I’m a fan of Gordon Ramsay, the Scottish Michelin starred celebrity chef who peppers his language with the occasional F-bomb. I enjoy his cooking, his gimmick, and his personality. Love him or not, he’s a savvy business man and one hell of a chef. He is passionate about food and passionate about making his diners experience the best cuisine possible.
One day I was browsing the web and reading news of the Chef when I stumbled across what was described as Gordon Ramsay’s Seven Customer Rules. While I couldn’t verify truly if they are directly from Ramsay, I was nevertheless astonished by what I discovered—how much these seven rules seemed to apply to me as a pastor of a small mainline congregation.
I know I am not the first pastor to find helpful insights from the world of secular hospitality and customer service. And I know that to be a Christian leader is to serve, yes? ‘The greatest among you must become like the youngest,’ says Jesus, ‘and the leader like one who serves.’ Fundamentally, in practice, I am in the service business. I serve God and I serve my neighbor. I don’t have a product to sell, and whatever people get from me I give away for free. So, what can I learn about how to be the church…how to lead the church…from a restaurant? The most common metaphor for the kingdom of God is a sumptuous feast. What can a foul-mouthed celebrity chef who slams about Hell’s Kitchen teach me about leading a community of faith? A lot, I imagine.
For the next seven days, I am going to reflect on each of Gordon Ramsay’s Seven Customer Rules and how they may or may not inform me about how to lead a congregation better. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my language clean.