This site contains a wealth of information for churches on growth, facility, and Ministry Planning.  Join us in discussion of topics such as the emerging church, mixed use development, site selection, interior design, audio visual options, and developing church websites.  So grab a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate as you browse this site.  Write down your opinions and questions, or simply share your journey with others.  Tell us about your experiences in planning, organizing change, building, or anything else you want.  We are looking forward to spending time together at TheMinistryCafe.com.

Why the café and coffee concept?
Starbucks popularity gives some clues. The concept of Starbucks was to try to bring the European café experience to the United States (a place where people can gather with friends in an informal, relaxed Environment, facilitated by a comfortable Environment, pleasant music, aromas and hot beverages which can be slowly sipped and enjoyed). It is a low-impact, multi-sensory experience (a night club would be a high-impact multi-sensory experience). Though we were not the first to do so, we have been advocating the presence of a Starbucks-type café in churches for years. Why? So that churches can be more than just places to attend services; they can be places to hang-out and foster life-giving relationships. Bill Hybels says that more decisions are made to follow Jesus in the food court at Willow Creek Community Church than are made in the service. Not every church can have a food court, but most churches can have a café of some sort.
At our Office, I (Todd) have been a coffee aficionado for some years now - before I heard of Starbucks. When I met my first Starbucks, I thought that maybe heaven had put a new outpost here on earth -  in addition to the church, that is. (Reality ‘price check’ here; church and salvation are free: a Starbucks latte isn’t free - or even cheap for that matter.) I am not big on Starbucks ‘mixed drinks’, but preferred the purity of their many roasted coffee selections. Anyone who has spent time with me knows how I have taken coffee to the level of an ‘extreme sport’. I roast my own coffee beans almost daily and use a burr grinder to grind the beans immediately before brewing with filtered water. The aroma of the fresh roasted beans is just incredible. I once brought a bag of fresh roasted beans to church to give to a friend. Despite having them sealed in a plastic bag, the people sitting within several rows of us kept peering all around to see who had coffee. At the end of the service, this one guy blurts out “who’s got the coffee?” This is a great aroma to put in a church lobby. Don’t want your visitors rushing out after a service? A café can help. Want your members to linger longer and build relationships? Build a café! We went into some detail on this in our Summer 2005 newsletter.  And then at the 2005 NACBA conference, we gave away fresh roasted coffee with the newsletter. (24 pounds of it!) Anybody that walked near our booth got the message with that aroma. We were definitely one of the most popular booths there!
And since we cannot host all of you our cyber friends at our PA Office for some fresh roasted coffee and a conversation, we decided to set-up this cybercafé. If you miss the aroma of the coffee, you can get yours from one of several cyber-sources. Check em out, and come back here often for a conversation.
Todd (aka, the lead Barista)
Sources for fresh roasted coffee at reasonable prices:
http://www.abeantogo.com/
http://www.coffeemaria.com/
http://www.caferico.com/ (fine Puerto Rican coffee)
http://www.bayviewfarmcoffees.com/ (finest Kona Coffee)

Sources for roast-your-own green coffee beans and supplies:
http://www.coffeebeancorral.com/
http://www.sweetmarias.com/
http://www.coffeemaria.com/

Sources for church-based cafés:
http://www.thirdplaceconsulting.com/
http://www.puravidacoffee.com/

Interesting spiritual articles related to coffee and cafes:
http://www.ginghamsburg.org/sermon99/aug2999.htm(Leonard Sweet sermon)

Good Coffee for a Good Cause:
http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/hunger/coffee.cfm

Anything you want us to add? Just leave a comment and we’ll check it out.
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WPH - Architects For Ministry * http://www.churcharchitects.com/
800.755.1131 * 215.741.3200 * f.215.741.3210
314 W. Lincoln Highway * Penndel, PA 19047

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