a shopping cart? I have to bring my own bags as well as bag my own groceries? There are almost none of the familiar brand names I was used to.

There’s a good lesson for the church. Feeling unfamiliar, involving some new routines, having a learning curve aren’t necessarily bad things. Some of my favorite things are acquired tastes – bleu cheese, oysters, espresso, brussel sprouts. You may not like them at first, but then. . . Similarly, It isn’t easy to explain the dropped-third-strike or offside rules to a new sports fan. So it’s okay if some of the church’s practices take some explaining and getting used to.

Aldi’s unfamiliar ways originally feel odd, but you come to see they are really innovative and efficient. Checkout lines move quickly. Carts are returned to the store. Efficiency isn’t really a church value – at least, not for me. Still, I wonder what it might mean for the church to be innovative – creative, clever, spare – without becoming faddish and gimmicky. 

Just right

Aldi stores aren’t huge. The aisles aren’t as long as a football field. Their footprint isn’t several acres. That means you can be in-and-out in a relatively short time. It also means that you probably won’t find everything you’re looking for, and will have to pick up a few items at a different store. ( At the risk of forcing parallels with everything-Aldi, maybe the store’s somewhat limited inventory reminds us that you’ll never find everything you’re looking for at any single church.)

I want a church that is medium-sized. I don’t want a sanctuary that holds thousands and a parking lot so vast you need guides to point you to the door. Or even more important, where you might not see the same faces for weeks at a time. Neither do I want a small church, where fear for survival hangs in the air, where you have to pull hard on every project, and every group is made up of the same five people. Not too big. Not too small. Just right.

Euro church

Aldi’s European roots are easy to sense. Lots of good cheeses, deli meats, wines, German Christmas goodies. I’m partial to almost all things European. Aldi pulls it off without the often-accompanying snobbery. 

I think of the gift that Taize and the Iona Community – two groups from Europe –  have been to the church in North America. And other things European? Perhaps, the Camino de Santiago and other pilgrimages. Compline. Celtic spirituality. Too many wonderful theologians to list. What else? 

My sense is that the European church has come to grips with and sometimes responded ingeniously to the end of Christendom – that it can be an emancipation. No one is saying the European church is flourishing, just that it seems to show signs of imagination and hope. And if you don’t care about European things, you can get corn flakes at Aldi.

What’s new?

There’s one aisle at Aldi that is always changing. At the risk of sounding like a rube, I’m always eager to check it out. Some special deals. Some things that will only appear for a week or so. Some short-lived seasonal needs – water shoes, bike lights, doormats. 

As much as I like rhythms and liturgy at church, some variety and freshness is a good counterbalance. For me, the seasons of the church year often function like this. They aren’t the gospel, the main thing, the center, but they bless and nudge us in different directions. They’re an opportunity to mix things up a bit. Consistency with some variety is what I’m looking for.

¿Qué pasa?

Sometimes at our Aldi, I whisper to my wife, “I think we’re the only ones here speaking English.” Spanish is predominant. But there are also African, Middle-Eastern and Asian languages spoken. Maybe it’s the location of this particular Aldi. Even the Whites have a salt-of-the-earth quality. Perhaps it is a function of Aldi’s low prices. I’m not going to pretend I have profound conversations with my fellow shoppers. Meaningful fellowship it isn’t. But it does get me out of my White, middle class, over-educated bubble.

A truly diverse, multicultural church has proven difficult to achieve. There’s many reasons for this. I don’t think I have much wisdom about how to make it happen. But perhaps we could ask Aldi about how it’s done.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received no remuneration or reward from Aldi for this blog.
Although, Aldi, if you’re listening, I would gladly accept a nice, little gift.

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